Young Hoteliers Summit competition

Left to right, competitors Elliot Rodger, Yonnie Wong, Seayunn Tan, Lauren Chan, Nicole Chan and Samir Dewji.

GUELPH, Ont. — Samir Dewji and Nicole Chan of Guelph's School of Hospitality, Food and Tourism Management (HFTM), will be heading to Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland for the Young Hoteliers Summit. Guelph is among a handful of Canadian schools participating in the competition.

Ryerson has decided to send one or two students, for the first time, to the YHS in March, Frederic Dimanche, director of the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism Management told CLN. Royal Roads is also participating.

Six Guelph students competed for the honour of attending the summit on Nov. 30. They were each given a random topic at noon and were expected to present a five-minute talk on the subject, plus answer questions from the judges.  The judges included Mary Sardella, director of Human Resources at Four Seasons Hotel Toronto; Emily Charczuk, manager, talent development FRHI Hotels and Resorts; Erin Haid, associate director, talent development, Starwood Hotels & Resorts; and Neil Hornsby, director marketing and strategic partnerships,  Best Western International.

Dewji spoke on how the sharing economy is changing the lodging industry, while Nicole Chan talked about the ways hotels can leverage customer loyalty into revenue.

The Young Hoteliers Summit – 7th edition will take place in 2016, keeping up to its mission of creating a communicative platform to bridge the gap between world leaders of hospitality and aspiring young talent while positively influencing recruitment and employment opportunities for the youth as it has every year at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Switzerland

The global summit is held over three days at the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne each year and is proudly organised by the students of the establishment. The delegates are students, nominated from top hospitality management schools spanning the globe.

Through creativity challenges, keynote speakers, panels, focus groups and workshops YHS seeks to provide a unique and profitable setting for all stakeholders and hopes to positively contribute towards shaping the employment outlook in the hospitality industry.

Guelph competitors, professors and judges at the competition Nov. 30.