This book analyses the development of hospitality education from
vocational to higher education, and discusses the positioning of hotel
schools. It addresses questions such as: Should hospitality management
become part of generic business education? Are the technical training
programmes that have defined the identity of these schools a remnant of
their vocational past, or have they contributed to the successful
careers of many hospitality graduates? Topics discussed in the book are
curriculum innovation, the theory of experimentation, the nature of
hospitable behaviour, information technology, life-long learning and
developments for future curricula. The book makes clear that the debate
on the balance between theory and practice will not only define the
future of hospitality management education, but can also be considered a
relevant case study in other business disciplines.
The history of hospitality education goes back to the end of the
nineteenth and early twentieth century when hotel schools were founded
to train the protocol and technical skills required to receive the
travellers of those days. Since then, the scale and complexity of the
hospitality industry and its professions have changed, as well as our
understanding of what makes a business -whether it offers accommodation
or something else- "hospitable". The scope and educational level of
hotel schools have evolved accordingly, and hospitality management has
become a popular discipline in the traditional and renowned hotel
schools as well as in universities.