EUHT StPOL Professional Development Days are back

The Professional Development Days (PDD) are a job placement event for students of all EUHT StPOL programs that will take place on February 7 and 8 in our facilities. In addition to the usual international hotel chains, this year Up to five new companies are participating for the first time: LVMH, Do&Co, Telefèric Barcelona, Room Service Company and Leonardo Hotels.

During the morning, almost 70 students will attend the company presentation talks. This is an opportunity to learn first-hand about the corporate culture of the hotel chains that will interview them later on. Previously, these companies will had selected the profile of students that best suit their needs, however, the presentation sessions are also an opportunity for candidates and recruiters to get to know each other. In the afternoon, human resources representatives will conduct the individual job interviews. A few weeks after the venue and once all the data gathered in the interviews will be analyzed, the companies will send their offers to the chosen candidates.

The 13 participating hotel chains are Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (Hong Kong), Barceló Hotel Group, Iberostar Hotels & Resorts, Real Hotels & Resorts, H10 Hotels, Meliá Hotels International, Smart Room Company, Telefèric Barcelona, Palladium Hotel Group (Spain), Minor Hotels, Six Senses Hotels Resorts and Spas (Thailand), Leonardo Hotels (Germany) and Do&Co (Austria). In addition, although in an online modality, other chains such as Marriott International (USA), Four Seasons (Canada) or LVMH (France), among others, will select some of the candidates for interviews.

Each student will receive different internship offers and career plans, among which they will be able to choose their professional destination. For example, in the previous edition, the Professional Development Day (PDD) set more than 700 interviews for almost 90 students of Bachelor’s Degree in Hotel and Tourism Management, the Technical Degree in Gastronomy and Restaurant Services and master’s degrees in Hotel Management and Culinary Arts and Kitchen Management. On average, each student had 8 interviews, and in the case of undergraduate students, the average exceeded 13 interviews per candidate.

Companies participating for the first time

The 2024 edition will host several new companies. The French group LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Henesis) is the only business group present in all major sectors of the luxury market: wines and spirits, fashion, perfumery, watches and select retail. In the hotel sector, it is the owner of the luxury brands Belmond and Cheval Blanc. On the other hand, Do&Co has emerged as one of the most important catering companies in the world, offering its services to restaurants, lounges and hotels; to top international events such as F1 or ATP tennis championships; and flag airline companies with Premium services. Telefèric Barcelona is a chain of Mediterranean cuisine restaurants with a strong presence in California and Catalonia. Smart Rooms Company is a Spanish company that is based on accommodation management, specialized in devising and managing proposals for spaces that aim not only to offer a place to stay, but unique and tailor-made experiences. Finally, Leonardo Hotels is a Berlin-based chain that has around 160 establishments in Europe and Israel specializing in urban and business hospitality.

Other means for labor market entry

The PDD are an effective and efficient formula to facilitate the incorporation of new graduates into hotel and restaurant companies, but they are not the only means of insertion into the labor market for EUHT StPOL students. In addition, during the academic year other international hotel chains and restaurant groups come to the university campus to interview students as they are constantly looking for an internship opening, they might have.

Over the years, EUHT StPOL has strengthened a wide network of contacts in the hotel, gastronomy, and restaurant sector: from hotel chains to independent hotels and restaurants. Many of them awarded international recognition in their field. In fact, many EUHT StPOL Alumni are nowadays directors or department heads of hotel companies around the world.

For these and other reasons, EUHT StPOL has been considered the #1 Hospitality and Tourism university in Spain and #14 in the world according to the QS World University Ranking 2023.