NBCC Hospitality Students Benefit from Hotelogix

(A case study of New Brunswick Community College (NBCC), St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada)

A Quick Look: Mitchell Haskins, Coordinating Instructor for Hospitality and Human Services Programs at New Brunswick Community College in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, was in search of the best way to teach his students about new technologies impacting the hospitality sector. Haskins has used a variety of methods in the past, and came across Cloud-based Hotelogix as one of the best new technologies to introduce in his courses. He has found that Hotelogix lends itself to students being able to learn how hotel operations function in 'real time' and provides a number of assignments to reinforce the lessons. Class time can be better spent on developing interpersonal and critical thinking skills that are essential for any hospitality professional.

About NBCC:

NBCC St. Andrews offers 16 academic programs to over 300 students, including one dedicated to Hotel and Restaurant Operations. NBCC St. Andrews supports its students' learning through hands-on training and real-world experiences.

Previous Instruction Methods:

In the past, Haskins assigned his students various property management systems to research. In many cases, his students utilized the demo versions offered by different companies in order to practice their reservation and front desk management skills. Students then presented their findings to the rest of the classmates in order to compare and contrast the various systems available on the market. Once these companies began to limit access to their demos, Haskins then decided to bring in a server-based property management system that allowed students to create basic simulations of front desk activities, such as making reservations, checking in and out, and the night auditing process. However, students could only utilize this method during class time in the lab. During this time, Haskins was frustrated by the lack of consistent opportunities to access property management systems as well as the inability to create real-time simulations that would help to enhance the students' learning and hands-on experience, as he has his students act out the roles of guests, reservation agents, and guest service agents.

Turning Elsewhere:

Given the difficulties with the demo versions and the server-based system, Haskins began to search for a new way to deliver his course material. He began researching innovative and cutting-edge property management technologies that would help enhance his students' learning and better prepare them for future employment. He came across Hotelogix, and was intrigued at the prospect of switching to a Cloud-based system. He realized that a Cloud-based system would allow him to automatically update his system rather than having to contact the server-based company, ask them for software updates, and then coordinate the installation.

Real-time Benefits for Students:

Haskins decided to implement Hotelogix, and set his campus up with 50 'guest rooms' for students to utilize. From there, he simply followed the “Jump Start Guide” supplied by the support team, and also utilized the various help links located throughout the main screens.

• Haskins has been very pleased that the Hotelogix technology affords his students the opportunity to work from home to create reservations, generate and analyze reports, and work on other key management skills.
• This frees up more class time for students to work on customer service, communication, and critical thinking skills while completing the guest cycle in real-time.
• Students can use class time to discuss their experiences using the PMS and ask any questions they may have.
• Students have been able to compare and contrast not only automated systems, but also the issues faced in a smaller property when working with a manual or semi-automated system.

“Working with Hotelogix provides our students with the opportunity to work in a 'real-time' environment where they are developing essential skills required to work within a hotel setting which uses an automated property management system,”

-Mitchell Haskins, Coordinating Instructor,
New Brunswick Community College