Master in International Hospitality Management

The tourism sector has become for decades one of the key areas for the social and economic development of our country. Within it, the hotel sector, a cornerstone of tourism, is the one which has experienced stronger growth in recent years. Immersed in an environment that is becoming unstable at high speed and in which uncertainty is high, the life cycle of products is becoming shorter and the client shows higher levels of demand. The sector continuously demands professionals trained to operate in a constantly evolving market, able to adopt modern management styles in more complex organizations with a growing trend towards concentration. UNICAL, in order to train the best professionals in the hotel industry, presents the Master in International Hospitality management. The master has first- level managers of hospitality among its teachers team and an action- oriented methodology of learning: Group dynamics, role- playing, outdoor training and coaching based on a training ensuring immediate implementation in the company. This is a Master Degree which is valid throughout Europe.

The Program is oriented to candidates:

• With a relevant diploma in Tourism.
• Being a technician in Business and Tourist Activities.
• With a bachelor degree in hospitality and/or tourism who are interested in specializing in this field or sector.
• Positions and/or being connected to the hotel sector in promotion to positions with responsibility for operational management and/or hotel business strategy

The career possibilities eligible to the participants in this master focus on positions and functions to be developed in the following departments of businesses, institutions and tourist destinations:

• Director / Manager of companies or hotel groups: The figure of the hotel manager is comparable to the position of CEO or of an SME. In addition to managing the budget and coordinating the team, this executive is responsible for compliance with internal procedures, standards of quality and for the efficiency of operations.
• Responsible for corporate departments of hotel chains: This figure’s main function focuses on the help and support offered to different business units of the hotel group.
• Head of Hotel Division of Business Groups: Responsible for coordinating and monitoring the various hotel businesses belonging to an investment or corporative group.

Creating a hospitality professional by developing the student’s knowledge, skills and attitude by continuous exposure to the daily reality of a hospitality organization’s practice and attitude.

Objectives

The main objectives of the master in International Hospitality Management are:

• Preparing professionals who, from a solid training in the management of hotel companies as well as from previous work experience in the sector can deepen the knowledge necessary to ensure success in hotel management.
• Providing students with the tools and techniques needed for the analysis and diagnosis of current and future strategic challenges of the hotel sector and for the formulation of long term competitive and sustainable strategies.
• Strengthening the managerial skills of students and contributing to the implementation of more effective management models in the industry.
• Encouraging entrepreneurial spirit and initiative in the hospitality field.
• Developing the professional personal and interpersonal skills of students, required to assume leadership positions in the hotel sector.

The teaching staff and collaborators involved in the Master are recognized professional hotel managers with proven experience in leading companies of the sector. The cultural diversity of the students of the Master enables a rewarding professional exchange as well as a global vision. The learning methodology is oriented towards strategy and action and uses the techniques for group dynamics, role playing and activities outside the classroom, ensuring training with immediate applicability to the company. The competencies acquired during the Master guarantees the students their career advancement in the marketplace, sponsored by UNICAL’s close relationship with the business and institutional tourism sector, and because of the fact that it offers students a powerful employment agency. The learning model used is designed to facilitate the participant the analysis, control and improvement of Hotel Management and/or Restaurant industry, causing situations in which participants must cope with different situations and common problems in different types and structures of this type of tourism businesses. The continued involvement of the students in the classes, the constant incentive development through reflective exercises and case studies, provides participants with the skills necessary for career success in this field.

The Master program is set in different thematic modules, developed by means of working sessions, both theoretical and practical, related to the corresponding topic. Some sessions of the module “Strategic Management Competences” shall be conducted in conjunction with students enrolled in the two specialties. Also, the participation during the Master of hotelier professionals / managers with proven experience from the top and leading companies and institutions in the country and abroad will provide participants with different and enlightening points of view, with innovative and unique practice.

Core subjects (21 EC)

Marketing Management (6 EC)

• Marketing Strategies
• Brand management
• Revenue management
• Sales Management: e­-marketing and new trends

Managing people and organizations (3 EC)

• Excellence in human resources: human capital management and service orientation
• Ethics and Leadership
• Change management and organizational behavior
• Development of personal and professional skills

Financial Management (6 EC)

• Financial management of the revenue and cost centers
• Budget and management control
• Fundamentals of Financial Analysis
• Valuation of hotel investment and asset management

Strategic Management (6 EC)

• Design and implementation of strategies in a hotel
• Development of business models adapted to the situation current hotel
• Initiative and entrepreneurial spirit
• Corporate Social Responsibility

Specialization Subjects (24 EC)

Hospitality Management (12 ECTS)

• New trends in hotel
• Create services and hotel products
• Design and architecture of hotels
• Excellence in Operations: key areas in hotels
• Event management in hotels

Management experience (6 ECTS)

• The company focused on customer satisfaction
• The customer experience as a differential value
• Continuous improvement system
• Management of luxury

Practicum or market research (6 ECTS)

Master Final Research Project (15 ECTS)

This course aims to enable students to analyze the characteristics and problems of/in the current hotel industry, through research methods and techniques appropriate in each case. It aims to initiate the student in research methodology so that you can successfully plan and develop research in some specific aspects of the field of hotel and/or application development and transfer projects in real companies in the sector.

The assessment of the learning is carried out from ongoing monitoring of the student by the teaching staff and the Direction of the course, as well as by the elaboration of written evidence and preparation of papers,