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The American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) National Lodging Management Program (LMP) Competition honored lodging high school students who demonstrated their knowledge of the U.S. lodging industry.
The not-for-profit affiliate of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) hosted the three-day event at the Disney Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Fla., to challenge students on the real-life work experiences in the lodging industry.
Teams consisting of secondary students from across the United States displayed their proficiency while competing in three contests—the Knowledge Bowl, questions and answers quiz format; Hotel Operations, a critical thinking and problem-solving challenge; and Hospitality Project, an event-planning scenario.
The following teams were named national champions, as well as recipients of scholarships totaling more than $200,000 to the University of Houston, Johnson & Wales University, University of Central Florida Rosen School of Hospitality, San Diego State University, Bethune-Cookman College, and Kendall College:
Overall Winner: First place: West Ashley High School (Charleston, S.C.); Second place: Mountain View Academy (Whitefield, N.H.); Third place: Miami Beach High School (Miami Beach, Fla.).
Hotel Operations: First place: West Ashley High School (Charleston, S.C.); Second place: Mena High School (Mena, Ark.); Third place: Mountain View Academy (Whitefield, N.H.).
Hospitality Project: First place: Miami Beach High School (Miami Beach, Fla.); Second place: Pojoaque High School (Santa Fe, N.M.); Third place: Lancaster County Career and Tech Center (Mount Joy, Pa.).
Knowledge Bowl: First place: Mountain View Academy (Whitefield, N.H.); Second place: West Ashley High School (Charleston, S.C.); Third place: Miami Beach High School (Miami Beach, Fla.).
“The competition creates an exciting and challenging educational program for students interested in working in the lodging industry. With more than 550 high schools that have implemented LMP, we’re well on our way toward equipping future lodging employees with the various skill sets they will need to be successful in the lodging industry” said AH&LA President and CEO Joseph A. McInerney, CHA.
LMP is a national educational program for high school juniors and seniors. Topics covered in the program include an overview of lodging management, front office and housekeeping management, leadership skills, marketing and sales, and food and beverage service. Through internships, students can explore the wide variety of job opportunities open to them in the hotel industry.
Event sponsors included Sealy, Inc., Hcareers, Sed de Saber presented by The Coca-Cola Company, WageWatch, Cintas, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
For more information about LMP, contact AH&LEF Vice President of State Relations & Educational Programs Faye Gayes at (407) 999-8160 or fgayes@ei-ahla.org. For 2006 event sponsorship information, contact AH&LA Vice President of Business Development Brad Aldrich at (202) 289-3154 or baldrich@ahla.com. Also, visit AH&LEF’s Web site at www.ahlef.org.
AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.
AH&LA is a 95-year-old dual membership association of state and city partner lodging associations throughout the United States with some 10,000 property members nationwide, representing more than 1.4 million guest rooms. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., it provides members with advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other services to ensure a positive business climate for the U.S. lodging industry. Individual state associations provide representation at the state level and offer many additional cost-saving benefits.
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