BA (Hons) Hotel Management

Why study this subject?

The service sector and experience economy is now one of the largest in the world's economy. Hotel management explores the relationship between hotels and the wider hospitality environment.

We’ve designed this programme to give you the skills sought after by employers and help you make the most of all the opportunities on offer.

This exciting programme is aimed at those who want to take over the management of an existing hotel, are aiming for leadership positions and/or want to start a new enterprise.

You’ll develop the necessary skills required to manage a successful hotel business including technical, supervisory and managerial skills and techniques with a specific application to the international world of hotel management.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

Do you want to take on a managerial role within in a hotel, or maybe you want to run your own? Our BA (Hons) in Hotel Management degree allows to acquire the skills needed for both independent and corporate intrapreneurship. You’ll develop out of the box thinking and a talent for problem solving, all whilst gaining the practical and theoretical knowledge you’ll need to excel.

The programme is designed with your future career in mind. You’ll benefit from industry engagement in every module such as guest speakers, site visits, placement opportunities, competitions, field trips and debates.

Not only will you learn how the day-to-day of a hotel runs, but you’ll also get to explore the human nature of the business and how to effectively develop your communication skills.

Upon graduation you will have developed your mind-set to be able to take measured risks, that perceives and creates opportunities and has the resourcefulness to pursue opportunities in an ethical and sustainable way.

Teaching will take place at our High Wycombe Campus, where you can immerse yourself in student life and take full advantage of everything our Campus has to offer. Our Students’ Union is frequently rated in the top five SUs in the UK by our students in the National Student Survey. We’re the only university in the UK to offer free access to a huge range of events and entertainment,  CV building activities,  as well as competitive and recreational sport and wellbeing activities to enrich your time with us as part of our ‘Big Deal’.

You will benefit from placement opportunities within a range of organisations during the programme, including at our beautiful Missenden Abbey, in Great Missenden. A 12^th century former medieval abbey, set within 10 acres of beautiful grounds in the heart of the Chilterns, blends a historic building with a purpose-built conference and training facility.

Your placements will be practice-led, creating an innovative approach to hospitality education and training.  This approach will allow you to gain work-based experience, real-world learning and vital knowledge in hotel management, combined with professional and technical skills.

On your placements you’ll work, and gain experience, at an operational level in your first year and will move to more supervisory and managerial roles and capabilities in your second and third year.  All areas and departments of the Abbey will be utilised during your placements, including front of house and back of house operations.

Our strong links with employers, professional and trade associations, representing a range of business environments across the hospitality industry, will provide you with a practical and an outstanding student experience. You will develop your industry knowledge and professional skills by gaining valuable experience in a fully commercial hotel and other industry partner hotels alongside your studies. You’ll also be able to create connections with experts and build valuable networks.

With this hotel management course, you’ll be able to hit the ground running once you leave BNU and apply your newly acquired skills to your dream career.

What will I study?

Our BA (Hons) Hotel Management will help you to develop your technical, supervisory and managerial abilities, preparing you for a global industry.

We will combine practical elements of hotel management with an in depth understanding of the potential impacts of the hotels and their role within both the UK and internationally.

You’ll gain a thorough grounding in hotel management and the theoretical principles that underpin this. We also place a strong emphasis on skills development for the workplace, including presentation skills, research, data analysis, budgeting, negotiation and content planning.

During the programme you will spend time in the classroom learning the theoretical elements that underpin your knowledge base. You will also spend time in the working environment of Missenden Abbey and our industry partners, gaining experience throughout the course in: reception, restaurants, housekeeping and conference and events.

This mixture of theory and practice will help ensure the relevance of your studies to employability. This will help you to develop solid business principles, alongside contemporary sector knowledge, and plenty of hands-on experience working in areas related to your field of study.

Your hotel management training will teach you how to develop a business through effective communication using a variety of tools, demonstrating strong consumer understanding and a have mind-set that takes measured risks, that perceives and creates opportunities and has the resourcefulness to pursue opportunities in an ethical and sustainable way.

We balance academic rigour with industry readiness, skills, knowledge, and experience. During this programme you will develop a range of relevant skills and knowledge alongside personal development goals. By linking the programme directly to industry advice and expertise, we will support you to become 'industry ready' from the very beginning of your journey.

How will I be taught and assessed?

On our BA (Hons) in Hotel Management, you’ll be based at our High Wycombe Campus and will benefit from placements at our industry partners, such as Missenden Abbey, where you’ll be able to explore the world of hotel management.

You’ll learn from staff with current experience in hospitality and hotel management, with many involved in research within these areas. We will encourage you to grow as a professional, helping you to gain the confidence and flexibility you need to thrive in these diverse industries.

We balance the academic requirements of the degree with giving you practical skills and industry experience. You’ll benefit from our strong employer, industry and trade association links as well as case studies, masterclasses and placement opportunities with our industry partners. We also invite guest speakers to deliver sessions, so you can learn from their experiences, expertise and insights.

You will also benefit from trips, site visits and residential field trips to some of the most iconic locations. These include places such as Red Carnation Hotels, Firmdale Hotels, Good Hotel London, and Zetter Hotels but may vary from year to year.

Placements are an integral part of your course. You will gain experience in the different departments such as the front office, restaurant, housekeeping and conference and events department. These shifts may involve some late finishes on occasion, as well as weekend work, so that you get to see all aspects of what the hotel offers.

Management is an evolving field and BNU academics are leading projects that keep up to date with the latest trends and take their subjects in fresh directions. You can be confident of learning from people with enthusiasm and expertise at the forefront of their profession, developing valuable industry knowledge and leadership and management skills.

The course combines hotel experience with one of our industry partners, industry-relevant modules and taught sessions to prepare you to become a successful manager.

During a hotel week you would spend three or four days on shift, Monday to Sunday, gaining experience and applying the academic theory from your taught sessions.

You will be assessed in a variety of ways and these are spread out across the year to help make the workload manageable.

Assessment methods include group works and individual work, such as:

• essays
• presentations
• pitches
• Dragons Den style assessments
• case studies
• professional development
• industry briefs and projects
• practical activities.