IE Hospitality Day: Industry Leaders Meet Future Generation

IE Talent & Careers hosted industry leaders at IE University’s Hospitality Day, an event designed to inform and connect students with professionals. The day-long event included internship interviews and panel discussions, drawing a crowd of 80 students.

During the morning, recruiters from international hotel chains like Marriott, Hilton, Accor, Rosewood Villa Magna, The Madrid Edition, Hyatt, and Four Seasons interviewed students for potential internships.

Recruiters, managers and directors later met in a discussion led by IE Hospitality Business Club,l focused on topics including AI and new technologies, competing services, and the importance of sustainability.

“AI is here to stay. However, everything will always be focused on keeping the human touch. We conducted a survey that indicates that 46% of our customers use AI to plan their trips,” said Ronny Maieer, Regional Vice President of Marriott International. “AI is used everywhere. It is not here to replace us. It is here to improve our lives and make it easier to deliver services to our customers. It will 100% help us be more productive. However, we are a people industry and we will always need people.”

Eva Moral, General Manager at Hilton, agreed with this statement, “We have the advantage of AI that provides advantages of reducing costs without taking a toll on our guests and charging them more.”

A second discussion panel focused on Human Resources related topics using a more interactive approach. Fast question rounds and incorporating the audience to pitch themselves as candidates made the panel more dynamic.

The upshot?

• What’s more important a CV or motivation letter? Answer: CV
• What matters more? Experience or attitude? Answer: Attitude
• What is a candidate’s biggest red flag? Answer: Arrogance
• What is a candidate’s biggest green flag? Answer: Motivation
• What do you consider must-haves for a successful candidate? Answer: Patience and resilience

The HR discussion provided insights about data privacy, legislation, AI and technology, and career paths. Students were drawn to participate and engage with the prepared activities.

“If you want to develop a solid and dynamic career in a world-class industry I would try the hospitality industry,” Veridiana Fernandes, Market Director of Human Resources stated. 

Attendees said the event didn’t just serve for networking or recruiting, but addressed concerns they were addressing in the hospitality sector.

“I came here because I have a startup related to food and beverage in the hotel space,” said Andrew Efremov,a BBA student. “I got to ask a question about how they're dealing with plastic. I learned they take this into consideration, for glass bottles, which is a very common source of bottling these kinds of products, it's actually difficult for them to ship because of breaking fragility.”

Students applauded the event and said they found it inspiring. 

“It motivated me to apply to their jobs because they mentioned a lot that it's a people-oriented industry and I consider myself a people-oriented person so I would really like to work in that industry,” IMBA student, Martin Molina.