For the third year in a row, students raced against the clock and competed for the gold during the Hilton Olympics.
This exhilarating event began as a fun way to teach students how fun everyday hotel logistics can be. The idea sparked after Cathy Cheatham (’89, MS ’16), CHIA, CHE, instructional associate professor and hotel manager for the Hilton University of Houston, visited the New York Hotel Show.
“Prior to 2020, the Hilton Olympics in New York City was a Hilton Corporate event hosted in conjunction with the hotel show,” said Cheatham. “The event would be promoted through campus ambassadors, students would send in their applications, then Hilton would invite select students to participate. Overall, it was pretty prestigious if you were invited to attend and participate!”
As she watched smiles gleam from students frantically making beds and navigating room reservations; she knew this competition was made for Hilton College students!
This year, six teams, each comprised of four people, made beds, crafted salads and filled a metaphorical hotel while maximizing revenue.
The bed-making portion of the Olympics was demonstrated by Dayra Mendez, Hilton University of Houston housekeeping manager. Ensuring hotel room beds are made properly is crucial within the hospitality industry, as it ensures comfort, good hygiene and makes a lasting positive first impression. Hilton has high standards on how beds should consistently look in each of the rooms, which is why every one of their properties orders the same type of sheets, pillows, mattresses and décor.
This portion of the Olympics has been a beloved first challenge for three years, but this year, a new hospitality fan-favorite was added in: towel animals! In addition to being graded for the best-made bed, scores were also given for the best-made towel swans! Ambassabuddies, a team comprised solely of freshmen students, were thrilled to take the gold metals.
Next up, the challengers faced a hotel revenue management challenge. Cheatham presented a ton of scenarios, and the students needed to choose whether to accept a room reservation, based on the revenue it would bring in, the length of the stay, occupancy at the time of year, etc. Unique scenarios had to be accounted for, such as inclement weather, specially rated team member rooms and event group blocks. The team that won the gold on this challenge was TRACC Stars, comprised of members from the Texas Restaurant Association Cougar Chapter student organization.
Lastly, cooking skills were put to the test in the food and beverage competition. Bowls were filled to the brim with specially made salads. Each featured quite an interesting lineup of ingredients, such as raspberries or anchovies and homemade dressing. Hilton College Lecturer Katie Ginapp instructed this portion of the competition, where teams had just two minutes to craft a salad they would be proud to call mom with. The Fab Four team was awarded first-place.
Judges included Brandis Washington (’18), human resources manager at Hilton Americas-Houston, Keanna Franklin (’18), revenue coach at Hilton’s Revenue Management Consolidation Center, Dr. Dustin Maneethai, assistant professor at the College and Erin Kenyan (’98), CHE, CPCE, instructional associate professor at the College.
Teams who earned first place were entered into a raffle for a free hotel night stay with two complimentary breakfasts. The recipient of this award was Joy Carter! Other first-place winners earned exclusive Hilton promotional items, gifted by Priscilla Mint, manager of early talent programs at Hilton.
Overall, students left with more than metals, they gained valuable insight into the industry and learned that thriving within it can have some very fun and competitive perks!