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JWU Online > Blog > Hospitality Heroes
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Welcome to Career Catalyst, our blog featuring helpful continuing education and career-related articles written by our faculty and staff. From study and motivation tips to career planning and interview techniques, we cover it all. Make sure to check back regularly, because we’re always posting new articles designed to help you get more out of your education and career.

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Hospitality Heroes

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Hospitality Heroes

April 28th, 2020
by Karen Silva - Ed.D.
hospitality professional on phone
Image Attribution: 
By polack
hospitality professional on phone

I can’t help thinking these days that we are living in a virtual (not material) world (apologies to Madonna). 

Depending on your source, tourism/hospitality ranks as either the second or third largest industry in terms of economic impact and employment in the state of Rhode Island, home to JWU’s main campus. Depending on where you are reading this, those industries might even rank higher in your economy. Sadly of all industry segments, tourism/hospitality — including lodging, food service, sports, entertainment, travel, and events — has probably been the hardest hit by the recent unexpected outbreak of COVID-19.

Certainly, we’ve all seen such media accounts reporting on cruise ships and the COVID crisis, and the images of numerous virtual floating Petri dishes anchored offshore unable to disembark their guests are indelibly imprinted in our minds. 

Hospitality Industry Response

However, I’d like to take a few minutes to refocus and remind everyone about the many contributions and sacrifices this industry is making on a daily basis to keep our world more hospitable despite the outbreak. First, although the media focus has been on mega liners, huge airlines, and massive chains, the majority of this tourism/hospitality industry is composed of small local businesses — the “mom-and-pop” restaurant, family B and Bs, little league competitions at hometown parks, privately owned catering and event organizations, meeting planners, travel consultants — and the list goes on. 

Whether large or small, every one of these vendors normally provides a service to make everyone’s life, simply stated, more fun!  However, during this time of crisis, they’ve each adapted, much as chameleons change color to adjust to different surroundings. Despite depleted resources, lack of patronage, and thus lower income, some examples to consider:

  • Cruise ships, massive exhibition centers and casinos have been transformed into field hospitals.
  • Hotels have provided rooms to house medical personnel and families.
  • Restaurants have donated countless hot meals to front line medical service personnel.
  • Meeting and event planners have worked tirelessly to rebook and still create memorable experiences for displaced brides, anniversary, and birthday parties and the like.
  • Entertainment celebrities have provided free online concerts and virtual fundraising events.
  • Theaters and sport complexes have refunded millions of tickets to patrons in the hopes that next year will be that championship season.
  • Airlines have issued countless vouchers for future travel to exotic destinations.

How to Support the Hospitality Industry

In our virtual world today, we can all still safely help not just the cruise lines but the entire tourism/hospitality industry stay afloat. Here’s a few ideas to consider:

  • Purchase gift certificates online from your favorite restaurant and anticipate how much you’ll enjoy that dining experience when this crisis subsides.
  • Order takeout/curbside service at a local restaurant and donate the meal to someone who is quarantined or unable to shop — call them, leave the goodies on the steps, wave, and feel good!
  • Plan next year’s summer vacation and capitalize on the great deals hotels, airlines, and tour operators are offering for future bookings — you’ll never see prices like this again.
  • Make a charitable contribution (after all, it is tax-deductible) to a local arts organization, museum, nonprofit theater, local high school sports team. Help them keep the lights on and spirits soaring

In closing, we’ve all been impacted by this seemingly impossible set of circumstances, some to a greater degree than others. We have only to turn to social media to view the new virtual lives our friends and family are sharing with us. My own next social post will involve the postponement (NOT cancellation!) of our 25th wedding anniversary celebration.  However, in the grand scheme of this great adventure we call life, it really isn’t that important. We know we’ll reschedule — maybe we’ll celebrate 26 years of marriage instead!

If you still have any doubts that the tourism/hospitality industry will be back better and stronger than ever next year, check out #Wewilltravelagain. We’re certain of it!

If you’re interested in a career in hospitality, consider earning a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management or a master’s degree in hospitality from JWU Online. Learn from experts with real-world experience. For more information, complete the Request Info form, call 855-JWU-1881, or email [email protected].

 

Blog Categories: 
Hospitality
April 28th, 2020
by Karen Silva - Ed.D.
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Karen Silva - Ed.D.'s picture
AuthorKaren Silva - Ed.D.
Karen is a professor at the Johnson & Wales University Providence campus and College of Online Education, as well as the chairperson of graduate programs in JWU’s College of Business. She holds an Ed.D. in curriculum and teaching from Boston University, a Master of Arts from Rhode Island College in Managerial Education, a B.A. from UMass-Dartmouth with a major in English-Education and minors in history and social sciences, and the designation of Certified Hospitality Educator. She is one of only five faculty members at the university to have received the Master Teacher designation and was also the first member of the College of Hospitality Management to be named Teacher of the Year. Outside of the classroom, she serves on the boards of directors for both First-Works (a nonprofit bringing “arts to audiences”) and the Roger Williams Park Zoo. She was a 2019 Hall of Fame inductee for the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau. She is the author or co-author of more than nine textbooks and training manuals and has consulted for various organizations including Carnival Cruise Lines, The Miami Heat, ESPN’s the X-Games, Life Care Centers, and the Rhode Island Department of Education. Prior to joining the University she was employed as a curriculum specialist for The Travel Institute in Wellesley, MA, and held numerous positions at Collette Vacations in Pawtucket, RI, after working as a public school teacher in Massachusetts and an account executive for a pharmaceutical firm.
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