Learning from the 'Pros' in the Mentoring Program

Hard work pays off - outstanding Bachelor in Tourism and Hospitality Management students in their final year are eligible to participate in the Mentoring Program, an enrichment course which offers the chance to work hand-in-hand with senior representatives of companies in the Austrian and international hospitality and tourism industries, who offer them a “taste of the real life” as tourism professionals.

 ‘’One of the main goals of the program is to get the students inspired, and help them to find out what they want to do in the future,’’ says Prof. Dagmar Lund-Durlacher, program leader. ‘’They get to observe the everyday management challenges of the mentors and how they deal with real-life situations.’’ Furthermore, together with their mentors they all have been engaged in exciting projects.

Pia Koeberler and Anja Bednarik spent their time investigating human resource management through a study of satisfaction in the hospitality industry, under the mentorship of Mr. Klaus Christandl, General Manager of Hotel Imperial and Hotel Bristol, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, The Luxury Collection, Mrs. Mag. Viktoria Arnold, Director of Human Resources, and Mrs. Kaisa Laukkanen-Schober, Human Resources Manager.

Christina Fuchs worked in the Executive Lounge at the Vienna Marriot hotel under supervision of Mrs. Brigitte Wiehart, MBA, Director of Finance, where she assessed the operations of the executive lounge from a customer, and process perspective.

Patricia Neamtu was mentored by the team of Mag. (FH) Martin Schaffer, Managing Partner, MRP Hotels, assessing data on Vienna’s hospitality industry. She thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on experience, ‘’The Mentoring course was a great opportunity to practice the knowledge gained at our university and learn much more about the hotel industry with a great mentor and a very supportive team!"

Julia Weis made a price analysis of the hotel industry in the Austrian province of Styria, comparing prices on booking platforms with those posted on the hotel’s website for the summer of 2015. Her mentors were Mr. Matthias Hautli, M.A., Consultant and Business Manager, and Mag. Daniel Orasche, Senior Consultant, from the hotel and tourism consulting agency Kohl & Partner Vienna.

Fanny Hofbauer chose the theatre association ‘Vereinigte Bühnen Wien’ where she worked in the sales department on the promotion of the musical production of Mamma Mia. Under the mentorship of Mrs. Anita Paic, MBA, Head of Sales Department,  she carried out analyses of business partners and relationship marketing.

Anna Beneder was mentored by Mrs. Martina Maly-Gärtner, Managing Director of Michaeler & Partner Vienna, and got a glimpse into feasibility studies and other analysis in the Austrian hotel market.

Tatia Yajiao Shi used her language skills and knowledge of the Chinese internet to analyse Vienna’s presence on Chinese networks for the Vienna Tourist Board. She did market and media analyses  with a digital marketing focus on Chinese online marketing,  and made suggestions on how to improve the city’s presence on the Internet. Her mentor was Ms. Julia Jakoubek, Manager of Digital Marketing Department, Vienna Tourist Board.

Also at the Vienna Tourist Board, Viktoria Weber worked on a benchmarking project for 11 European cities including Vienna. Her mentor is former MODUL University faculty member Dr. Clemens Költringer, now Marketing Analyst, Vienna Tourist Board.