Essays

James Richards - 2003
My name is James Richards and I attended a course at Lausanne Hospitality Consulting from June 30 to July 4, 2003. Being my first time in Europe I did not know what to expect but what greeted me left a lasting impression.

Being in class with persons from various countries I was able to interact with them and gain much needed knowledge which I can and will use in future. The class consisted of twelve participants with me being the only Caribbean national there, which made me feel special.  Because of the size of the class everyone was able to interact with each other and we also got personalized attention from the Instructors.

Even though the course was not directly related to my job responsibilities at that time, I am now able to bring this knowledge gained to my current newly acquired position and it will also help me to be a better administrator throughout my career.  We were taught about planning, budgeting, staffing and all other aspects that relates to achieving a profit in food and Beverage. Because of my love for the hospitality Industry I know that Food and Beverage will be one of the areas that I will eventually spend a lot of my working years.

I am extremely grateful to my local Tourist Association, the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association, who submitted my application and to the Caribbean Hotels Association for granting me this scholarship. My long term goal is to excel in my field of work and to gain as much knowledge as possible along the way, so that I may be more effective in making a contribution to a brighter future for Tourism.

Update Essay 2005
My name is James David Richards. I live at Jolly Harbour Antigua. I was educated at the Mackenzie Primary School, Mackenzie High School and Guymine Technical Training Complex in Guyana. I also completed a Certification and Advanced Certification at the Cornell University and Elements of Food and Beverage Control at Lausanne Hospitality Consulting. I have been involved in the hospitality industry for the past 11 years. I worked at Hertz Rent A Car from 1994 to 1997 as a Sales Representative and was promoted to Supervisor in the final year of my employment. I started at HBK Villa Rentals and Management at Jolly Harbour in 1997 as a Handyman and was promoted to Guest Services Rep one year later. One year after I was promoted to Supervisor and the next year I was promoted to Manager, the position I currently hold.

I applied for the scholarship because I saw the need for a more theoretical knowledge in my field of work and because all the knowledge I had gained was through practical work gaining the theoretical part of it wil give me the opportunity to become a well rounded individual. The courses were Certification and Advanced Certification in Hospitality Management at the Cornell University and Elements of Food and Beverage Control at Lausanne Hospitality Consulting. The three key things that I learnt and now practice are Empowerment of my employees, Delegating responsibilities and Working with emotional intelligence. I have always conveyed to your people since I am the leader of my church's youth group that they must aim for the stars. I do not believe in fate but I do believe that faith without works is dead. Anything that they need to strive for they need to reach out and grab it. Two things they need to be careful of are dream killers and dream stealers. Do not surround yourself with negative people and choose who you share what with.

I think that the scholarship is a very good gesture by the Hotel Association to young professionals like myself, especially taking into consideration the fact that sometimes these courses are a bit pricey. Since I gained the knowledge, I have become a much sharper individual in decision making, conflict resolution etc. My whole new outlook in the industry, is to try in everyway to develop means to make my guests feel like they being taken care of. I have adopted and have passed on to my staff, the notion of ensuring that every guest needs are met in a timely fashion.

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