PIHMS Student Vice President vs Industry Placement

Meet Lachlan Kettlewell. He is completing his final year of his degree.  

Lachlan attended a Career Week back in 2018, where the concept of PIHMS being a working hotel that was operated by the students studying there. While at Career Week, he was able to meet current students completing their studies. He heard their stories about their industry placements, from there he realised that he just had to attend PIHMS.  

While completing the first two years of his degree, Lachlan completed his two Industry Placements. During his first placement, he worked at the Sofitel Hotel in Wellington, carrying out his Food and Beverage Service Management Placement in an establishment that can be classed as luxury. His second placement he decided to head back to Wellington and worked for the Hilton’s Double Tree Hotel. During this industry placement he worked in the Front Office department. Both placements taught him a lot about the industry. 

“The training we received at PIHMS is more hands-on”  

During his time in Wellington, he grew to love the city, the people he met there and how the hospitality scene could be so vibrant. He was lucky enough to work with some amazing people. The connections he made on his second placement gave him the opportunity to work in the nightclubs around Wellington CBD every weekend. When asked why, he replied with “I love working in the bar scene and it was an awesome opportunity that was given due to the connections I made on placement.” 

The industry and Lachlan have known each other for years

Lachlan had always been a part of the hospitality industry since he was a kid. He grew up working in his dads’ restaurant. Since being involved from such an early age, he learned that the hospitality industry can take you around the world. Ultimately, this is what hooked him to pursue a career working in the industry.  

Lachlan’s favourite part about the industry is that you get to meet people. The hospitality industry has a way of bringing people from diverse backgrounds together and you can learn so much from those experiences. 

Progressing as a successful hotel professional

Lachlan’s end goal, once he has finished his Degree is to return to working in bars, hopefully working his way up to Bar Manager. His plan is to head to the South Island and work in Queenstown to gain some more experience. After gaining some more experience, he would like to move to Australia or Canada to work for a few years, travel the world, and explore.