Learn in an actual hotel
The PIHMS campus is a fully operating simulated hotel. All students run the hotel as part of their training.
La Vista restaurant and kitchen are your classrooms
PIHMS students run and manage La Vista Restaurant as part of their training.
You and your team of fellow students will cater for 300 + guests dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The majority of your guests are students and staff, however outside guests dine in the restaurant for evening dining at certain times throughout the year giving you experience dealing with paying customers.
Learn by doing. This is real life operational training in a fully functioning restaurant.
Learners are divided into 3 areas for 3 weeks each
Your food and beverage training is designed to help you understand how a commercial restaurant and kitchen operates. This is a vital component to successfully progress into management and business positions in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Kitchen
Managerial Roles
Floor Service
Train as a Manager – Manager Roles
While training in Food and Beverage, you are given the opportunity to coordinate, manage and lead the team in La Vista Restaurant and Taranaki Café.
All students complete managerial responsibilities for 3 weeks of their training, these include:
- Sous Chef
- Restaurant Manager
- Assistant Manager
- Bar Manager
- Taranaki Café Manager
- Staff Meal Supervisor
La Vista Restaurant and Bar is your classroom
All students are given equal opportunity to experience each of the following roles:
- Server
- Cashier
- Host
- Bar Assistant
- Café
- Glassie
- Runner / Room Service
- Barista
A snapshot of what your day will look like
Kitchen – Chef de Partie
Students performing as Chef De Partie work along-side the chef lecturers preparing and plating 1000+ plates every day.
Some of the Chef de Partie roles include:
- Demonstrate operation skills
- Prepping products
- Principles of FIFO First in, First out (image of unpacking goods will explain)
- Seasonal management
- Material management
- Preparing product
- Cooking product
- Washing dishes
Dream Team Event
This event is an opportunity for you and your fellow team of Food and Beverage students to showcase all that you have learnt over the past 10 weeks in a final Dream Team Event.
Students don’t take this lightly –Through teamwork, creativity and dedication students project manage and pull off amazing events enjoyed by fellow students, staff during lunch service.
“It’s a super fun way to learn everything you need to know about the department, it’s challenging and very rewarding.”
Kitana Sands-Gage
The working hotel is your classroom!
PIHMS students completing the Rooms Division Operations section of their study, run and manage the accommodation side of the PIHMS simulated Hotel - 150 rooms, 300 beds.
Students train in both Front Office and Housekeeping Operations.
Hotel Front Office
As a student training in front office operations, you will run the PIHMS simulated front office – Completing responsibilities and tasks you would find in a real front office department of a hotel.
This includes managing bookings, reservations, daily check ins/outs for all students checked into PIHMS accommodation.
You are given real industry related situations to deal with – Regardless of whether it’s a complaint, feedback or requests; you have to think on your feet to find a solution and create an exceptional experience for your customer.
Training in Front Office gives you an excellent understanding of how all aspects of the front office department works and operates. This knowledge is essential in progress towards management or business related roles.
Expert advice and guidance
Your Front Office lecturers are there to provide you expert advice and guidance. They take a step back allowing you to explore the roles yourself, with the safety net of a simulated environment.
You train and learn the following roles/sub departments of the front office:
- Guest Services
- Reservations
- Night Audit
You will also partake in the following positions:
- Front Office Supervisor
- Porter Team Leader
- Porter
- Front Office Sales
Housekeeping
Students learn the skills and knowledge required to operate and manage a Housekeeping team within a hotel.
Let’s be clear, PIHMS is not training you to become a pro scrubber! PIHMS is training you to become a hotel / hospitality professional or manager. In order for you succeed in this industry, it is essential for you to gain an understanding of all areas within the Hotel – including how the housekeeping department works and operates.
You and your fellow students run the housekeeping department, servicing 150 twin share rooms at PIHMS. All students are given equal opportunity to become competent in each of the following roles:
Floor supervisor
As a floor supervisor you are firstly responsible for briefing your team on what needs to be done for the day and setting expectations around timeframe and quality control.
Once you head out to the rooms your responsibility is to ensure your team service the rooms to the required quality standard, guidelines and timeframe found within the Hotel industry.
Room attendant
As a manager it’s important you have a comprehensive understanding of five-star housekeeping procedures. The only way to truly understand this, is by completing the role of a room attendant servicing rooms. This will be incredibly valuable in future management roles throughout your career.
Laundry / Public areas
You also train in PIHMS commercial laundry and public areas, where you will gain an understanding of how these two divisions of the housekeeping department work and operate.
Get promoted when you graduate by gaining the right skills and experience at PIHMS
The skills and experience you gain by carrying out different roles across all departments gives you a full understanding of how each area of a hotel operates.
Having knowledge of how the hotel operates is essential, however without interpersonal skills, passion, attitude or leadership experience you would find it difficult to obtain employment or gain a promotion.
The PIHMS operational training helps you develop your interpersonal skills, passion, attitude and leadership experience. These are some of most important skills you gain from PIHMS ensuring you succeed after you graduate.