Case Study

Daniel Thompson, a 2014 International Hospitality Management graduate with a 2:1 degree updates us on his career since graduating and the amazing journey he has taken at the Hilton.

Before joining UCLan Daniel had always had a deep interest in food and drink, with all his previous job roles being based in restaurants and bars. Daniel said he chose UCLan as it allowed him to develop the theory of hospitality alongside practical assignments, and the fact that UCLan allow their students to participate in a third year industry placement; which most universities do not offer. He said

“The International Hospitality Management degree at UCLan has allowed me to develop practical experience and explore a different side to hospitality. Hospitality is a rewarding career as you to get meet a variety of people and explore new areas. The placement year allowed me to put my first two years of academic learning into real world practice”. 

After graduating from UCLan, Daniel was able to secure a place on the Hilton UK Graduate Management Development Programme. A program that lasts 18 months, and is an intensive management training program, where you work in all areas of the hotels operations

• Front Office
• Conferences 
• Events 
• Food and Beverage. 

The programme is split into two placements, Daniel was based at at the Hilton Watford and Hilton Glasgow. Alongside the two placements, Daniel also participated in residential training across the UK and attended at graduation Ceremony at the Hilton Bournemouth to cap off the 18 challenging, yet rewarding months.

Now, Daniel is working as the bar manager for TwoRuba, the destination bar of the Hilton London Tower Bridge. It is a 245 bedroom hotel, right in the heart of Central London. Daniel says

“My role is to oversee the operation of the TwoRuba Bar, whilst working with the other food and beverage departments across the hotel. I’m in charge of a team of 12, and also act as a duty manager for the hotel”

Daniel states that his lasting memories of UCLan will always be the amazing support and guidance he received from his tutors, they were always available when you felt you needed guidance or assistance. Despite UCLan being a big campus, you never felt too lost, there was always somebody who could help you out and point you in the right direction.

Since graduation, Daniel explains that his greatest achievement was getting onto the graduation scheme with Hilton:

“The Hilton is such a fantastic company to work for and the programme itself is very competitive. My first role was a great start to my career in hospitality and demonstrated the hard work that had been put into my degree and management programme”

Daniel’s words of wisdom for those wishing to join International Hospitality Management at UCLan are: “Hospitality is for anybody who is looking for an exciting and rewarding career that offers a huge range of opportunities upon graduation. The course offers a mix of practical and classroom learning styles, which allows you put theory into practice. Graduate programmes within hospitality are fantastic because they give you the opportunity to look at all aspects of a business, with the Hilton having an excellent mix of training and development alongside the day to day operation work you’ll be undertaking.