More than hotels and weddings

Lynn University's College of Business and Management has its sights set on training top-notch hospitality professionals by enhancing its hospitality management curriculum with extensive experience outside of the classroom. Thanks to this strategy, the program nurtured key relationships with local and national names to bring students on property and cultivate networking opportunities with industry leaders.

Plus, Lynn students have access to state-of-the-art industry tools, making community involvement and internship opportunities with quality employers accessible.

Dr. Karima Lanfranco, assistant professor at Lynn, is ready to recruit and educate the next generation of hospitality leaders: "Typically, event management students want to be wedding planners and hospitality students aspire to be managers at a hotel. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, sometimes that's all they know. We’re trying to garner more awareness and educate students on what this program really is. There’s so much more to hospitality than hotels and weddings …"

Lanfranco, who also serves as the academic program coordinator for hospitality management in the College of Business and Management, arrived at Lynn in 2021 with a vision to expand students’ minds.

"Are we showing students the wide array of what hospitality entails?" asked Lanfranco. "The hospitality industry offers a myriad of segments—lodging, attractions, travel, events, tourism, and food and beverage. We want to show students everything that’s available to them and utilize the community that we thrive in to enhance their academic experience."

Lanfranco comes to campus equipped with over a decade of experience and eager to pass down her knowledge. She earned a bachelor's in business administration from the University of Miami, a double master's in business administration and hotel administration from the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, and a Ph.D. in hospitality management from the University of Central Florida. Lanfranco worked at full-service properties across the U.S., including Hyatt Hotels, Four Seasons, Kessler Collection, and Hilton Hotels and Resorts.

Creating opportunities for student development is a staple in the College of Business and Management as evidenced by endeavors like the C-Suite Speaker Series and Be Your Own Boss (BYOB) conference that bring industry leaders to campus.

An opportunity that existed in the past and disappeared over time due to natural student turnover was a student-run hospitality club. Within Lanfranco’s first semester at Lynn, she reinstated the club as its faculty advisor. Today, the group meets once a month and visits hotels, restaurants and convention centers in the tri-county area.

The club modestly began with seven students … This year it soared to approximately 65 members.

"It's a mutually beneficial experience, especially with all the labor shortages in hospitality," said Lanfranco. "The organizations meet students who are interested in working with them. Meanwhile, the students grow by seeing different spaces, networking with industry professionals and handing out their resumes. It allows our students to leverage their education as a differentiator."

One of these organizations is the award-winning Boca West Country Club, serving the Boca Raton community with luxury services that include championship golf courses, on-site restaurants, multipurpose fitness centers, function space and other amenities.

A collaboration between Lynn and Boca West provides students with on-site property tours to familiarize them with the inner workings of the club. In addition, Lynn has held individual classes at the country club where Boca West leaders served as guest lecturers.

"Boca Raton is an incredible area to study, and our students can leverage their geographic location to enhance their academic portfolio," said Lanfranco. "Who can say that they went to school five minutes away from one of the best private residential country clubs in the nation?"

As professors refresh the curriculum and expand cocurricular activities, they also explore industry-recognized certifications like the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA). Lanfranco helps master's students prepare for the exam as part of their coursework.

"Graduates have their degree and the CHIA certification to stand out in the job market," said Lanfranco. "They’ll understand benchmarking and performance reports that are used by the industry on how to analyze various types of hotel and market-level data."

Students also learn industry tools. The Rooms Division Management class is learning the Oracle-based system OPERA Property Management Solutions, used by hotels across the country to coordinate reservations, sales, catering and other parts of the business.

Internships play a vital role, too. The College of Business and Management requires 150 hours of hands-on experience before graduation, and Lynn's Career and Alumni Connections team help students match with businesses.

Furthermore, professors introduce students to industry associations like the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association and Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association.

"There are companies and organizations around us that are unaware of our hospitality program," said Lanfranco. "Another piece of what we’re doing is to educate the community and highlight our students. So, when the time comes to decide on a hire, they think of Lynn University first."

Important conversations happen with Lynn’s C-Suite Speaker Series.

Most recently, Bruce Himelstein, an award-winning hospitality industry veteran and former executive of Loews Hotels and The Ritz-Carlton, has served as a trusted advisor and friend to the university's hospitality prowess.

Himelstein has secured notable hospitality industry speakers to join in a valuable exchange of ideas at Lynn, including:

• John Tisch, CEO of Loews Hotels, 2019
• Erica Kasel, Chief Marketing Officer for The Boca Raton, 2021
• Roger Dow, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO, 2022
• Enrique Tasende, Senior Vice President Active Investments at Dart Enterprises Ltd., 2022
• Vince LaRuffa, Senior Vice President of Resort Marketing at Universal Orlando Resort, 2023