Mayo student on GMIT hospitality competition winning team

A TEAM of five students representing the Galway International Hotel School at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) were selected as the outright winners of the 36th Irish Hospitality Institute (IHI) National Hospitality Business Management Game 2021.

The winning team featured Geraldine Ruddy from Belmullet along with Roisin Corrigan and Max Reid, both from Wicklow, Elaine Greene, Co. Clare, and Abbie Daly from Co. Monaghan, and they scored top marks in the competition that attracted teams representing tourism and hospitality colleges around Ireland.

The competition, supported by Fáilte Ireland, The Russell Partnership, Irish Hotels Federation and The Doyle Collection, saw the teams complete three challenges which tested the students’ business acumen and management skills in the areas of business development strategy, digital marketing and revenue management.

Challenge 1 saw the students produce a digital marketing campaign for their hotel to target the staycation market. In challenge 2 the students produced a go-to market strategy to re-imagine the way their hotel delivers meetings and events. In the final challenge students completed a hotel simulation based on re-opening their hotel post Covid-19.

Team captain Roisin Corrigan shared her excitement: “What an amazing experience! We are ecstatic to have had the opportunity to represent GMIT and very proud to have walked away as the IHI Business Management Games winners. From this competition we have gained lifelong skills that we will carry with us in our future careers.

“We are very thankful and appreciative for the time and guidance given to us by our tutor John Carty and the support received from GMIT.”

The Galway International Hotel School is located on the Dublin Road campus, Galway city, offering courses in International Hotel and Hospitality Management, Event Management & Public Relations, International Tourism Management, Heritage Studies and Culinary and Gastronomic Sciences.