The practical approach to learning.

The Asian Institute of Hospitality Management (AIHM), was founded by Minor Hotels, one of the hospitality industry’s fastest-growing brands, as an international institute that takes a practical approach to teaching. AIHM provides access to Swiss education standards in Thailand with its academic association with Les Roches, a pioneer in hospitality education worldwide.

With a campus located in close proximity to Minor properties in Bangkok, AIHM adopts real-world modelling and hands-on classroom experience for students to develop practical insights into the many facets of hospitality. Its compulsory internship pre-requisite, renowned faculty, and environment that culturally integrates eastern and western perspectives, allow AIHM to help hospitality enthusiasts of today become
reputable hoteliers of tomorrow.

Masala sat down with AIHM students to discover why they chose the institute for their Bachelor’s in Hospitality Management, and how the course keeps them excited.

Niramol ‘Nimi’ Khanijou

Niramol is a second-year student pursuing the Practical Arts leg of the Bachelor’s curriculum at the Bangkok campus of AIHM. After her first semester in the back office module of the course, including subjects like Food & Beverage, Rooms & Inventory, Financial Accounting, and more, she interned at Anantara The Palm and Anantara World Islands in Dubai, both of which are Minor brands.

What was your internship experience like? What were your roles and responsibilities?

My internship was in the marketing and communications department since I had to choose a back-office stream to work for. On a day-to-day basis, my role was to handle bookings for media guests and social media infl uencers. I managed the social media pages of these properties, which included posting stories, creating weekly Instagram reels, etc. Having this experience added to my classroom understanding, which I believe is essential in the hospitality industry, which requires you to collaborate and socialise.

Do you think studying at AIHM is helping you attain the goal you set for yourself when you picked this course?

I have always been very passionate about serving. As an Indian, you have it in your roots to serve, and growing up, I’ve always been part of volunteer and service work, be it at the temple or even back in school; so I always knew that this is the line of work I wanted to get into. AIHM paves the way for me to do that with how they have structured their course; you start off with practical arts and then learn about the back office, and apply what you have learnt in the internship that you follow each semester. You are not just learning, but applying as well.

Chinnakrit ‘Neil’ Kerdsang

A first-year student in the Bachelor’s degree programme at AIHM, Chinnakrit comes from a legacy of care, with his family working at a psychiatric hospital. He grew up with a mindset that he must help others, and after finishing high school in Switzerland, Les Roches seemed like the perfect next stop. The ongoing crisis in Europe made his family sceptical about him staying there, and the need to have the same standard of education in Asia drew him to pick AIHM.

How would you describe the education experience at AIHM?

I have studied in a Thai school for most of my life, and you can never muster the courage to speak with the teachers there. Your questions are mostly dismissed. Here, things are diff erent. I can ask as many questions as I want because the lecturers and faculty are supportive, which helps me engage and learn better.

What are your plans for the future?

Following my current semester, in which I am studying all the business-related subjects, I will have to do an internship before I get into the practical arts programme. I may go to Europe or Australia for that. After I graduate, I plan to work with the Anantara property in Phuket for two years, and perhaps work for other Minor properties after that.

Angad Jesu Nazareth

Currently in cohort four of the course, Angad joined the course four weeks ago and is a student from the newest batch of the Bachelor’s programme. With journalists as parents, he had a chance to visit resorts and hotels all his life, and slowly developed a passion for hospitality, especially the F&B industry. AIHM gave him the option to build upon his inclination towards this line of work, without being away from home.

What got you interested in studying at AIHM?

My initial plan was to study at Les Roches, but with COVID complicating the procedure, AIHM seemed like the perfect opportunity to have the same quality of training. I am currently studying subjects like: An introduction to Hospitality and Tourism, Eff ective Communications, Numerical Skills, and Food Hygiene, all of which are part of the fi rst-month induction. Once these end, the practical arts programme will follow.

What do you like about the Institute? What do you plan to do after you graduate?

I like that it is small, which makes it more of a community than an institute. The prominent universities with big lecture rooms often take away the option to interact with the professors. Here, you can have proper conversations, ask them questions, and build a professional relationship with the lecturer. After I finish this, I would want to pursue a Master’s in either Luxury Management or Luxury Marketing at one of the Les Roshes Campuses in either Switzerland or Spain.

Suvann ‘Leonn’ Selvan

Suvann has been interested in, and inclined towards, cooking since he was eight. His education in Culinary
Arts from the Culinary Institute of America gave him insight into the expertise he may need to fulfil his vision of opening his coffee shop one day. With AIHM, he wanted to familiarise himself with the service aspect of the industry.

Why did you choose this Bachelor’s programme over a Master’s degree?

I chose this over a Master’s degree because this course lets you learn all that is needed to become a jack of all trades. Sure, the fact that it is a Bachelor’s degree adds more credibility to the programme, but I came here for the practical insight the course is designed to give us, not really for the degree.

Considering you have been here almost a month, how has your encounter with the Institute been so far?

There is a lot of class participation in the Institute, and a lot of interaction and group activities that we have to participate in. Knowledge is relayed to us in a way that allows everyone to grasp it, not just the brightest students. As we start the practical arts programme soon, our classes will be shuffl ed every two weeks, which
I’m looking forward to. I think there is an exciting environment that our instructors create, and the structure in which the course is designed ensures that all of us are stimulated at all times.