Today, In India, there are hundreds of Hospitality & Hotel Management institutes that have mushroomed in every nook & corner of the country. Its a matter of great concern to students and parents to choose the right institution .Many parents are not from the hospitality background and they have limited knowledge about the hospitality and related courses. The choice is left to the student. Many a times a wrong decision taken can harm the student’s career. So, its good to keep these pointers in mind before choosing a good institute.
1. Affiliation and Recognition: The institute that offers Diploma /Degree in Hospitality Studies or Hotel Management should be affiliated to a State Board/National Council /Statutory /Deemed University and the course should be recognized by University Grants Commission (UGC) or All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE). Institutes offering diploma/degree on their own is not valid.
2. Curriculum: The affiliating body will devise & approve the course curriculum and the institutes require to follow the curriculum.
3. Teaching-Learning process: To make the course interesting and learning effective, good institutes incorporate creative teaching -learning process following the best practices in pedagogy.
4.Co curricular activities :Besides academics, the institute should encourage co- curricular activities like sports, cultural events, seminars, workshops, professional development programmes, field tours, guest lectures, intra and inter collegiate competitions and so on, focusing on overall holistic development of the students.
5. Faculty: Good Faculty are the back bone of any institution. The institute should have qualified and experienced full time faculty .Most institutes display the faculty profiles on their website.
6. Infrastructure: The hospitality & hotel management institute should have good infrastructure like Updated Website, Food Production Labs (Basic Training Kitchen, Quantity Training Kitchen and Advanced Training Kitchen),Training Restaurant, Front office Lab, Housekeeping Lab, Classrooms, Computer Lab with latest Property Management Software, Good Collection of Books & Journals in the Library, Cafeteria and Hostel facility. Institutes having attached star hotel will be an added advantage.
7. Course fee: The institute that charges the lowest course fee may not be the best institute. The cost of education is high today compared to the previous years. The course fee should be competitive and affordable. Banks offer educational loans to students who apply to approved and recognized institutions.
8. Industry support & placements: The institute should have a good track record of the quality internship placements and final job placements. The institute should be supported through Industry participation in the institute activities.
9. Research & Publications: Good institute faculty members carry out research work, author books, blogs, publish articles and take up training and consultancy assignments.
10. Reputation & Brand Equity: Finally, the perception of the institute with the stakeholders like the alumni, parents, existing students, industry, ratings by assessment bodies, and community is an important factor and needs to be considered seriously.
