The Durendal Hospitality Academy
Transforming SME Hospitality Operations Through Specialized Training
Our Academy
Equipping Small Businesses for Excellence
The Durendal Hospitality Academy's curriculum empowers small and medium-sized hotel owners with the expertise to expertly manage all facets of their operations. Our programs provide in-depth training on critical competencies - from front office and guest services to housekeeping, F&B, and supply chain optimization - equipping students to drive efficiency and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Just as importantly, the academy instills a deep understanding of risk management strategies, regulatory compliance, and emerging industry trends, arming entrepreneurs with the knowledge to navigate real-world challenges and position their businesses for lasting success.
Our Approach
The Durendal Hospitality Academy's comprehensive approach combines flexible learning opportunities, personalized guidance, and cutting-edge digital resources to empower small and medium-sized hospitality businesses.
Onsite and Online Coursework
The Durendal Hospitality Academy offers a blended learning experience with both on-site workshops and self-paced online coursework to accommodate the busy schedules of small and medium-sized hospitality business owners.
Bespoke Consulting & Mentorship
In addition to the comprehensive curriculum, the academy provides bespoke consulting and one-on-one mentorship from industry veterans to offer personalized guidance tailored to each student's unique business needs.
Digital Platform
Underpinning our academy offerings is the digital platform and mobile app, which give students convenient access to course materials, assessments, and direct feedback from expert instructors anytime, anywhere.
Our Curriculum
The Durendal Hospitality Academy coursework covers a broad and comprehensive curriculum that equips small and medium-sized hotel owners with the expertise to effectively manage all aspects of their operations.
Introduction & Hospitality Industry Trends
This module is an introduction to current hospitality industry trends, technological innovations, globalization, sustainability, changing consumer preferences, and adaptation strategies for the future outlook of the hospitality sector.
Hotel Development Process
This module covers the fundamentals of hotel development, growth strategies, branding strategies (including positioning and competitive analysis), financing strategies (involving operators, private equity, and debt), site selection, feasibility studies, hotel design, and construction management.
Legal Aspects of Hotel Development
Module 3 provides an overview of hospitality law, franchise agreements and licensing, and management agreements (including negotiation strategies and commercial terms) as well as the differences between leasehold, operating lease, and direct ownership and the role of hotel real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Hotel Acquisitions, Disposals, & Refinancing
Module 4 covers asset valuation and appraisal, seller and buyer due diligence, structuring and negotiations, closing and post-closing processes, and refinancing strategies for hotel assets.
Hotel Asset Management
This module provides an introduction to asset management in hospitality and relevant legal aspects, including contract law, intellectual property, data protection, and ethics. The course additionally covers asset enhancement, revenue management, cost control, performance metrics, sustainable practices, risk identification, insurance, crisis management, compliance, reputation management, and emerging trends in the hospitality industry.
Risk Management
At the half-way point of our curriculum, we cover the identification of risks in the hospitality industry, insurance and risk transfer mechanisms, crisis management and business continuity planning, safety and security protocols, regulatory compliance, reputation management, and emerging risks and trends impacting the hospitality sector.
Financial Management in Hospitality
Module 7 covers financial planning and budgeting, revenue forecasting and analysis, cost control and expense management, capital budgeting and investment decisions, financial reporting and compliance, financial risk management, and performance measurement and financial metrics for hospitality operations.
Operations Management
The Operations Management module covers operations planning and execution, front office management and guest services, housekeeping and facility management, food and beverage operations, supply chain management and vendor relations, and quality assurance and standards compliance. Also covered are strategies for continuous improvement and driving operational efficiency in the hospitality industry.
Human Resources & Training
The human resources management module covers recruitment and selection, employee training and development, performance evaluation, diversity and inclusion, employee engagement and retention. Leadership and management skills required for hospitality professionals are also covered.
Customer Relationship Management
This essential module covers understanding customer behavior, segmentation and targeting, building loyalty and retention programs, measuring guest satisfaction, personalizing service delivery, handling complaints and service recovery, and leveraging technology for effective customer relationship management in the hospitality industry.
Leadership & Organizational Behavior
Our final coursework module covers leadership styles and approaches, organizational culture and climate, team building and group dynamics, conflict resolution, motivation, strategies for engagement, change management, and the importance of ethical leadership and corporate social responsibility.
Capstone Project
Our Capstone Project is an applied project in hospitality management through the use of real-life case studies and simulation exercises.
The Capstone module culminates in the presentation of final projects by candidates and full evaluation of all project work.
The Durendal Hospitality Academy Digital Platform
Essential Hospitality Insights at Your Fingertips
Durendal Hospitality Academy students can leverage the program's mobile app to study course materials and receive real-time feedback from seasoned experts in the field. This innovative digital platform enables small and medium-sized business owners to tap into a wealth of hospitality knowledge and guidance conveniently and on-the-go.
"The hospitality industry is rapidly evolving, presenting both exciting opportunities and daunting complexities. Through our comprehensive curriculum and personalized consulting, we empower hoteliers and other hospitality SME leaders to navigate these changes with confidence and build resilient, future-proof enterprises."
Charles Baillehache - Founder & CEO
Contact Us
To learn more about our offerings or if you have any inquiries, please provide your name and email, and we'll respond promptly. You can also leave us a message on our contact page.
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