Alpine Success Story | Philippe Charalambopoulos - BA(Hons) International Hospitality & Tourism Management

Philippe Charalambopoulos

BA(Hons) International Hospitality & Tourism Management 

Hospitality Management was not my first choice but it was my final one. I had already attended two other colleges with completely different majors, environmental sciences in the US and music production in the UK. Besides being an avid music lover, I had a passion to work with the people and help the environment. I experienced this first hand when I volunteered in various countries both in South East Asia and in East Africa. For me this was an education, something you can never learn in a classroom but only through experiences, mistakes that in the end become life lessons. I learnt more from poor local farmers than my environmental science professor could ever teach me in class. Working more with the local communities in each country, I fell in love with volunteering and at a younger age, hoped I could do this for the rest of my life. Reality, however, hit me hard and I knew volunteering would not be sustainable for me in the long run. Returning to Athens from Kenya, I made a vow that I will return and continue to help these people whenever I have the chance. Now, I had to think what career path I wanted to follow. I would have never thought hospitality, until my mother and a few friends suggested the idea to me and informed me there was an excellent college for that, right in my home city, Glyfada!

Success Story * Andreas Romanos

Andreas Romanos, Hotel Operations
General Manager, La Maison Ottomane
Parodos Kanevarou 32, 73100 Chania, Crete, Greece

'my Alpine training had provided me with the confidence that I had learned from the best, the respect of our clients that they had instilled in us and the motivation to excel that went with all that'.

After a career in Business (mainly as a General Manager for Western organisations in Russia) I decided in 2011 to convert an old Venetian House in Chania, Crete into a small hotel and then run it. 

Knowing next to nothing about the hotel industry, except as a frequent user, it seemed prudent to at least learn how to make a bed or serve a meal while giving utmost customer service; and so I ended up at Alpine Centre on their Hotel Operations Programme (and also attending a few executive courses from the Masters' Programme).

Two and a half years later, a little over a year after opening, and la Maison Ottomane is rated by TripAdvisor as the best hotel in Chania and the best in Chania province, 1st of 453.  We are happy and busy.

Clearly in a small hotel (for now we only have 3 suites) the personality of the staff and design/decoration of the premises are of great importance in delighting guests, but the debt owed to Alpine Centre for helping us achieve operational excellence cannot be underestimated.

Like any business, a hotel of any size needs rules and systems and in view of the immediate transparency of failings as well as strengths which comes with online social media, there is no way a hotel can afford to make these up as they go along.

This is where Alpine excelled - in teaching you up front, effectively, how to take a booking, how to serve a breakfast, how to handle an overbooking, a no-show, an allergy, how best to clean a bed, how to get hairs off the bathroom floor, what are the pros and cons of a property management system, when do you serve from the right or left, how do you make a bechamel sauce.....

And what most impressed me about the teaching, what gave it credibility, immediacy and gained our respect and interest as future hotel professionals, was that we were being taught by actual hotel professionals - people who, once the season started again in a few weeks' time, would be putting on their aprons or bow ties and be out there at the hard end, delivering excellence and, in doing so, refreshing and increasing their ability to pass their experience onto the next round of students.

Perhaps Alpine's most impressive achievement is finding people who can work effectively both in a service environment and also as teachers. 

In any case, when we opened our doors to our public, my Alpine training had provided me with the confidence that I had learned from the best, the respect of our clients that they had instilled in us and the motivation to excel that went with all that.  And I can make a bed.

Impressed, grateful, delighted to recommend without reservation.

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Study Events & Conventions Management in Russia

Why VSUES?

Location and facilities

VSUES, founded in 1967, is located in the center of Vladivostok, the city with unique monuments and architecture, combining Russian and Oriental style traditions. VSUES has highly-developed infrastructure and consists of 5 educational buildings, sports center, 3 dormitories, shopping center “Golubinaya Pad’”, and car-repairing center. It is very comfortable for students, teachers and guests that all cafés, shops, barbershop, bank, and clinic are concentrated in one place.  VSUES campus is surrounded by a great variety of trees and plants forming an ecological path. It is just minutes to the city’s main street – Svetlanskaya. VSUES has very convenient dislocation in terms of city transport and infrastructure.

Highly qualified and experienced teachers

There are more than 2 000 teachers and employees in VSUES, many of them have Doctor of Science degrees, some of them are Professors. In the range of grants and projects VSUES faculty members have opportunity to study abroad, where they can master educational programs and modern teaching techniques as well as advance their skills and establish new partnership ties. VSUES faculty often takes part in different international conferences and workshops and the teachers are invited to deliver lectures abroad. 

Wide range of majors for students and prospective international relations

Nowadays VSUES includes 6 institutes, 3 colleges, Center of Foreign Languages, etc. VSUES offers various educational programs for foreign students. Russian language courses are available. It includes a wide range of programs on Russian for different categories of students. VSUES cooperates with more than 40 universities and colleges of USA, China, Republic of Korea, Japan, Italy, Spain and New Zealand. The university has exchange programs with colleges and universities of China, Republic of Korea and Japan.

In collaboration with the Swiss Alpine Center it offers Events & Conventions Management studies, Foundation Program for Hospitality & Tourism Management, as well as English language courses.

Student's  life

VSUES is one of the universities in Russia which resembles an American students campus. It is designed to meet every individual student need. Students can find everything they need here: library, computer classes, a network of canteens cafés, and shops, clinic and diagnostic center “Lotus”equipped with the up-to-date medical devices, SPA-center (swimming pool, hydro massage, pearl baths, sauna, Turkish bath, medical showers), dancing hall and sports gyms.

International diversity of students

International students will have an opportunity to interact not only with teachers but also with Russian students. The youth from different countries can communicate with each other and share their knowledge and experience. Students from such countries as China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and New Zealand study at VSUES. 

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JOBS

Hotel Managerial positions, UAE
Joseph Chalfoun, an Alpine alumnus and currently Area Operations Manager - UAE & Morocco, will be coming to Greece from Feb 12 until 16 and would like to interview Alpine graduates and Alumni to fill managerial positions, such as Restaurant Managers, Assistant Restaurant Managers, Head Chefs, Sous Chefs, Guest Relations Managers, etc. If you are interested, you may send your CV to joseph@foodfund.ae
www.themeatco.com 
www.tribesrestaurant.com 
www.ribsandrumps.com


Front Desk Night Receptionist/PBX Operator, UK
Job opening in the Four Seasons Hotel UK:
Front Desk Night Receptionist/PBX Operator
You may email your cv to hr@alpine.edu.gr


Student Counselor/Office Administrator, India

The Swiss Business School for Hotel & Tourism Education in India is looking for a Student Counselor/ Office Administrator for our Goa Campus. Alpine Center with over 25 years of experience from Europe is expanding in India and we are looking for a Student Counselor/ Office Administrator. We want you to have a solid knowledge of Word, Excel and Power Point. We are looking for you who are creative, energetic and who is highly professional both with skills and attitude towards work. We expect you to be efficient, reliable and independent but also a good team worker with a clear focus on development. If you are interested to join our team, please send your CV to christina@alpinecenter.in

Sales and Operations Associate, Greece

TrueGreece, a leading luxury travel company, is looking for a SALES and OPERATIONS ASSOCIATE. If you are interested, you may send your CV at accounting@truegreece.com