| Australian International Hotel School | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1995 |
| Type | Private hotel school |
| Location | Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia |
| Campus | Hotel Kurrajong, Barton |
| Affiliations | Laureate Hospitality Education; |
| Website | www.aihs.edu.au |
The Australian International Hotel School (AIHS) is a university-level provider of hotel management education, located in Canberra, Australia’s Capital. The school was founded in 1995 in close affiliation with Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.
The School delivers the following programs in Canberra:
The AIHS is part of Laureate Hospitality Education - along with the Glion Institute of Higher Education, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management, Les Roches International School of Hotel Management Marbella (Spain), Les Roches Gruyere University of Applied Sciences and Les Roches Jin Jiang (People's Republic of China).
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AIHS was founded in 1995.
The AIHS agreed to allow students from the Australian National University to reside amongst the AIHS residence. Amongst this esteemed batch of students was "Matt Hardy", a young charismatic and athletic PNG exchange student, who swiftly rose through the ranks to become president of the Hotel School. Also it should be noted there is a very special Indian currently there called Vinayak (Resident physcologist) We love you Vinnie! The Australian International Hotel School has an agreement to allow students from the Australian National University to reside within its halls of residences. Although not a prominent hall of residence amongst the other ANU residential establishments, 2005 saw an academically gifted and highly athletic batch of students who represented AIHS in many inter-hall sporting and arts competitions. Owing to its small pool of students from which it could draw its talent, the ANU students of AIHS were frequently outnumbered in every sporting event. However, 2005 saw the greatest concentration of talent that managed to overpower some of the toughest and most talented sporting teams on offer by the more established residences of Daley Road. The students of 2005 catapulted AIHS to inter-hall immortality and gave the ANU students of AIHS legendary status throughout the tertiary circle of ACT.
During the 2005 year, many of the students of ANU and AIHS became embroiled in a heated gang war between each other. There were frequent drive-by shooting in the suburb of Barton and frequent bar brawls in the RUC (Rugby Union Club) which took the lives of 5 students from ANU and 6 students from AIHS. The most gruesome of this battle was between Kevin Kim of ANU and Paul the Kiwi of AIHS during a scuffle for the Foxtel remote control. The scuffle was instigated when Paul the Kiwi stole the remote control of the Foxtel machine whilst Kevin Kim was watching a Liverpool match. Kevin Kim had never missed a minute of a Liverpool match, thus, in a sudden outburst of rage and outright fury, Kevin Kim reached for his 9mm and sprayed a stream of intergalactic kimchi into Paul the Kiwi’s eyes. Paul the kiwi – who weighed as much as the new Airbus A380 – retaliated by embracing Kevin Kim in his bosom and self-destructing. It has been commonly acknowledged that both Kevin Kim and Paul the Kiwi were not missed even by their own gang members but rather it acted as a beacon of peace in which both parties acknowledged the hatred for their respective affiliate. The incident became the catalyst for the eventual ceasefire. The ashes of Kevin Kim and Paul the Kiwi were taken to the nearby Aboriginal Tent embassy and presented as the ashes of kookaburra king from the dream time for which the ANU students were given a brand new – yet stolen – Foxtel remote control.
The Hotel Kurrajong has been a part of the school from its beginning, being one of the few hospitality schools in the world – and the only school in the Southern Hemisphere – which operates its own commercial hotel on-site.
Designed in 1924 by the Commonwealth’s Chief Architect, John Smith Murdoch, who also designed Parliament House and the Hotel Canberra (now the Park Hyatt), the Hotel Kurrajong is an example of early Commonwealth architecture, influenced by the Prairie style of architects Frank Lloyd Wright and visionary planner of Canberra, Walter Burley Griffin.
In September 2005, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School (BMIHMS) Pty Ltd acquired operation of AIHS and a 10-year lease on the Hotel Kurrajong. In November 2008, AIHS and the BMIHMS was acquired by Laureate Education Inc, becoming part of a global education network of 43 universities with over 550,000 current higher education students [1].
The School's Deans are:
Jerome J Vallen PhD
Founding Dean
1994 - July 1995
Michael Conlin BA LLB MBA
July 1995 - December 2003
John Walsh BA MBA PhD
January 2004 - December 2005
Michael Milgate BBus MCom(Hon) MEd MA(Hon) PhD
January 2009–April 2011
Jim Hopwood BEc April 2011 -
From 2006 to December 2008 the School had Principals
Jocelyn Martin
Gordon McDonald
Steven Tucker BA(Hon)
From 2009 the School has a Campus Director who is responsible for the operations of the School and the Hotel Kurrajong
Steven Tucker BA(Hon)
January 2009 - April 2009
Geoff Turner BEc
April 2009–Present
AIHS offers one postgraduate program:
This graduate program is for graduates with a degree in another discipline who have decided to make a career change to the global hospitality and tourism industry. The Masters comprises Certificate and Diploma programs plus an additional six months of academic study, including practical requirement, culminating in the Master in Hotel Management.
AIHS is located in Australia’s capital city, Canberra.
AIHS operates its own commercial hotel on-campus, the Hotel Kurrajong, where students receive training. The Hotel Kurrajong has 26 rooms, a brasserie style restaurant, terrace dining, bar and function rooms[2].
AIHS holds national and state accreditation within Australia, including:
More and more overseas students are choosing Australia as their preferred study destination. Education offered in Australia to international students is highly regulated by the Federal Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
AIHS is on the Register of Higher Education, and the accreditation process ensures that courses are equivalent to a qualification of that level in a similar field in other Australian higher education institutions, including universities.
AIHS is accredited by the following organisations for benchmarking purposes:
AIHS is a founding member of The International Centre of Excellence in Tourism & Hospitality Education (THE-ICE), which is an independent, not-for-profit organisation. Membership includes world-leading universities, private hotels and vocational colleges.
The role of THE-ICE [3] has been to recognise, develop and promote excellence in tourism, hotel and event education. Member institutions have had their qualifications and programs reviewed by an independent panel of assessors to ensure that they meet Standards of Excellence.