H.E. Zoheir Garranah, Minister of Tourism Egypt; Ahmed El Nahas, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation; and Tom Kline, Executive Director of Executive Education at Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, awarded certificates to the pioneering batch of 22 management executives who successfully completed the essential portion of the specially tailored two-part certificate program for hotel managers in Egypt and the region.

The In-Country Series unfolds over the course of two weeks with specialized learning from expert Cornell University faculty. Starting Sunday May 17, 2009 at the Steigenberger Golf Resort, participants engaged in four two-and-a-half-day vigorous and stimulating courses, beginning with "Hospitality Financial Management: Operations Decision Making" taught by Professor Michael J. Flannery.

Professor Flannery, who has years of experience educating around the globe, was indeed enthusiastic with his experience teaching in Egypt for the first time. "My expectations were exactly as I've seen, a wonderful group of guys. The perception I had before I came was that I would have a good time, and I certainly have. I would be excited to do it again, I'd feel left out if I didn't. There's an exciting synergy between the hotel managers and tourism and it really is an exciting time in Egypt."

While Professor Flannery had much to add about his classroom experiences in providing financial knowledge to hotel operations, he placed emphasis on academic developments to the whole industry saying “There's a changing in the guards between Egyptian hotels and hoteliers and the movement is upwards onto executive positions. When you mix this changing in the guards with all the new hotel development activity, with the support of the Egyptian Tourism Federation, you end up with something truly magical. And nothing should get in the way of that momentum. You lit a fire and now you have it tended. We need to keep this going and follow through. It's the only way to move tourism in Egypt forward. This is the base…the foundation"

After two-and-a-half days of learning a solid base for financial management, participants moved to their second course “Planning for Profits: Hotel Operations Decision Making" with Professor Robert M. Kastner. The course took the group further into accounting and led them into a whole new territory of thought, challenging everything they have known in finance until that point.

Through a non-traditional game called The Chase which uses live simulation software, Professor Kastner made groups see for themselves the financial implications and consequences of the decisions they make. “Before I came to Egypt, I would have thought it unlikely that the participants would have been able to process the financial information and be able to come up with the correct solution to the quiz” states Kastner, who adds, “Over half the class got it right, which is phenomenal to me. This is rare in classes at the GM [general manager] level because they usually don’t do this well.”

The first week of the In-Country Series ended with both the group and professors feeling a great sense of achievement. The participants found the courses refreshing and challenging, as they were forced to go deeper. Despite some not having financial backgrounds, most participants relayed that they gained more confidence in dealing with numbers and making the right decisions at the right time in order to increase the profitability of their property.

A shift in fields of study marked the beginning of the second week, starting with Professor Stowe Shoemaker’s "Strategic Marketing for Hotels and Restaurants". The course took participants away from the world of numbers and put them in touch with how to better plan in order to appropriately market their properties in order to be able to maximize revenue. Participants engaged in various group activities targeting their creative ability to come up with new concepts and ideas for operation progression. A particular favorite of the tasks was critically looking at the property of each participant from the point of view of a guest, evaluating from a guest perspective and discussing ways to create customer loyalty. Talking about the group and their activities, Professor Showmaker says “I think they enjoyed the more theoretical approach to marketing and they could see how to apply the various strategies to build their competitive advantage.”

This course linked well to the final course in the series, "Leading and Motivating in the Real World", taught by Professor J. Bruce Tracey. Due to its refreshing take on leadership and focus on the personal and social element, the course was said to be the perfect end to the engaging in-country learning. The course explored ways of tackling challenging situations and making successful decisions during critical times. Reflecting on his two-and-a-half days of teaching, Professor Tracey comments "I knew before coming that I would have an opportunity to work with very smart and motivated industry professionals, I also knew that they expected to be challenged and pushed to learn something that has direct application to the current and future to address property needs.” He adds "my experiences here went well beyond what I had expected, not only did they exceed my expectation regarding their enthusiasm and motivation for learning, but they showed me a degree of insight and knowledge regarding the complexities of their respective roles that left me in many ways just speechless. Every single day when we finished I was on such a high, I thought about, and reflected on, and attempted to try and come up with innovation or insight to test their knowledge and push them further, and they really challenged me in this regard."

The Hotel Manager Program In-Country Series ended with the closing ceremony on the evening of the last day of learning. Cornell University School of Hotel Administration Hotel Manager Program certificates were awarded to those who have completed the two-part series, and certificates of completion from the Ministry of Tourism and Egyptian Tourism Federation were distributed to everyone.

In his opening speech, host Ayman Altaranissi, Director General of the Egyptian Tourism Federation stated “One of the great things about our ever-growing industry is its eternal ability to develop. Something equally as grand, is H.E Minister Garranah’s dedication to the business development of the industry and the people who come together to provide its pulse. The role of the Egyptian Tourism Federation is to ensure that tourism service in our country evolves correctly, and the only way to do this is to set the foundation for future progression - today”.

Students graduating mirrored Altaranissi’s view speaking of their appreciation to the Minister and the Federation for being given the opportunity to receive internationally recognized certification at executive level, gratefulness for the subsidies offered by the Ministry, and the collective willingness and dedication as a group to help the Ministry and Federation with their long-term endeavors. Having partaken himself in some of the seminars, Federation Chairman El Nahas expressed “you have managed to exceed all the expectations of what a group of distinguished Egyptian hospitality industry professionals can achieve in such a short yet highly intense, period of time. I am proud to say your performance has certainly displayed your capabilities of vigorously competing on an international scale, and it is this kind of commitment, dedication and expertise that our industry needs in order to move forward and prosper.”

At the graduation ceremony, Minister Garranah voiced his delight in witnessing the completion of the first Hotel Manager Program In-Country Series and meeting with each participant to hear fist hand about their experiences. “I am sure the academic experience gained through this special program, and, those specialized through eCornell’s online learning programs, will prove to be significantly invaluable to the integration and progression of your professional development. I ask you to go back to your property with your learned experiences, apply them to your operation and share your know-how with others.”

The closing ceremony was a truly captivating affair, the heartfelt speeches delivered by Tom Kline and Professor Tracey as well as those from participants, reflected a genuine sense of achievement and pride of being a part of the program.

The first graduate group for the Hotel Manager Program In-Country Series return to their properties eager to begin putting what they have learned to use and enthusiastic to explore next steps with Cornell University while the professors look forward to returning to instruct at the next In-Country Series scheduled for late 2009.