INVESTMENT
Tourism Tower to supply hospitality workers
SUCHAT SRITAMA
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Bangkok University plans to focus more on tourism education after opening the Bt800-million Tourism Tower, set to supply staff to the whole region.

"The university is confident that it can produce quality graduates with international standards, as they will be groomed by a modern curriculum taught by experienced teachers," president Mathana Santiwat said yesterday.

Demand for workers in the tourism industry is expected to expand by 20 per cent when the Asean Economic Community materialises at the end of this year.

The College of Tourism Management spent Bt800 million to construct the Tourism Tower, used for instruction and practising hospitality, tourism and aviation skills.

"It is one of the most fully equipped facilities in Asean. The 12-floor tower offers a virtual environment of the real hospitality, tourism and aviation industries," she said.

The tower is the venue for training and holding qualifying examinations for hospitality professionals following Asean standards in such areas as housekeeping, front desk, food and beverages, and kitchen work, following the Asean Mutual Recognition Arrangement for tourism professionals.

The role of academic institutions is not only to produce human resources for the market, but also to ensure a high quality of education so that they are highly skilled and capable in their field of work, Mathana said.

Bangkok University was the country's first educational institution to offer a hotel and tourism management programme in 1963.

Somyot Wattanakamolchai, dean of the College of Tourism Management, said the college enrolled 2,500 hospitality students, including 10 foreign students, at its four schools - airline management, hotel management, tourism management and hotel and restaurant management (international curriculum).

Besides the College of Tourism Management, Bangkok University has the International College, which also offers international tourism courses. There are 300 students there.

"We are considering combining the two colleges of tourism under one roof because of full facilities," Somyot said.

The tourism management school plans to increase foreign admissions, particularly from Asean.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Tourism-Tower-to-supply-hospitality-workers-30254949.html


-- The Nation 2015-02-27

About 66 million baht per floor......sounds like a good deal (ahem) to the investors to me.... I am assuming that Bangkok University, being private, is not squeezing the taxpayer on this one, but I might be wrong....anyone know who funds this boondoggle? Having only 10 out of 2,500 foreign students suggests that they have a long way to go to "internationalise" their reputation and student base.

Good idea. 5 years too late, but still.....

Tried teaching them service mind for over 10 years. I have so many scars on my head from banging myself against the wall.

They have no clue what that is and what real customer service is.

Good luck to BU.

More likely a Tower of Babel

The tower of 'pay now be served later'. I would propose a beginners course like: How to do an 8 hour job without playing on your hand phone.

As the children are not tought already at home, neither in the schools about filling and following up skills (ups mostly not have any skill beside play on their molbiles).....there cant be any sucess because deep in the brain is carved already the way of living: best no work to do and get a lot of money from foreigners or tourists and serving in a bad way, even after that "school" with unexperianced teachers as you only have here in Thailand!

Good luck for waste money and get no result!

An alternative headline could be: Bangkok University- Shuffling sand grains in the service desert

languages aren't important, or?

Lesson 1: Don't pick out of your nose in public.

Lesson 2: Don't squeeze pimples in public.

Better start teaching them (and ALL other Thai students) proper English above the usual "I love you money" "you show bed me" or "same same" level, and then, maybe in two decades or so, they are ready to go for hospitality education that is on-par with international standards.

Or let them just have a look at neighbouring countries, which are all above the Thai standards of hospitality education and awareness (maybe except Laos, at least outside of Luang Phrabang)

Lesson 3, if you have nothing to do then go cleaning instead of playing on the cellphone or playfighting with your collegues.

Lesson 4, don't stand still in the middle of walkways where customers/guests are walking.

Lesson 5, don't park your motorbike right in front of the door.

Lesson 6, don't run away if you see a foreigner approaching.

Lesson 7, give a Westerner a knife with his cutlery.

Lesson 8, Don't start talking about falang falang to your collegue, some falang can speak/understand Thai

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The tower of 'pay now be served later'. I would propose a beginners course like: How to do an 8 hour job without playing on your hand phone.

Easy answer. They leave their phones at the door when to they enter the work place and pick them up when they leave after their shift

when u need university student to do a waiters job ... you know how much worth the degree was

Tourism Tower to supply hospitality workers: Bangkok

when I read this thought Bangkok was opening a branch office of Orchard towers...