Insights on Internships from Professor Jones (IOI)

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Megan Reissig, Director of Event Planning at W Seattle, shares how multiple internships across hotels and destination marketing helped shape her career path in hospitality. From front desk operations to event leadership, Megan reflects on the value of gaining diverse experience, understanding hotel operations end-to-end, and building a people-first mindset in the industry.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Megan’s experience shows that exploring different roles through internships helps clarify career direction, especially in a broad field like hospitality.
Her time in smaller hotels taught her that hands-on, cross-functional experience builds confidence and prepares you to handle real-world challenges.
She emphasizes that understanding multiple departments is critical, especially for roles like event planning that require coordination across the entire hotel.
Megan highlights that work-life balance is becoming a bigger priority in hospitality, with the industry evolving post-pandemic to better support employees.
She encourages students to speak up and advocate for their learning opportunities, ensuring they get the most out of internship and training programs.

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Nicholas Ong, Manager of Revenue Strategy & Field Support (APEC) at Marriott International, shares how his internship journey—from hotel operations to STR data analytics—shaped a career in revenue management. Nicholas reflects on the importance of curiosity, adaptability, and continuous learning, while offering practical insights into how data, pricing strategy, and technology are transforming today’s hospitality industry.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Nicholas’s career path highlights that strong internship performance and reputation can open unexpected doors, including referrals that lead directly to future roles.
His experience shows that being a sponge and continuously learning is essential to gaining value from internships and building long-term career momentum.
He emphasizes that teamwork and relationship-building are critical skills, as connections made during internships often influence future opportunities.
Nicholas points out that data analytics and visualization tools like Power BI, SQL, and Tableau are becoming essential skills for today’s hospitality professionals.
His journey into revenue management demonstrates that understanding pricing strategy and market positioning is key to driving business performance in modern hotels.

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Francisco Carrasco, Vice President of Sales at FXAIR and proud SF State alumnus, shares how a foundation in hospitality led to success in luxury aviation. From internships at Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton to leading client relationships in private aviation, Francisco reflects on the lessons that shaped his mindset, leadership, and lifelong commitment to service excellence.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Francisco’s journey shows that opportunities open doors, but it is the intern’s initiative and follow-through that truly determines success.
His broad exposure to multiple hotel departments taught him that diverse operational experience builds confidence and deepens understanding of how a hotel really works.
He emphasizes that mastering the basics is essential, because strong fundamentals in operations provide the foundation for long-term career growth in any sector.
His transition from hotels to private aviation reinforced that service recovery and human connection matter everywhere, whether solving a guest issue or managing a disrupted flight.
Francisco’s career demonstrates that hospitality skills are highly transferable, enabling professionals to thrive well beyond hotels while still serving people at the highest level.

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Christina Tang, Senior Human Resources Manager at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SOMA, shares her journey from hospitality student at San Francisco State University to a long-standing HR leader. In this episode, Christina reflects on how her internships shaped her career path, the lessons she learned working in union hotels, and her insights on guiding the next generation of hospitality professionals.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Two internships — one rotational and one project-based — helped Christina discover her passion for human resources and set her career direction early.
Working in union hotels taught her structure, fairness, and how standardized systems build confidence in complex operations.
As a mentor, she emphasizes giving interns a full-cycle HR experience, from recruiting and onboarding to handling real-world challenges.
Christina sees both promise and risk in AI’s growing role in HR — urging future professionals to “keep the human factor” at the center.
Her advice to students: have a 10-year vision, but focus on excellence in the present — doing great work today is what earns tomorrow’s opportunities.

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In this episode of Alumni Voices, I speak with Hatsumi Abuku, Country Manager at FutureLog in Japan. As well as, Director of Sales for FCS Solutions. From her early dreams of hotel work to leadership in hospitality tech, Hatsumi shares how internships helped her grow professionally—and personally.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Hatsumi’s internships in banquet and sales departments gave her firsthand experience that helped shape her understanding of hotel operations and career direction.
She reflects on how those early roles pushed her to speak more, overcome her shyness, and develop the communication skills essential for her future in sales.
A difficult experience with harassment during her internship taught her the importance of advocating for herself and helped her realize the strength of her own voice.
She emphasizes the value of rotating through different departments during internships and wishes she had been exposed to more cross-functional learning.
Now working in hospitality technology, she encourages Japan’s hotel industry to embrace more tech-forward approaches to reduce labor challenges and improve work-life balance.

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In this Alumni Voices episode Pedram Pakneshan, Vice President of Convention Sales at Wynn Las Vegas, shares how he built a 20-year career in hospitality sales starting from food service roles in college. Pedram discusses the power of networking, the value of structured mentorship, and the importance of personal branding for students entering the industry. His story is a masterclass in determination, humility, and readiness.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Pedram started his career in entry-level campus dining roles, gradually advancing through leadership positions that taught him organization, attention to detail, and communication.
A summer at UNLV and a hands-on event experience in Las Vegas sparked his passion for the scale and energy of the hospitality industry in that city.
He landed his career-making opportunity at Wynn through strategic networking, follow-through, and taking initiative — including a cold follow-up to a contact from Dr. Jones.
Though he didn’t complete a formal internship, he created a customized experiential learning plan with a supervisor, mirroring the best aspects of an internship model.
Pedram now mentors students and interns, emphasizing that internship experiences should be tailored to each individual’s learning goals — and that employers should listen, not just teach.
He encourages students to develop their personal brand, do their research, and polish their professional presentation — these basic yet powerful steps often set candidates apart.
If he could do it again, he would pursue a rotational internship to better understand all departments — from front desk to housekeeping — as preparation for cross-functional leadership.

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If this is your first time to the IOI podcast, it is recommended you start with this episode

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In this Alumni Voices episode, Candice Lam, Events Consultant for Mothers Choice, shares how three internships during her studies in San Francisco shaped a 20-year career in hotel event sales and nonprofit event consulting across Hong Kong and Berlin. From front desk training to navigating event logistics, Candice reflects on growth, resilience, and why being proactive matters more than ever for student interns.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Completed three internships at major hotels, building confidence through hands-on work in front desk and event services.
Emphasizes the importance of people skills and client interaction as foundations for a career in events.
Advises students to be realistic about the hard work behind glamorous event roles — and to always be detail-oriented.
Recommends having alternatives ready for clients instead of saying “no” — a service mindset she developed through experience.
Believes interns should be proactive and thoughtful during their internship to truly benefit, especially when staff are too busy to guide them daily.

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In this episode Alumni Voices episode, I speak with Eon Yang, Manager for Commercial Support and Revenue Management at Apra Hotel Advisors in Singapore. She shares how intentional choices, immersive learning, and a focus on contributing meaningfully helped her turn internships into powerful career springboards.

📌 Key Takeaways:•

A first-year revenue management module (course) ignited her passion for the field and motivated her to actively pursue internships aligned with her career goals.
Early roles in a GDS-focused distribution team and an eight-month placement at the flagship Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore provided hands-on exposure to strategy, pricing, promotions, and rate management.
Discovering a preference for revenue management over finance came from appreciating its dynamic, top-line focus compared to the more limited scope of cost control.
Listening to meetings and informal conversations offered some of the most valuable learning by revealing decision-making processes and sparking new ideas.
Entering internships with a clear objective enables interns to contribute beyond assigned tasks and build expertise that will serve them long after graduation.

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In this Alumni Voices episode, Nathalie Toribio, Director of Human Resources at Evolution Hospitality, shares her journey from student intern to hospitality executive. With warmth and insight, she reflects on family roots in the industry, the value of hands-on learning, and how leading with empathy shapes great teams.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Internships helped Nathalie grow from shy student to confident professional.
Her career path included front desk, sales, and now HR leadership.
Family connections in hospitality shaped her early interest in the industry.
She stresses the power of observation and service tailoring, especially in union hotels.
HR internships reveal company culture and help build strong internal teams.
Modern apps (like Beekeeper) enhance team engagement and communication.
Relationships and reputation matter — hospitality is a small, interconnected industry.
Interns should lead with intention, curiosity, and heart.

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In this Alumni Voices episode, Katie Marek, former Director of Operations Development and Business Analysis at Loews Hotels at Universal Orlando, reflects on the pivotal role internships played in shaping her hospitality career. From front desk training at MGM Grand to insights on business intelligence, Katie shares lessons that continue to guide her work and mentorship.

📌 Key Takeaways:

Katie completed internships at MGM Grand and Ritz-Carlton San Francisco, gaining both immersive and traditional experiences.
Her MGM internship gave her a strong foundation in front office operations — and an unexpected appearance on Dateline as a shining example of proper guest service!
She emphasizes the value of hands-on roles over shadowing and the benefit of working alongside fellow interns for networking and peer support.
Early exposure to different hotel types (mega-resort vs. luxury boutique) helped her understand varied operational styles.
She encourages students to choose internships that align with company culture and offer active learning, not just observation.
Katie highlights how data literacy and business analysis have become critical in modern hospitality decision-making.
She recommends interns be proactive, curious, and open to learning even from repetitive or “boring” tasks — they often build lasting career value.
Building relationships with mentors and peers during internships can lead to long-term support and professional growth.

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My related background
Behind the Mystery of Rates
Before Revenue Management
Basic Philosophy Behind Revenue Management
Key Concepts
- Distribution Channels
- Dynamic Pricing
- Ingredients for Establishing Rates
Terminology to Learn
Questions to Ask Your Employer
Move toward Revenue Optimization

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My related background
Importance of Sales Role with Group Business
Who is your group customer?
Who are the attendees?
Role of each department in servicing the group
Importance of Revenue Generation from Meetings & Events
Volume Transient Business unique situation

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• How to develop a curious mind … being technology curious

• 6 different areas to explore and what to look for

Explore Property Management Systems (PMS)
Utilize Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software
Engage with Revenue Management Tools
Digital Communication Tools
Social Media and Online Reputation Management
Mobile and Contactless Services

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•Understanding your career ambition•Four (4) Workplace Scenarios

Colleagues
Managers
Age and generational differences
Unions

•Each will include solutions

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My background on the topic
Guests
- International guests (USA context)
- International guests (Asian context)
Colleagues
- Language spoken by majority of the staff is different from yours
Solutions to make it easier
- Using Translation Apps
- Learning conversational language

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•Introduction
•Importance of Complaints
•Why Guests Complain
•Importance of a Service Recovery Process
•Most Difficult Guests
•Learning Solutions

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•Flux Mindset Superpowers

•Focus on three of the Superpowers

My interpretation of each
How it applies to you in your hospitality industry internship
Why it’s important to you
Finish with Discussion Guide for you to consider for each

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Flux Mindset Superpowers
Focus on three of the Superpowers
- My interpretation of each
- How it applies to you in your hospitality industry internship
- Why it’s important to you
- Finish with Discussion Guide for you to consider for each

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Agenda for this episode

•Differences between the two (work experience and internship)

•Why?

•How?

•Key Elements

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Agenda for this episode:

•People Relevance Impact

•What to Observe

•Need for Change of Perspective

•Internship Observations – People and the Company