Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School in Leura, Australia opened its doors 20 years ago in 1991 as a vocational hotel school. Since then the School has gone from strength to strength; increasing student numbers, moving into the Higher Education field by offering Bachelor degrees and winning the Australian Tourism Award for Education and Training in 2009. Recently the School was ranked number 1 international hotel management school in Australasia (TNS survey 2010)* which truly makes BMIHMS the leading provider of hotel management education in this part of the world.
On May 12 2011 to celebrate its 20 years BMIHMS Ltd conducted a series of events with Alumni, dignitaries and industry leaders. Ms. Rosa Sage MP for the Blue Mountains was the guest of honour unveiling a 20th anniversary plaque at the Leura campus. Ms. Sage said “the School has an international reputation evidenced by the eagerness of hotels to snap up graduates from the School. The value of the School to the local community and economy is also immeasurable”.
The 20th Anniversary celebrations culminated in style at the Sydney Opera house with a function for more than 250 guests including 150 Alumni from around the world, hotel and education industry leaders and dignitaries. Awards were given to those Alumni who have excelled in their careers with Ms. Sonja Vodusek, General Manager Peninsula Hotel Manila, said when receiving the Professional Achievement award “It is an honour to be here tonight and it is wonderful to see so many of my classmates and lecturers. To me a Blue Mountains education really does give you a strong foundation to be success in this industry. My entire time at the School was a great experience”. Other awards recognised Alumni who had fast career progression (Mr. Ben Lancken, Hotel Manager, Medina Grand Adelaide Treasury) and dream location (Ms. Chiko Kitaoka, Guest Services Manager, Four Seasons Hong Kong).
During the celebrations Mr. Guy Bentley CEO of BMIHMS Ltd announced the introduction of new undergraduate programs in Leura (Hotel Management and Event Management) as well as the much anticipated opening of a new Sydney campus In January 2012 to accommodate the growing numbers of students studying at the School.
Danny Bielik, CEO of LiveEnrol added “we are proud to be associated with a school as prestigious as Blue Mountains and look forward to their continued success with their new Sydney Campus.”
Photos of the evening are available on LiveEnrol’s Facebook page.