The Holiday Inn Hotel Eastleigh has been awarded the Recruitment Excellence award at the Interstate Group HR Conference, for their working relationship with Eastleigh College’s Hospitality and Catering Department.

The Interstate Group HR Conference is an annual conference for the hotel chain at which awards are presented in a variety of categories. The Recruitment Excellence award looks for exceptional recruitment experience, and the Holiday Inn Eastleigh was shortlisted alongside the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Leeds. The Holiday Inn was presented the award for their work alongside Eastleigh College students, namely for the ‘Holiday Inn takeover’ event which happens every year.

The takeover involves students studying who are Levels 1, 2 and 3 Hospitality and Catering to staff the hotel for 26 hours, managing all departments from housekeeping to the reception. The project enables students to experience the true workings of a hotel, and includes a rigorous application and interview process followed by a comprehensive induction programme. 

The process for the January 2017 takeover is already underway, with students submitting applications for the roles they would like to fill.

Commenting on the award Alastair Lawson, General Manager at the Holiday Inn Hotel Eastleigh, said “We were runners-up at the Intercontinental Hotels European Awards earlier this year for the very same nomination, and we lost out to the Intercontinental Hotel in Kiev, so to be in the same playing field as them is brilliant. I am very proud of the work we do with the College, and at last we have formal recognition.”

To find out more about the Hospitality and Catering courses at Eastleigh College, please visit the careers page. To read about the Holiday Inn takeover in previous years, please browse our news section.