50 years of milestones The 4-star grading could not have come at a better time as the School marks the 50th anniversary of its legacy institutions – going as far back as the days when the Wits Hotel School first opened its doors. In closing, Prof Tichaawa said that the STH was pleased by the Tourism Grading Council’s recognition of its facilities. “This milestone certainly bodes well in terms of us further cementing our position as a leading academic institution in our field, which also operates top-class and 4-star graded MESE facilities. We encourage the UJ community to keep supporting us and wish to invite all prospective clients, be it from industry or the corporate sector, to come and sample what we have to offer.”
The University of Johannesburg’s (UJ) School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH), has made history when it was bestowed a 4-star grading for its Meetings, Exhibitions and Special Events (MESE) venues by the Tourism Grading Council of South Africa earlier this year. Cutting edge conference facilities The Kerzner @ UJ at the Bunting Road Campus is the commercial arm of the STH and boasts state-of- the-art conference and banqueting facilities. Its two conference rooms combined can host 200 delegates and the auditorium seats 147 people. A further selection of executive boardrooms and meeting rooms cater for smaller groups. The Kerzner Building also showcases a culinary theatre that seats 54 delegates, and the Alumni Bar and tasting room, the Waterford Restaurant, and the Design Café coffee shop serve a variety of cuisines.
Mr Gerald Hamadzirip, the operations manager overseeing all the business units under The Kerzner @ UJ, believes that the grading will be a major morale boost, not only for clients but also for staff and students. “The grading will unquestionably add a flair of confidence for our staff and students to proceed to deliver an experience which is equal to this standard and even beyond,” he says.
“Although we operate as a business entity, this is also
where we harness and grow the talent in the field of hospitality management and food and beverage operations,” he explains. “We call it trading with a purpose − operating a business whilst building opportunities for our students to gain practical working experience.”
School of Tourism and Hospitality venues
grading awarded a
Other than the industrial kitchens in the Centre of
Culinary Excellence, a broad range of hospitality services is also offered at the UJ Kingsway Campus and the Johannesburg Business School. A major achievement “Being the first school in the country to have its commercial facilities graded is a major accolade,” says Prof Tembi Tichaawa, STH Academic Head of Tourism. “More so, being graded 4-star. It speaks volumes about the standard of our facilities and the level of service quality you can expect as a client.”
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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
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