Hospitality school displays its campus in open house
There are pineapples everywhere on this campus.
And it isn’t even in Hawaii.
Tucked into an unassuming office complex on Sunset Road west of Sandhill Road, the International School of Hospitality — students, faculty and alums call it “TISOH” — proudly displays the pineapple, the international symbol for hospitality, everywhere.
Today, there are more pineapples there than ever before.
The 10-year-old private professional school founded by University of Nevada, Las Vegas, professors and hospitality industry professionals showed off its campus in a Wednesday open house.
The size of the campus has been expanded from 3,000 square feet to 9,000 square feet.
Besides expanding facilities, TISOH renovated existing space and now has five classrooms, a lecture hall, a special events design lab, a student resource center, a computer lab, a student lounge and a hotel operations lab with a built-in front desk for students to practice guest interactions.
“It’s definitely a different teaching style,” Executive Director Timothy Lam said during a campus tour.
TISOH has several different types of students. Some are seeking special instruction to supplement their degree programs in UNLV’s hospitality program at the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. Others are seeking post-graduate specialization in hospitality topics. Others are international students who hope to learn from the best in a city known for its resorts and hospitality expertise.
Initially, Lam said, TISOH was developed to provide workers for the city’s resort industry. As the school grew, it became apparent to Lam that students could increase their opportunities in the industry with advanced education.
Now, TISOH has four departments: conference and events, catering, hotel management and wedding coordination.
The school provides specialized instruction in 12-week courses with flexible schedules. The best in the business in Las Vegas provide lectures in classroom settings and some students take TISOH courses online.
On average, there are eight students per instructor in classes.
Lam said to help accommodate international students who may have to limit their time in Las Vegas from their home countries there are intense, five-week fast-track programs that enable students to complete their coursework at an accelerated rate.
Since the school opened in 2005, TISOH has had more than 1,000 students. Many of them have hospitality industry jobs in Las Vegas. Others, like Rissa Gunderson, Traci Keefer and Tara Federico, partners in Scheme Wedding &Event Design of Las Vegas, have built hospitality-based businesses with the instruction they received at TISOH. The three event planners were among those attending the school’s open house.
Tuition at TISOH ranges from $1,650 for 12-week courses to $9,450 for full-diploma programs. But Patti Shock, a consultant and instructor at TISOH who retired from UNLV’s hospitality program, said the specialized instruction is beneficial because students can focus on their career paths. Shock said while it’s important to pursue a degree, TISOH offers a more direct way to a career and students don’t have to spend their time with core learning subjects if they prefer to quickly enter the workforce.
Donnell Bayot, TISOH’s academic affairs director, said the resort community has supported the school and its new glass-walled special events design lab was developed by officials with MGM Resorts International who will continually update room themes in the same way resort officials freshen Bellagio’s Conservatory every season.
That may mean more pineapples.
Contact reporter Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Find him on Twitter: @RickVelotta
