Decade-old hospitality school doubles it size

Grace Julaton has been studying at The International School of Hospitality since May 2014 and knew that she had chosen the right school when she was completing her externship and found herself working with one of the school’s alumni.

“She was so excited to find out I was studying at TISOH,” Julaton said. “She told me she graduated from TISOH. It really helps you start a relationship and begin networking.”

The school, 3614 E. Sunset Road, is in its 10th year and recently more than doubled the size of its campus. It offers classes in event planning, wedding planning, concierge work, hotel operations and leadership. The school’s executive director and co-founder, Timothy M. Lam, is pleased with its direction.

“Our school motto is, ‘Dreams, Actions, Careers,’ and that’s why our students come to us,” Lam said. “They’re pursuing a dream, and they want to make it into a career.”

Lam moved to Las Vegas from Washington, D.C., where he was working in international marketing, but he dreamed of working in a hotel and traveling. He attended UNLV and earned his second master’s degree in hotel administration in a year. He was hired at Caesars Palace for a year and a half before a meeting with one of his former professors led him to work on creating TISOH.

“When someone is changing careers, a four-year university isn’t always the best fit,” Lam said. “Our programs are usually short but intense. We have three-month semesters, and students are usually with us from five weeks to eight months. Our belief is that hospitality isn’t rocket science, and you don’t need to be in school for that long. Our students get industry experience, and all of our faculty are working in the field. That’s enough to get people into the industry.”

Leah Foster graduated from the program last year with an executive diploma for hotel operations and is a guest services supervisor for Caesars Palace, the Rio and Harrah’s.

“I liked that the classes were practical,” Foster said. “You’re focused on the job, and you’re not learning a whole bunch of things you don’t need to know.”

Julaton concurred and added that she liked the hands-on training.

“You learn faster because you see it and do it right away,” she said.

Lindsey Hiron-Barre was attending business school in Alberta, Canada, when she found out about The International School of Hospitality online.

“I was majoring in marketing, but I was always interested in event planning, so I decided to do it now, because if I didn’t, I might never get back to it and miss out on what I really want to do,” said Hiron-Barre, who has been attending classes since January. “I like the smaller classes. It’s such a change from having 400 people in a class, and no one knew who you were. Here, everyone knows who you are and makes sure you’re getting your stuff done and you understand it.”

The expansion allowed for the creation of a separate administration building and included refining and expanding existing classrooms. Lam is particularly proud of a room with a replica of a hotel front desk for simulated customer interactions, a set of three identical classrooms with air walls that can be removed to provide a 1,600-square-foot meeting room and a photo studio.

“We do everything we can to help our students get into the industry, including shooting head shots,” Lam said. “We offer the large meeting room to industry associates for their meetings, which also provides opportunities for our students to interact with working professionals and make connections with them.”

Contact East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 702-380-4532.