One moment, Sandi Davies is liaising with Meta, using her communication skills and diplomacy to achieve an objective related to Minor Hotels’ social media platforms. The next she’s reviewing candidate data for potential management trainees, just like her.
As the rest of the day unfolds, she dives into her ongoing market research and analysis, prepares a presentation to share her findings with the team, manages support tickets submitted by hotel properties to the corporate office, and joins a high-level meeting that shapes brand operations across multiple hotels.
Just months ago, she was still a student at AIHM.
For many high school students thinking about a career in hospitality management, the image they have of the industry centres on the activities and setting of a hotel property itself: welcoming guests at reception, managing restaurants, planning events, or overseeing daily operations inside a hotel. What many do not see yet is the enormous corporate ecosystem operating behind the scenes.
That was one of the biggest discoveries Sandi has made during her time in Minor Hotels’ Ascent Management Traineeship programme.
The one-year corporate-based programme gives her the opportunity to rotate across departments, in her case: People and Culture, Marketing, and Social Media. All the while, she’s been developing a broader understanding of how an international hospitality company actually functions at scale.
Behind Every Great Hotel Brand
Guests experience hospitality at the property level. They interact with front office teams, restaurants, housekeeping staff, concierges, and hotel managers. Behind every hotel, though, is a much larger system coordinating branding, recruitment, digital strategy, talent development, training, analytics, and operational support across entire regions.
During her traineeship, Sandi has begun to deeply understand how differently hospitality operates at the corporate level compared to inside an individual hotel.
Hospitality at Scale
Functions at the corporate level are often radically different from the same roles and departments at the hotel level. Sandi gave the example of Social Media departments. “Social media management at the corporate level differs significantly from property-level social media,” she explained. “At the corporate level, the focus is on providing strategic oversight, analytics, and support to individual properties. Priorities include developing guidelines and monitoring brand performance across all platforms.”
This distinction between the roles of property and corporate teams has changed the way she understands hospitality as a career.
Building a Wider View of Hospitality
Instead of focusing on a single property, corporate teams often support dozens, sometimes hundreds, of hotels across different countries and markets. One day might involve analysing brand performance across multiple regions. Another could involve assisting hotel teams directly, reviewing marketing systems, or coordinating communication across departments.
Sandi emphasises how important gaining this broader perspective is for those dreaming about leadership careers in hospitality. Hotel companies need professionals who understand both sides of the business: the day-to-day reality of hotel operations and the larger strategic systems that support them.
That combination is one of the reasons internships and operational exposure are such an important part of AIHM’s BBA programme. Students complete two internships during their studies, gaining direct experience inside real hotel environments before graduation.
As Minor Hotels’ Vice President of Learning & Development and Talent Management Bree Creaser expressed to AIHM students last year during her talk as part of the 2025 guest speaker series: “Understanding how hotels work makes you a bigger asset to corporate offices later in your career.”
At AIHM, students develop that understanding inside one of the world’s most unusual learning environments: a hotel school operating within a real working hotel. From the beginning of their studies, students are surrounded by the pace, expectations, and professional realities of the hospitality industry itself.
Looking back, Sandi says AIHM helped prepare her for exactly this type of environment.
“I developed the ability to communicate and interact effectively in a professional environment, building confidence while managing workplace demands,” she reflected.
Selecting the Next Generation of Business Leaders
One of the most revealing parts of Sandi’s traineeship was not only participating in the Ascent programme itself, but also helping support the hiring process behind it. She was able to gain a deep look into the very process she had just been a part of, from the other side.
“I gained insight into the extensive candidate shortlisting and selection process, as well as the level of organisation and coordination required to identify the right candidates,” she said.
As the name “Ascent” implies, these kinds of programmes exist to fast-track high-potential leaders into management roles. They’re sometimes known as “elevator programmes”.
Large hospitality companies invest heavily in identifying future leaders. Management trainees are selected not only for technical ability, but also for communication skills, adaptability, professionalism, leadership potential, and the ability to thrive in fast-paced environments.
Building the Leadership Skills that Stand Out
Programmes like Minor Hotels’ Ascent Management Traineeship are extremely competitive, attracting applicants from hotel schools worldwide. Management trainees are given exposure to multiple departments, leadership teams, research projects, and long-term career pathways within the company.
For Sandi, seeing the selection process from the inside also reinforced how important it is for students to begin developing those professional skills early. Looking back at her time at AIHM, she could see how beneficial her own student experiences were in making her a competitive candidate. Her internships, classroom projects, presentations, networking opportunities, and industry-facing experiences gave her the skills and proof-of-skills she could leverage into an impressive application.
Hospitality is ultimately a people business. Technical knowledge is still vital, and AIHM’s young professionals build a strong foundation in industry knowledge. Just as important though are people and leadership skills such as communication, confidence, organisation, and the ability to work effectively with others under pressure. Sandi was able to strengthen and develop many of these leadership skills during her time at AIHM.
Where Could Hospitality Take You?
Today, Sandi sees her traineeship as a major step toward a long-term leadership career in hospitality.
“My well-rounded experience across both property and corporate functions has strengthened my confidence and readiness to take on new challenges and responsibilities,” she said.
Sandi’s experience as a management trainee highlights that the industry stretches far beyond the lobby doors. Behind every global hotel brand are teams shaping marketing strategy, talent development, operations, digital systems, guest experience, and future growth across entire regions of the world.
For students who are ambitious, adaptable, and eager to grow, management traineeships offer a rare opportunity to step directly into that world after graduation.
Your Future as a Hospitality Leader
Are you interested in the excitement and career potential of a future in global hospitality management?
Discover how AIHM’s internships, industry partnerships, and real-world learning experiences can help launch your career.
Explore AIHM’s Bachelor of Business Administration in Global Hospitality Management now.
