A Business Qualification that Opens More than Hotel Doors – James Cunningham

James Cunningham enrolled at PIHMS because he wanted to study the building blocks of business in a dynamic, hands-on environment. Today the 31-year-old is well on his way to his goal of working at the very highest level of the $3.6 billion and growing global hotel management industry.

The New Plymouth local got his first taste of hotel life during PIHMS’ annual Career Week when he was a Year 13 student. He was sold almost immediately saying PIHMS simulated hotel environment allowed him to better understand the practical application of business theory and created an all-round richer learning experience.

“I loved it! I really enjoyed not just sitting down and attending lectures, but practically learning at the same time. We were working through marketing papers, management papers, etc, and we had this incredible practical element.“

At PIHMS, James quickly realised that hotels were the perfect ecosystem for learning the fundamentals of business.

“Applied hotel management covers pretty much every aspect of business: sales, marketing, finance, operations, people, property, business development. Being able to study so many different things at once, rather than having to specialise right away, was a huge drawcard for me.

“Effectively, you graduate with a business degree. Yes, you’ve had experience applying it in hospitality, but you don’t necessarily have to go into hotels, and a lot of people don’t. I’ve got friends who’ve used what they learned at PIHMS to start businesses and build successful careers in different industries.”

It wasn’t long, however, until James became smitten with hotel life and decided to go all in.

“Hotels are fascinating places. No two days are ever the same. You never know which guests you’ll meet or what challenge will come across your desk. I love that about it. There’s a real energy that comes from working with so many moving parts—especially when you’re the one in charge of making sure they all keep moving!”

At just 31, James is a newly minted GM running Christchurch’s largest and liveliest hotel, Accor Group’s BreakFree on Cashel, located just a stone’s throw from the city’s brand-new stadium.

“It’s all down to PIHMS,” James says modestly. “The mix of practical, hands-on learning and theory puts you a step ahead right from the beginning.

“Living, working and studying in a simulated hotel environment means that by the time you go on your first placement, you’re already confident because you’ve had real-world experience. It just keeps building from there.”

“After PIHMS, my class were able to slot into some really good jobs—not just frontline, entry-level—but supervisor, duty manager roles, based on the fact they already had a year’s worth of experience on their CV and they knew the business.”

Six months into his first GM role, James says he’s still very much learning the business and has got a long way to go before reaching his career goals.

“Being GM of BreakFree on Cashel is an amazing opportunity that I’m grabbing with both hands. Longer term, my ultimate career goal  doesn’t really rely on a title or position but my ability to help other Heartists (that’s out Accor name for team member) find their passions within the Hospitality industry. There’s a real misunderstanding outside the industry, that this is just a job that you do over summer uni break, the reality is, it’s a career that can take you anywhere you want to go.”