Overton Hotel Offers ‘Suite’ Opportunity to RHIM Students

The completion of the Overton Hotel near the Texas Tech University campus has not only brought five star accommodations to the Hub City, but has also provided some students with new learning opportunities through a partnership with Tech’s Restaurant, Hotel and Institutional Management Program.

Emily Hess, front office manager at the Overton Hotel, said she was approached to start the RHIM-Overton partnership based on her knowledge of the RHIM program and the experience she  gained since graduating from Texas Tech.

Hess said students engage in every aspect of hotel management including front desk management, housekeeping, maintenance and reservations, along with providing a general sense of what it takes to manage a hotel through the RHIM program.

“They get hands-on experience, so they know how to check someone in, they know how to clean a room, they know how to fix maintenance problems, and they go to every department and shadow an employee,” Hess said.

James Barko, assistant chairperson for the RHIM program, said class labs also give different perspectives to RHIM students.

“The Overton Hotel is one of many hotel properties in Lubbock who help prepare RHIM students for future careers in hotel and restaurant management,” Barko said.  “Students are able to gain a more realistic perspective of the actual operations of a hotel property by having the opportunity to observe and study many of the hotel’s departments as part of their classroom lab experience.”

This could, in many cases, lead to more job opportunities, Hess said, noting that the hotel has hired several newly graduated students after seeing their work ethic and good attitudes during their time in the program.

Deanna Fitzgerald, a senior RHIM major,  said Tech RHIM majors have a valuable experience with the partnership between Tech and the Overton.

“It gives the RHIM students an upper hand to other hospitality programs around the nation that don’t have the opportunity to,” Fitzgerald said.

In addition to classroom and lab experiences, the hotel also provides opportunities for RHIM students by hiring some as staff, Mitchell Lawson, a freshman RHIM major, said.

Lawson said he works 20-to-30 hours a week and enjoys having a job that will contribute to his future goals.

He said although he is only a freshman, he looks forward to getting promoted from his job as a server in the near future.

“[I like] being able to work in an environment that I’ll be eventually managing, hopefully owning a business in the hospitality area, so being able to get hands-on experience while studying for my degree in RHIM, really benefits,” Lawson said.

For More Information:

• Texas Tech RHIM Program:

http://www.depts.ttu.edu/hs/nhr/rhim/