Marco Hoor Ten, director Hotel Management School, NHL Stenden, reports that after a successful week on Aruba, talking to the University of Aruba, UA, the government of Aruba and industry partners, they developed plans to open a new Grand Tour location of NHL Stenden, on Aruba.
The NHL Stenden delegation concluded the visit here with a local Alumni event at the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino. And Marco who is the world most enthusiastic person had a fantastic time meeting the Alumni of the famed Dutch Hotel Management School in Leeuwarden. Apparently, Aruba has had graduates from that program, manning/womaning key industry positions here for 34 years. The delegation will be back next year with the first 25 Grand Tour students.
What it means for Aruba? We will have a steady influx of educated NHL Stenden Hotel Management School students working in our industry. They call it the Grand Tour; we call it work. The students will be here a semester at a time, living, contributing, spending. This will be a game changer as far as hospitality service, and service standards, plus an amazing opportunity for our own hotel management students, who may finish their associate degree here, and conclude their university education, there. Two other members of the NHL Stenden delegation were Marc Otto, member of the executive board, and Wayne Johnson, director international affairs, who are equally excited about the upcoming NHL Stenden campus, and already toured some real estate in town, that might be perfect to house the school classrooms and administration. This will be great for Oranjestad, making it a center of learning and living, again.
