LAS VEGAS – Chris Walker, director of hotel operations at the Luxor Hotel and Casino, delivered the keynote speech for students graduating The International School of Hospitality (TISOH) this month.
“TISOH has given you the tools,” Walker told the spring graduating class. “Where you go from here is up to you.”
He said one of the most important lessons he learned at The International School of Hospitality is that launching or advancing a hospitality career stems from following dreams with a passion.
“If you didn’t have passion, then you wouldn’t be here,” Walker said.
Graduates from The International School of Hospitality are quick to launch careers in the hospitality industry. TISOH, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, specializes in practical, short-term training certificate and diploma programs for hospitality professionals pursuing career development and people seeking to enter the hospitality industry.
TISOH’s graduating class this spring received 56 certificates and diplomas. Fifty certificates were rewarded for completing courses in one or more of the following: Art of Concierge, Conference Management and Event Planning, Event Design and Production, Hospitality Human Resources, Hospitality Leadership and Supervision, Meeting and Event Catering and Wedding Coordination and Design. Six others received executive diplomas in Hospitality Operations.
Walker, a graduate of TISOH himself, now leads a team of more than 200 employees, overseeing the front desk, bell desk, valet and guest services at one of the largest resorts on the Las Vegas Strip. In joining the Luxor, Walker launched an employee engagement program with an emphasis on career development, recognition and goal setting.
Walker’s previous experience includes working as director of the front office at MGM Grand Las Vegas, director of guest experience at MGM Resorts International and the concierge and resort services manager for Caesars Palace. In 2010, he was the recipient of the Supervisor of the Year Award at Caesars Palace.
During his tenure at MGM Resorts, Walker created a corporate guest relations team, which resulted in a record high net promoter score. He followed up with a hotel guest experience project that led to record high front desk service scores.
Walker holds a degree in hospitality management from Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa., and the Art of Concierge certificate from The International School of Hospitality.
It was as a student at Mercyhurst that Walker made his way to Las Vegas to complete an internship at Caesars Palace. The internship led to a position in management. Once he was assigned to manage concierge operations, Walker enrolled at The International School of Hospitality for the Art of Concierge course, which he completed in 2010.
About The International School of Hospitality
The International School of Hospitality (TISOH) was founded in Las Vegas, Nev., in 2005. TISOH offers quality short-term, practical training and career development programs in hospitality. Developed for the industry and by the industry, TISOH’s small class sizes and online courses include: concierge, conference management and event planning, catering, hospitality leadership and supervision, hospitality human resources, hotel operations, and wedding coordination and design. Diploma graduates enjoy an 85 percent job placement rate. TISOH is an academic partner of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Continuing Education and Training. For more information, visit www.tisoh.edu or call (702) 947-7200.
# # #