It’s not easy to lead a team of over 20 staff members. It’s even harder when you’re still a college student who is not regional and did not see yourself in an organisation’s leading function.
But that’s simply what Bhuiyan Md Sadman Rahman, a Bachelor of International Hospitality Management (BIHM) program at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, had to do.
When his program started the Hotel Takeover Task, the hospitality management student from Bangladesh never pegged himself as a leader. In fact, he thought he ‘d land the lowest-paid role.
“It’s a little bit of an amusing story,” Sadman says. “To be sincere, I wished to be a guard since I had no expectation of myself.”
But his instructors and coaches saw potential in him, especially after his efficiency in interviews. They probably saw something in him that he had yet to discover– though he quickly will during the two-week takeover.
Hospitality management trainees with academics of School of Hospitality, Tourism and Events and the group at Hyatt Location Kuala Lumpur Bukit Jalil who took part in Hotel Takeover Task 2026. Source: Taylor’s University
Something books can not duplicate for hospitality management trainees
The two-week training period before the takeover was, by Sadman’s account, mind-blowing. Classroom learning, he says, offers students info. The hotel gave him something various completely: experience.
“The textbook situations and genuine circumstances are absolutely various,” he says. “You can not picture the fire till the fire is already on your face.”
Throughout training, he had to resolve various live situations. From check-in hold-ups to security, each problem required him to loop in the relevant department head and collaborate an action.
One event stood apart. A couple from Australia faced a 35-minute wait to check in. Sadman was charged by the real hotel manager to discover the origin. His impulse was to go directly to house cleaning.
The room had actually been cleaned on time, it turned out, however the engineer had actually been hired for split walls, a malfunctioning remote, and harmed paintwork– 3 different concerns that collectively consumed into the timeline.
Things unwinded however Sadman remained calm and resolved it.
Ending up being the one in charge of pals and peers Leading 22 fellow hospitality management trainees across departments is a different kind of leadership obstacle from handling staff. It’s perhaps even harder when these are schoolmates and pals, individuals who remain in the same boat as you.
Sadman’s group was likewise culturally diverse– students from China, Pakistan, Indonesia, Maldives, and beyond– which added another layer of complexity.
However he handled it all well, especially since he also knows what it’s like to be immersed in a various nation and culture.
“Every culture has its own different viewpoints,” he states. “There were some challenges, but interaction was no issue. If they needed help, I was there. If I needed help, they were there. It resembled a brotherhood scenario– everyone was assisting each other.”
The interdepartmental nature of the function likewise improved his understanding of how hotels work. “If check-in was postponed, I needed to talk with house cleaning. If there was a security problem, I had to go to security. If income was off, I had to go to the revenue manager. Everything is related,” he states. “Any hold-up or concern in one department can affect the entire operation.”
Bhuiyan Md Sadman Rahman(third from left), Hotel Supervisor, and Siow Jia Ying (initially from left), Earnings Manager, with the rest of the hospitality management trainees’ Hotel Takeover Job 2026 committee. Source: Taylor’s University
What jobs can hospitality management students get?
The Hotel Takeover Job sits within a wider technique at Taylor’s University to close the space in between scholastic understanding and industry readiness.
Dr Kandappan Balasubramanian, Head of the School of Hospitality, Tourism, and Occasions, has been clear about something: future hospitality leaders are not shaped in class alone.
For David Leung, General Manager of Hyatt Location Kuala Lumpur Bukit Jalil– and himself a Taylor’s graduate– the partnership is a direct investment in the market’s next generation. The takeover, he has actually kept in mind, tests not simply what hospitality management trainees know, however how they lead and solve issues when it matters.
Sadman is clear-eyed about what the experience gave him.”If anybody enters into this industry with zero experience, they will be falling into a deep ocean,” he states. “It resembles somebody throwing you into a pool when you don’t know how to swim.”
As a Semester 5 hospitality management trainee, Sadman will soon begin an internship. Geared up with this experience as a hotel supervisor, he is positive and passionate about continuing his career, come what may.”I can interact with other individuals with a smile,” he says. “There will be a fire. And I’ll be smiling and controlling the entire thing.”