Both my business partner Remko West and I started of our careers via internships during our studies at Hotelschool Maastricht in the Netherlands. It is the perfect stepping stone from the college environment into the real live working place. Hence at Xotels we have kept the tradition of trainees joining our ranks, to gain hands on knowledge and experience. We would like to share some of their personal experiences and success stories with you.
Over the last years we have had quite a few interns joining our ranks, for a unique experience to learn more about revenue management and digital travel marketing. Some have ended up staying with us. At present actually we have 6 former interns working with us.
Others have moved on as well, of which some have ended up with quite impressive career moves. Instead of blowing our own horn, we reached out to them. Below features a selection of their personal feedback, as well from our current trainees.
Hester Bosma – Revenue Intern @ Xotels
‘My Revenue Management Traineeship at Xotels definitely exceeded my expectations. Their hands-on approach and professional guidance enabled me to adapt theoretical knowledge into practice. Dealing with all types of hotels made me aware of different tactics and approaches to optimize revenues, due to the large portfolio of hotels at Xotels. Without any doubt, I would recommend it to anyone with aspirations to have a future career in Revenue management!’
Aude Pommier – Revenue Intern @ Xotels
‘My internship at Xotels has been not only enriching in term of revenue management knowledge but it was also the opportunity for me to have a first experience in a consulting company. I can feel the improvement I have made since I began, 5 months ago. I have been working in association with different revenue managers, for a range of various hotels in Europe. I would recommend it to any curious students that are motivated to discover, learn and improve their revenue management skills.’
Ngoc Hao Mai – Marketing Trainee @ Xotels
‘As a marketing trainee, I have enjoyed the adaptive workload based on each different ability and the opportunities to work on projects of different fields. I appreciate their effort to help me improve and update my basic knowledge on technology, IT and the current trend on building blogs and websites. What makes Xotels traineeship stand out from large chain and big brand hotel internships is that I am being able to keep my identity at work. I am glad to receive such wide range of projects on Marketing and Revenue Management which have kept me interested and occupied most of the time. It has been really a pleasure for me to be able to do something I never thought I could and I have really enjoyed such friendly atmosphere and connections with the staff of Xotels. I would definitely recommend the Marketing Traineeship at Xotels for those who seek for challenges of office work, E-commerce for places they have never heard of, and experience cultural differences of Barcelona or Spain in general. Communication is the key of success at Xotels. Never fear the unexpected events and what’s ahead; speak your mind then your manager(s) and staff at Xotels will understand and eventually provide you what you need.
Emmy van de Hout – Revenue Manager @ Xotels
‘Before I joined Xotels, I was quite a layman to Revenue Management in Hospitality but eager to learn more. Xotels came across as a leading, innovative and dynamic company, which convinced me to join the team. During my time as an intern I got the opportunity to really learn from experts in the field and look deeper into the daily tasks that effect revenue management. I gained knowledge of various markets and grew my overall Revenue Management understanding to a high level. My experience became one of the most memorable and life-changing experiences. Initially unsure of where my future paths would lead, I was offered a Revenue Management position upon completion of my internship. To this day I am proud to still be part of the Xotels team. So far it has been a great first step in my career, working as a Revenue Manager for multiple hotels and changing the game of our clients on a daily basis. Xotels is constantly pushing me to be the best that I possibly can be. It goes to show that I would highly recommend Xotels to everybody who is searching for an internship in Revenue Management!’
Tim Loonen – Product Manager @ TripAdvisor
‘It’s fair to say my internship at Xotels has kick-started my career in Travel Technology. Coming from a traditional hotel management background, it was Patrick and Remko who introduced me to Travel Tech media like Tnooz and marketing (or actually lifestyle) gurus like Seth Godin. They confirmed it’s OK to look beyond existing paths and fueled my interest for entrepreneurship. Now, less than 5 years later, I’ve been part of a successful startup acquisition and have created my dream job within the world’s largest website in travel’
This is the stuff that makes us really proud!
But don’t miss-understand. It is not a walk in the park. The success of these people is all due to themselves more than anything else. The motivation, devotion and dedication they have shown us and their career is what is made them thrive into where they are to.
So if you are looking for an internship in revenue management or hotel marketing, and are willing to work hard to jump-start your career, you should take a look at the opportunities Xotels offers hotel management students.
