The international training course HOTS Hotel Simulationhas been successfully completed at Khmelnytskyi National University. The program was implemented in cooperation with Sheffield Hallam University (United Kingdom). The project became one of the practical outcomes of the partnership between the twin cities of Khmelnytskyi and Sheffield and opened new opportunities for students to acquire modern professional competencies in the hospitality sector.
An important prerequisite for the implementation of this project was the establishment of twinning relations between Khmelnytskyi and Sheffield. In December 2022, the Mayor of Khmelnytskyi, Oleksandr Symchyshyn, and representatives of the city of Sheffield signed a twinning agreement, which opened new opportunities for cooperation in education, culture, business, healthcare, and community support. Since then, the partnership between the two cities has been actively developing, and the HOTS Hotel Simulation course has become one of the most vivid examples of successful joint initiatives.
On the occasion of the course completion and certificate awarding, the university was visited by the Mayor of Khmelnytskyi, Oleksandr Symchyshyn, Deputy Mayor Mykola Vavryshchuk, and Inna Palii, representative of the Department of Investment Policy and International Cooperation. The Lord Mayor of Sheffield, Andrew Sangar, and the Head of International Cooperation for the City of Sheffield, Nick Hamilton, also joined the event online.
The certificate awarding ceremony was moderated by the Vice-Rector for Scientific and Pedagogical work of Khmelnytskyi National University, Kateryna Skyba, who congratulated the participants on the successful completion of the program and emphasised the importance of international cooperation for modernising the educational process, expanding students’ professional opportunities, and introducing innovative practices in specialist training.
The program involved academic staff from the Department of Tourism and Hotel and Restaurant Business, Tetiana Tomalia and Nataliia Antoshkova, as well as students from the Faculties of Management, Administration and Tourism, and International Relations and Law. Before starting the practical work, participants completed comprehensive training, during which they mastered the principles of the HOTS platform, specifics of hotel business management in a virtual environment, market data analysis, and strategic decision-making.
Thanks to the support of British partners, students and lecturers of KhNU had the opportunity to work with a professional industry simulator to develop managerial competencies in the hospitality sector. The system enables the simulation of real business processes under competitive market conditions.
Khmelnytskyi National University also expresses sincere gratitude to British colleagues Ian Elsmore and David Graham for their professional guidance, methodological support, and high-quality organisation of the learning process.
After successfully completing the training, practical tasks, and assessments, participants received international HOTS User Training certificates issued by Russell Partnership Technology, one of the world’s leading developers of technological solutions for the hospitality industry.
In total, international certificates were awarded to 24 students and 2 lecturers of Khmelnytskyi National University, confirming their readiness to work with professional industry simulation tools and apply modern approaches to hospitality management.
As with any significant event, the certificate ceremony concluded in a festive atmosphere. A pleasant surprise for participants was a themed cake inspired by the HOTS Hotel Simulation, symbolically marking the completion of the learning journey and the achievement of the program goals.
The successful completion of the HOTS Hotel Simulation course once again confirms the effectiveness of international cooperation and opens new opportunities for further development of practice-oriented education, improvement of professional training quality, and expansion of Khmelnytskyi National University’s international academic partnerships.
