2006 Groundhog Job Shadow Day

Lodging Industry Opens Doors for Groundhog Job Shadow Day

AH&LA members hosted thousands of high school students across the country on February 2, National Groundhog Job Shadow Day. The nationwide effort gives young people an up-close look at the world of work by letting them shadow various career mentors in their places of work. Students with interests in the hospitality industry learned first-hand about hotel management, marketing, food and beverage service, and the daily operations of hotels.

In its ninth year, Groundhog Job Shadow Day is a coordinated effort sponsored by AH&LA, America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth, Junior Achievement, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor.

Scroll down to our Groundhog Job Shadow Day photo gallery.

InterContinental Buckhead, Atlanta, Ga. Students from Junior Achievement of Georgia spent the day learning about the hotel and the hospitality industry…sitting in the Rolls Royce, smelling Cognac in the bar and watching food being prepped on the line in the kitchen.	Hotel Indigo-Atlanta Midtown, Atlanta, Ga. Students from Junior Achievement of Georgia learned about Hotel Indigo–Atlanta Midtown from Front Desk Manager Eddie Barton.	InterContinental Hotels Group, Atlanta, Ga. Students from Therrell High School in southwest Atlanta visited the InterContinental Hotels Group Americas corporate offices, which included learning about the organization from Chief Operating Officer, the Americas Tom Murray.	InterContinental Hotels Group, Atlanta, Ga. Director of Loyalty Marketing for InterContinental Hotels Group Mary Dogan gave her “shadow” from Therrell High School a tour of the IHG Americas corporate offices.
InterContinental Hotels Group, Atlanta, Ga. Director of Facility Services for InterContinental Hotels Group Barbara de Nijs Bik discussed careers in management with a Therrell High School student.	Radisson Hotel Waterfront Place, Morgantown, W.V. Culinary students from Morgantown High School spent the morning in the restaurant and banquet kitchens utilizing their beginning culinary skills.	Radisson Hotel Waterfront Place, Morgantown, W.V. Executive Chef James B. Spoonhoward, III, General Manager Joe Duperre and Director of Human Resources Donna Duda hosted students from Morgantown High School.	Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Minneapolis, Minn. Students from the Washburn High School Academy of Hospitality & Tourism program and the Maple Grove High School diversity council gathered in the Retreat on the Carlson headquarters campus.
Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Minneapolis, Minn. Julie Anderson of Carlson’s human resources department shared interviewing tips with students from Washburn High School and Maple Grove High School.	Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Minneapolis, Minn. Students from Washburn High School and Maple Grove High School gathered in the lobby of Carlson’s Minneapolis campus headquarters before joining their mentors for the day.	Carlson Hotels Worldwide Reservations Center, Omaha, Neb. The Carlson reservations center welcomed students from Benson High School.	The Hyatt Regency Maui Resort and Spa in Lahaina, Hawaii, welcomed students from Lahainaluna High School.
Students from Miami Springs High School and Miami Beach Senior High Academy of Information and Technology enjoyed their day at the Hyatt Regency Miami.	The Hyatt Regency Suites in Palm Springs, Calif., hosted students from Palm Springs High School.	A student from East High School shadowed staff at the Hyatt Regency Denver Convention Center.	Chantilly High School students learned about front desk operations at the Hyatt Regency Fair Lakes in Fairfax, Va.
Engineering staff at the Hyatt Regency Greenwich hosted students from the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering in Old Greenwich, Conn.	A student from Huntington Beach High School learns the ropes in the surf shop at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach Resort & Spa in Huntington Beach, Calif.	Students from South Atlanta High School shadowed employees at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.	The Hyatt Westlake in Westlake Village, Calif., welcomed students from Moorpark High School, Agoura High School, Westlake High School and Thousand Oaks High School.
The Hyatt Regency in Irvine, Calif., hosted students from several schools in the Irvine Unified School District.	Students from Ferris High School and Lincoln High School enjoyed the view from the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City, N.J.	The Phoenician, Scottsdale, Ariz. Ten properties in Arizona hosted 80 students on Groundhog Job Shadow Day. At The Phoenician, Fountain Hills High School students got a close-up look at laundry operations.	The Phoenician, Scottsdale, Ariz. Fountain Hills High School students shadowed The Phoenician’s management team.
Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Waikoloa, Hawaii A student from Mauka Lani Christian School spent the day with the coffee shop team.	Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Waikoloa, Hawaii Mauka Lani Christian School students shadowed the resort’s culinary team.	Students from Kalaheo High School tested their culinary skills in the kitchen and bake shop at the Sheraton Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Waikiki Beach, Oahu.	Sheraton Waikiki Director of Sales and Automation Jackie Tsukiyama (center) met with students from Farrington High School, Waikiki Beach, Oahu.
Chef Richard Lancaster of the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel, Waikiki Beach, Oahu, shared his knowledge and experiences with students from Kalaheo High School.