Resort Collection Spearheading Education Program with Gulf Coast Community College
PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL, October 16, 2008. The Resort Collection of Panama City Beach has partnered with Gulf Coast Community College (GCCC) to create the first of its kind hospitality education program for Bay County.
During a planning session last week, members of The Resort Collection and GCCC laid the foundation of what will become the Hospitality Corporate Culture training and education program.
This twenty hour course which is part of the college's Lifelong Learning department, will provide the hospitality and tourism businesses in our community with a consistent industry wide training program to increase customer service standards and the customer's experience while visiting our destination.
"This is an opportunity to raise the bar among our employees and give them the tools to reach and exceed the expectations of our visitors." Said Tom Sparks, general manager of The Resort Collection, "We are proud to be the leading hospitality organization in this program, it is our commitment to make Panama City Beach the premier destination of Northwest Florida Gulf Coast."
This Hospitality Corporate Culture program will officially launch before the end of the year. Sparks said, "The program will be open to employees at all levels of the hospitality industry and will prepare us to better serve our domestic and international travelers as our destination grows."
The program is being facilitated and managed by John Hamati, president of Vie Hospitality LLC. Hamati has a successful history in the hospitality business and has helped create this initiative to fill the gaps in local training.
"The Hospitality Training Program has been a hot topic for the Greater Panama City Beach Chamber of Commerce and for Gulf Coast Community College for over two years now. Finally, with the assistance of the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort, The Resort Collection along with Gulf Coast Community College, we are now able to launch this new training in Panama City Beach." Said Hamati, "we thank Tom Sparks, general manager of the Resort Collection, and the Edgewater Beach and Golf Resort team as well as Gulf Coast Community College in stepping forward and making this training a reality."
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