An Hour at the Hotel Training School

At the School of Arts and Crafts in Beirut there is a special branch, opened last year for hotel training, which was not long in drawing attention to itself, in acknowledgment of its importance and its great usefulness in a country like Lebanon, whose economy depends, more than on anything else, on tourism and summering; and these two demand specialization and a modern, well-mastered refinement in the management of hotels, in view of their abundance among us and the increase, day after day, in the number of their patrons...

It is, in truth, a good initiative, proceeding from the Commissariat of Tourism and Summering, for which it deserves thanks and appreciation; for this Commissariat has begun to feel out Lebanon's real need, and to do its duty, with such material strength as it possesses, to satisfy that need — following in this the example of the countries of world tourism that went before it, such as Switzerland.

The hotel training school is a positive national project that has filled a great gap in our practical life, and it will not be long in yielding its good fruits...

Ours is a fast-changing world, in which conditions are turned upside down between one night and the next morning. Thus those who came first to these occupations — those whom the school of life trained — have withdrawn into the corners of the past. For the supervision and management of hotels — no wonder — has become one of the specialist posts, demanding training and acquaintance with this art. And Lebanon, the unique tourist country, has lately awakened to this truth. So the Commissariat of Tourism and Summering established the hotel training school, which is a section of the School of Arts and Crafts in Beirut.

It is governmental and free of charge: it upholds national industry and supports the working hand.

It teaches: the three languages, accounting, drawing, correspondence, tourist geography, the science of foods — besides cooking, service, and hygiene.

Its course lasts five years.

Its students: holders of the Certificat. And although none of them has yet had the chance to obtain its diploma, applications for their employment have poured in from various first-class Lebanese hotels, and from some of the sister Arab countries, such as Iraq and Kuwait; and the wages they receive at their places of work are theirs to keep.

Its administration: Michel Khneisser, director; Nabih Hobeika, manager of the Hotel Ambassador, Bhamdoun; Khairallah Mudawwar, manager of the Grand Hotel Sofar; Hanna Salem, head chef; Aldo Filippi, a specialist from Italy; Madame Najla Fakhri, supervisor.

To its specialist experts is entrusted the contract for provisioning and preparing governmental and official parties and banquets, with no profit taken, with excellent selection of the goods and a fine presentation of delicious, appetizing dishes.

As for the woman — who is sorry that this space is too narrow for her — she returns to repeat her question to the administration: whether it will consider accepting her as a student at the hotel institute (as some women have already expressed this desire), so that the bill of fare may no longer hem them in every morning between soup and stew, or stuffed kousa!