Day 2 – Tuesday, 20th March

　　The second day of the Young Hoteliers Summit 2012 continued with an energetic note on the campus of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne, as our prestigious partners and sponsors began to set up their stands for delegates and other invitees to be able to visit and make inquiries about companies such as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts; Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts; Expedia; 25hours Hotels; Faena Hotels; Yotel; hit-CONSULT; Chateauform; and Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

　　Throughout the morning, the delegates were guided by Woody Wade, who presented the outcome of his workshop where four groups of students created scenarios for the future of the hotel industry. Mr. Wade is the founder of Wade & Co and has written a book on “Scenario Planning: A Field Guide to the Future”, which demonstrates to businesses how to plan for decision making with future uncertainty. The YHS 2012 Delegates presented scenarios where hotels have to face business development with high technology requirements and maintenance costs; sophisticated customer expectations; as well as the changing face of travellers due to urbanization and ease of travel. Overall, the informative and interactive workshop by Woody Wade allowed for students to consider the future of business development.

　　The program of the day continued with a speech by Dr. Ray Iunius, Director of INTEHL, who provided insight into “Innovation in Hospitality”, stating that it is up to current students to pour new ideas and energy into our industry. The briefing on innovation brought forward the new trends faced in hospitality today with the increasing role of technology as well as the growth in online communication. Dr. Iunius had one great tip for the audience, which was to keep in mind that 97% of new ideas come from aspects in one’s social life and hobbies, making it necessary to take time out from work and maintain a healthy work-life balance.

　　The short discussion on bringing forward innovation was followed by workshops conducted by Dan Klein from Stand & Deliver on maintaining high performance communication and projecting your presence in the hotel business; The Carlson Rezidor Group discussing how they set their standards in sustaining Responsible Business Practices; and STR Global outlining their benchmarking solutions for companies and presenting the trends and performance indicators of the hotel industry.

　　In the evening, a considerable audience gathered together for the final keynote speech of the 2012 Summit, presented by Gerard Greene, CEO of Yotel, who spoke about his experiences when initiating a business plan, and shared his expertise in the skills required in order to be a successful entrepreneur. The delegates, professors and VIP Guests were captivated by the wise words of Gerard Greene, who mentioned that he put his sweat, heart and soul into his business, which allowed for Yotel to be the great success that it is today across cities such as New York, London and Amsterdam.

　　The second day of the Young Hoteliers Summit 2012 came to an end with the numerous invitees gathering together for a traditional Swiss dinner of fondue, where the YHS Challenge teams were announced; this allowed for the delegates to come together and begin their first working session for generating ideas to begin designing the structure and various components of an innovative Graduate Program at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts.