The travel and tourism industry is one of the largest, most dynamic industries in the world.
Students of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management program are introduced to this exciting industry and will be prepared to enjoy a successful career in the hospitality and tourism industry. The program offers a comprehensive foundation of courses and an opportunity for students to select elective courses in specific areas within the hospitality and tourism industry.
The Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management Bachelor of Science degree has three concentration options for majors: Hotel Management, Restaurant Management or Tourism Management. All courses are taught by faculty who combine excellent academic credentials with a strong professional background.
The Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management program is further enhanced through activities supported by the hospitality industry. Students participate in hotel and restaurant shows, tour hospitality facilities, listen to industry speakers, attend career days, and conduct special projects for the industry.
Why ESU?
- An emphasis on Service Learning projects.
- Strong industry partnerships and connections.
- Training to obtain Credly digital credentials and external industry certifications in various courses within the program.
- Accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA), which is a distinguished designation for having met or exceeded stated standards of educational quality.
- All courses are taught by faculty who combine excellent academic credentials with a strong professional background.
What You'll Learn
From our challenging coursework, students will learn subjects such as:
- Hospitality & Tourism Human Resources
- Marketing Tactics
- Food Service and Operations Management
- Financial Management
- Legal and Ethical Issues in the Hospitality and Tourism industry
Students will be able to apply management skills and practical knowledge learned from the classroom to identify problems, resolve conflicts, manage decisions, and resolve issues when working in different sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry.
The mission of the Hotel, Restaurant & Tourism Management program is to prepare graduates to become successful professionals and leaders in the global Hospitality and Tourism industry and in the community.
HRTM students will:
- Identify and apply the knowledge and skills necessary for hospitality and tourism operations.
- Develop and integrate a core set of business skills necessary to successfully operate a hospitality and tourism organization.
- Demonstrate competence in the communication skills necessary for hospitality and tourism management.
- Formulate business decisions in hospitality and tourism management.
- Evaluate leadership principles necessary in the diverse and global hospitality and tourism industry.
Student Success Metrics
| 2021-2022 | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Retention Rate % – Freshmen to Sophomore (for all Programs)
|
92%
|
81.1%
|
82.8%
|
|
% Students employed in the hospitality industry or a related field within 90 days
after graduation
|
93%
|
84.6%
|
92.4%
|
|
% Students continuing their education within 90 days after graduation
|
n/a
|
15.3%
|
7.6%
|
Concentrations
This area introduces students to the core aspects of hotel operations, including front office, housekeeping, and revenue management. With the Poconos region as a living classroom, students gain practical insights into service excellence, leadership, and creating positive guest experiences.
Students are introduced to food and beverage operations, including menu planning, service management, and cost control. Surrounded by a vibrant regional dining and resort industry, students learn strategies for operational efficiency, quality, and guest-centered dining experiences.
This area explores the business of tourism, focusing on destination development, travel marketing, and cultural awareness. Leveraging the Poconos’ reputation as a major tourism hub, students examine how to design engaging visitor experiences and support sustainable growth.
Current Student Resources
The HRTM faculty is here to help current students to succeed in their academic programs.
Please contact your academic advisor with any questions regarding your courses or degree plan.
Degree Worksheet
Additional Resources
Interships
Earn Credly digital credentials as you complete the HRTM major
ESU has partnered with Credly, the digital credential platform leader best known for
verifying skills and knowledge earned through specific coursework. Credly makes talent
more visible and opportunity more accessible for those who earn the proficiencies.
- Complete specific curriculum in areas of expertise as part of earning your degree.
- Earn electronic badges from Credly, endorsing your knowledge in these specific areas.
- Use your badge on electronic resumes, job applications and job posting sites to get a competitive advantage.
Most Credly badges are earned through a mix of required courses and particular electives. Contact the department chair for information on the courses required for each credential.
- Food & Beverage Management
- Lodging Management
- Club Management
- Hospitality and Tourism Financial Management
- Hotel Development & Design
- Travel & Tourism Management
- Hospitality & Tourism Human Resource Management
- Hospitality & Tourism Marketing
- Wine Appreciation & Wine Management
- Hospitality Data Analytics
Credly is one of the most-connected networks with top training brands, certification providers, and professional associations that provide digital credentials and shared in various digital platforms.
Dr. Stanley Li-Ming Chiang
Department Chair
Career Opportunities
ESU graduates achieve a wide range of positions in the hospitality industry. Alumni of the Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management major have earned positions including:
- Vice President & Managing Director, Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA
- Director of Communications and Events, The Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- President, CTC Events, Fairfax, VA
- Senior Vice President, Franchise Operations, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Minnetonka, MN
- Senior Vice President, Global Operations, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Chicago, IL
- Director of Human Resources, The Manhattan Club, New York, NY
- Senior Vice President, Compass-USA, Duluth, GA
- Food & Beverage Director, Bally’s, Atlantic City, NJ
- General Manager, Embassy Suites, Valley Forge, PA
Networking Events
Guest speakers and alumni from the hospitality, recreation and tourism industry are frequently invited to classrooms, clubs, and social events to deliver presentations on industry insights, provide career opportunities, and connections to our students.
Student Clubs and Honor Societies
The Hospitality and Tourism Management club is one of the largest and most active clubs on campus. The student-run club routinely invites industry guest speakers, conducts fundraisers, arranges field trips to casinos, resorts, New York City, and creates a forum to get to know your fellow HRTM students.
Eta Sigma Delta (ESD) International Hospitality Management Society is a national honor society with over 90 active ESD chapters throughout the world. The growth is testament to the dedication of both students and professionals in hospitality and tourism to pursuit of academic, professional and personal excellence. The professional benefits of ESD include an opportunity for outstanding students to distinguish themselves in the eyes of educators, recruiters and industry executives in an increasingly competitive industry. ESD provides a networking system through their chapters that allows for interaction and the exchange of information among students.
The National Society of Minorities in Hospitality Club is a non-profit student-led organization which has as its purpose to aid in the recruitment, retention, support, and advancement of minority students in the hospitality industry. The club builds and maintains relationships between hospitality professionals and minority students by meeting National Society of Minorities in Hospitality standards and attending national and international meetings within the scope of the hospitality industry.
Hands-on Learning
East Stroudsburg University is conveniently located in the heart of the Pocono Mountain Region, with more than 600 hotels, four water park resorts, six major ski areas, year-round festivals, and events, two National Parks, and nine state parks covering a total of 105,537 acres. Students have abundant opportunities to part take in various sectors of the Hospitality, Recreation and Tourism industry.
Hospitality Industry Internships
The faculty-supervised internship provides an opportunity for each student to apply his or her coursework in a professional industry setting. Internships are available with local, regional and national hospitality organizations.
ESU students have completed internships at:
- Ritz Carlton, NYC, NY
- Disney, Orlando, FL
- Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC
- Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA
- Kalahari Resorts and Convention, Pocono Manor, PA
- Camelback Resort, Tannersville, PA
- Great Wolf Lodge, Scotrun, PA
- Dorney Park, Allentown, PA
- Sea World, Orlando, FL
- The Union League of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Minnetonka, MN
- Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Chicago, IL
- The Manhattan Club, New York, NY
- Compass-USA, Duluth, GA
- Bally’s, Atlantic City, NJ
- Embassy Suites, Valley Forge, PA
Service Learning
ESU's courses provide opportunities for students to engage in service learning projects each semester through course work and club activities. Students are able to apply classroom learning with local agencies as it links to personal growth and cognitive development.
Examples of service learning projects include:
- Empty Bowls
- Burnley Casino Night
- Food Service at East Stroudsburg Veterans Parade
Specialized Facilities
Smith Travel Research (STR) SHARE Center
Provides large volumes of hotel and tourism data, in-depth resources and training
materials for students. SHARE Center also provides global industry articles, publication,
webinars for students, and newsletters.
Virtual Reality System
The HTC Virtual Reality system provides students the understanding of the emerging
technology in the hospitality, recreation and tourism industry, enriching students
understanding how VR videos are filmed, produced, and delivered.
Operations and Lodging Management Simulation Software
The software allows students to master the details of running a hotel that meets customer
demands in Front Desk operation, staffing, housekeeping, and much more. Students will
learn hands-on experience on how to balance the many needs of a well-run hotel.
Experiential Learning Laboratory
This laboratory is a fully functional student-run restaurant. Students are exposed
to all aspects of kitchen and dining operations including cooking & baking, haute
cuisine and wine pairing, restaurant point of sale operations. Students learn beverage
management, hosting/serving, and dining room leadership including financial management
and cost controls.
Toast
Toast is a highly flexible cloud-based point of sale system built exclusively for
small and mid-sized restaurants and other food service operations. It is consistently
rated a best in class software package. Students gain real-world experience using
Toast system as part of the restaurant operations classes. Toast manages guest ordering,
kitchen/dining room communication, payments, and back-of house, front-of-house, and
guest-facing technologies. Students in other classes also use the Toast system to
learn revenue management, data analytics, cost controls including loss prevention,
payroll, and inventory management.
Stony Acres
A 119-acre recreation area located north of the university in Marshalls Creek. Stony
Acres offers a multipurpose lodge, six cabins, a climbing tower, a challenge course,
a camping equipment program and a variety of activities including canoeing, camping,
frisbee golf, cross country skiing, ice skating, hiking and fishing.
Surface Hub 2S
An all-in-one 50-inch conferencing system is a digital whiteboard, meetings platform
and collaborative computing device. Allow coalition on course projects, case studies,
senior seminars, and further develop a collaborative culture. Guest speakers will
be able to meet with our class through this technology to better interact with our
students.
Research Opportunities
Courses offer in-depth understanding of the research process and provide opportunities for students to engage in community based research with hospitality, recreation and tourism stakeholders.
Study Abroad
ESU's program provides students with study abroad opportunities to experience a brand-new country by bringing the classroom abroad and learn by experiencing various sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry.
On-Campus Opportunities
Examples include Conference Services event planner, Hospitality Departmental Positions, Alumni Center, Orientation Leader, Campus Tour Guide and more.
Career Development at ESU
We'll help you launch your career. Support services are available through the ESU Career Development Center. The center offers a variety of intership opportunities, career planning, and employment services to all ESU students and alumni.
Become a Warrior
Earn a degree in Hospitality, Recreation, and Tourism Management
Contact Us
Campus Address
Gessner Science Hall
(570) 422-3511
Department Chair, Hospitality
Dr. Stanley Li-Ming Chiang
lchiang@esu.edu
(570) 422-3624
