Free Hotel, Front Desk Training at Holyoke Community College Begins Nov. 5

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) is running a free, five-week hotel training program starting Nov. 5 for people interested in jump-starting a career in the hospitality industry.

The hands-on, in-person classes for hotel front desk workers and hotel room attendants will take place in HCC’s hotel training lab on the second floor of the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute on Race Street in downtown Holyoke.

The program runs on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, Nov. 5 through Dec. 11, from 5 to 8 p.m. Each of the 10 class sessions runs three hours for a total of 30 hours of class time. (There are no classes Thanksgiving week.)

The course will provide students with up-to-date knowledge of the hotel industry, hands-on experience for front desk and/or room attendant roles, workplace skills, résumé building, interviewing, job search assistance, and connections to local employers.

HCC’s hotel lab is set up like a hotel reception area with front desk and adjoining guest room and equipped with modern technology and software. The hotel lab gives students the ability to learn in a model hotel room and reception lobby, gain knowledge about key card access systems, and understand point-of-sale technology.

No high school diploma or GED/HiSET test is required for admission. Offered as part of HCC’s Business & Workforce Development division, the hotel training course is free to qualifying applicants.

For more information, email Paul Sheehan at [email protected], call (413) 552-2500, or fill out the inquiry form at hcc.edu/job-ready.