Northside Consulting to introduce minor in Stenden South Africa

Northside consulting has entered into a strategic agreement with the School of Hotel Management in Stenden South Africa, which involves the introduction of a minor in Hotel Opening Management to their existing three-year Bachelors of Commerce program in Hotel Management

Consulting firm Northside, who specialise in Hospitality Management and Consulting Services, have introduced a minor in Hotel Opening Management in collaboration with Stenden South Africa, School of Hospitality and Management. The minor will tie into the overall Bachelors of Commerce in Hotel management, which is a regular offering from the school, and the only one of its kind in South Africa.

The minor will come as an asset to the programme, given that Northside Consulting’s specialisation in Organisational Project Management lays emphasis on the pre-opening phases of hospitality projects. The firm also conducts and publishes extensive research on management strategies within the hospitality industry, which provide both the context and the foundation for the minor.

As elucidated by Wouter Hensens, the Executive Dean of Stenden South Africa, “Gert Noordzy (Managing Director, Northside Consulting) has researched hotel openings since 2008, and has emerged as a veritable Program Champion. Our joint efforts will help the hotel industry transform itself and embrace Project Management as a Strategic Competence, specifically when it comes to hotel opening management.”

The choice to collaborate with Stenden South Africa is an easily justified one, the school being one of the leading institutions for hotel management in the country and the only one to offer a three year Bachelors of Commerce in Hotel Management. Established in 2001 in Port Alfred, Stenden South Africa is an international branch of the Netherlands-based Stenden School of Applied Sciences. The branch is limited in its scope, offering courses exclusively in Hotel Management or Disaster Management.

Commenting on the agreement, Hensens said: “This strategic partnership is aimed at ensuring the integrity of the development and roll-out, and continuous improvement of the Minor. Northside Consulting as Stenden’s Core Industry Partner will guarantee that the program remains current and is infused continuously with the latest industry best practices, cases, and relevant research.”

Meanwhile, Noordzy said of the agreement: “The hotel industry has entered a new era of growth, making this first-ever Minor extremely relevant. We are very excited to be an integral part of this endeavour.”