Matthew Jendrasik

Since he was a child, Buffalo State senior Matt Jendrasik has pictured himself working as a hotel manager. “Neither of my parents went to college,” he said. “My father is a machine operator and welder. He worked hard in his industry, and I wanted to take that drive and do something different. I pictured myself wearing a suit and being part of a people business, not only dealing with guests but also employees.” Now, poised to graduate from Buffalo State’s hospitality administration program in May 2018, Jendrasik is close to achieving his goal.“A common misconception about the hospitality industry is that it’s just about being nice to people and treating everyone with a smile,” said the young man who exudes a poise and maturity that belies his 22 years. “There is a business behind what we do. And it’s learning the business end of hospitality that I’ve gotten from Buffalo State.” Following graduation from John F. Kennedy High School, Jendrasik took hotel management courses at Erie Community College and worked as a disc jockey at a local nightclub, where he was also given the opportunity to remodel the bar and operate it. “I met a couple of friends at the club, and we thought about starting our own venture,” he said. “Then we stepped back and realized we needed more education first. That’s when I looked into Buffalo State. I toured the campus, saw what the Hospitality and Tourism Department offers, and thought it was the right fit.” Two semesters later, he said that’s definitely been the case. Along with taking courses such as Tourism Management and Advanced Human Resource Management in Hospitality, Jendrasik has had the unique opportunity of working in an actual hotel. He is among 10 students enrolled in the brand-new Industry Experience course, a two-semester practicum at Hotel Henry Urban Resort and Conference Center, which opened in May 2017 in the iconic Richardson Olmsted Complex across the street from campus. Through lecturer Rebecca Tate’s practicum course, Jendrasik has learned about hotel marketing and sales, worked directly with guests in the 88-bed hotel, handled special events, and served meals in the hotel’s restaurant, 100 Acres. “This has been my favorite class,” Jendrasik said. “We spend three to four weeks on each of the four departments that make up hotel management. Next semester, I get to focus on my favorite area—marketing.” Outside of class, Jendrasik has gotten involved with the local chapter of the national honors society of hospitality students, Eta Sigma Delta, and now serves as its vice president. “We just got back from the Eta Sigma Delta breakfast and HX: Hotel Experience Trade Show in New York City,” he said. “It was awesome to see hospitality students from all over the country, matching what they’re doing with what I’ve done at Buffalo State.” Jendrasik is considering pursuing a master’s degree in marketing and business administration after graduation. “I’d like to work in the industry for a few years before venturing off and starting my own company,” he said. “With everything happening in Buffalo, including development at Canalside and the Outer Harbor, there are a lot of opportunities in the hospitality industry.” In general, he said job prospects for new hospitality graduates are better than ever. “Especially in Buffalo, there are new hotels being constructed each year,” he said, “and tourism has increased each year over the past five to 10 years.”

The Richardson-Olmsted Complex has always been a visible representation of Buffalo’s rich architectural history. In April 2017, the complex underwent a major transformation into a symbol of Buffalo’s renewal as a city on the rise. The new Hotel Henry has been open for several months but is finding additional use a crucial educational tool. Hotel Henry has partnered with Buffalo State College’s Hospitality and Tourism Department to create The Hotel Henry Experience. Professor Rebecca Tate is the Faculty Director for the Hotel Henry Experience. She described how the program is structured to give students a full view of the hotel’s many functions. Professor Tate said the department selected ten students who will be working ten hours a week in four different departments throughout the semester. Originally the program was going to utilize five departments, the fifth department being sales, to teach students about hotel operations. However, since the hotel is still new their sales department isn’t ready to take on student employees. To be applicable for the program, students must be full-time Hospitality Majors, they must have taken HTR 368, Hotel Operations, be a junior or senior that can commit two semesters to the program, and be in good academic standing. Because this isn’t an ordinary type of class, students have different assignments for each week. “They do journal reflections and assignments each week”, said Tate. “They are not tested like an in-class test but they are tested in their knowledge of the different department areas. They need to know how to write a banquet event order, or what’s on the menus at 100 Acres [Hotel Henry’s restaurant].” The program is new but does have some flaws that Professor Tate and the other supervisors of the hotel are watching for. “Because this is the first semester and it’s a new hotel, there are some tweaks we plan on. We are taking their feedback very seriously. We are looking at the rotations themselves such as how many weeks are they spending in one department, whether they need to be at the beginning of the program, and what projects they’re working on.” Hospitality and Tourism students Matthew Jendrasik and Kelly Boyack spoke about how this class has been for them. Matthew has found that even the most minute details gauge a student’s skills in grasping the full scale of an event. For Kelly, the program exceeded the expectations she had for it and really provided a different set of learning experiences for her. “I’ve only worked in a restaurant, for a few months, five years ago. So, this is very beneficial to me as a hospitality student, to really understand the beginning and end of an event, and the foundation of how to make something a success.” Next semester, Matthew, Kelly and the other students will be selecting the departments they want to work in and possibly specialize in as a career. Some advice they had for incoming students would be to come prepared with questions because it will help you earn more about the program. Also, even though this program can seem more overwhelming at times, don’t allow that fear to inhibit the experiences you will have in this course. Tate has been excited about this program because it really opens up the departments students too more experience. Some students can already apply for Buffalo State’s program with campus House, but this only teaches students about the restaurant business. Tate said this is her first time dealing with a program like this, even though it has been in the works for quite some time. “We’ve been working on this for a number of years knowing that the Hotel Henry was going to open. It’s taken some work but in 2015 we were able to designate the hotel as a professional development site because they are so close to the campus and having me over there.” This course is still a work in progress but is well worth it as students are getting their hands dirty and are completely immersed in the world of a hotel’s inner workings. “It’s really a fantastic opportunity for the students to see real hands-on hotel experience”, Tate said. “The students are learning how to market the hotel, target different market segment, different types of guests, travelers and groups.”