Stephani Robson, senior lecturer at the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, worked for several years in restaurants and retail food operations in her native Canada before deciding to pursue a college degree in the field. She graduated from the School of Hotel Administration in 1988, and began her career as a food-service designer with Cini-Little International and subsequently with Marrack Watts in Toronto, Ontario. As a professional food-service designer, she has designed kitchen facilities for hotels, restaurants, airports, hospitals, universities, and catering halls. She joined the school’s faculty in 1993, earned a Master of Science in human-environment relations in 1999, and in 2010 completed her PhD at Cornell with a focus on consumer behavior in restaurants. Her academic interests center on how the design of environments affect consumer intentions, satisfaction, and behavior. She is a specialist in the psychology of restaurants and has presented and published her research in a wide range of industry and academic forums around the world.
Course Overview
Guests may not see much of the “back-of-house” areas of a hotel, but the functions these areas serve are critical in full-service hotels. The rooms division must clean and support guestrooms; the kitchen and wait staff must prepare and serve fine food and beverages; the front office and administration staff must extend hospitality to guests and keep reservation and operational processes running smoothly.
This course takes participants behind the scenes to consider the unique needs of back-of-house areas, discussing a range of principles that will help ensure effective planning for these important functions.
From her wealth of experience as a hotel designer, lecturer, and author, Professor Stephani Robson guides you through a range of videos, activities, and tools that will help you apply best practices to back-of-house design.
The following courses are required to be completed before taking this course:
- Foundations of Hotel Planning
- Hotel Planning Decisions
- Hotel Guestroom Design
- Hotel Public Space Design
Key Course Takeaways
- Identify and apply principles for effective back-of-house planning
- Consider the necessary elements for efficient rooms division support
- Identify best practices for successful food and beverage support
- Assess the needs of administration and front office spaces
- Determine optimal staff and goods flow for dock and employee areas
Download a Brochure
Not ready to enroll but want to learn more? Download the course brochure to review program details.How It Works
Course Author
Who Should Enroll
- Architects
- Interior designers
- Hotel consultants
- Architecture students
- Owners, developers, and construction managers
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