Inside Château Gbeľany’s Mission to Cultivate Future Hospitality Talent

Training the next generation of professionals in the service industry isn’t just about school curriculum — it’s about real-world experience. One hotel near Žilina has been dedicated to dual education for several years, connecting students directly with everyday practice.

Over the past few years, dozens of students have passed through its doors, learning how a hotel truly operates — from reception to maintenance.

Practice That Makes Sense

The hotel works closely with the Hotel Academy in Žilina, but also welcomes students from the Secondary School of Business and the Business Academy.

Students specializing in tourism or business take part in what’s called the accommodation section, rotating between departments such as accounting, reception, housekeeping, maintenance, marketing, sales, and wellness. Each term, they experience a different area to understand that a hotel functions like a set of interconnected gears — each one essential to the whole.

Some students find their place during the internship and continue in that area after graduation.

“We often manage to place our students in part-time positions during their university years — and next year, our first former intern will officially join our reception team,” says Ivana Holubčíková, the hotel’s general manager.

Exams With a Heart

In the gastronomy department, students of culinary and service programs take part in both practical training and dual education. Last school year, the hotel hosted the final exams of the Hotel Academy in the waiter and waitress programs.

The event had a unique twist — it was connected with the local senior community. Students served guests from the Seniors’ Club of Gbeľany and the Žofia Bosniaková Retirement Home in Teplička nad Váhom, turning their exam into a living, intergenerational experience of hospitality. 

Students also regularly participate in tasting dinners. The most recent one took place on August 20, 2025, when, together with vocational instructors Ján Nemček and František Plavý, they prepared three tasting courses. These dishes were later presented at the prestigious EuroSkills competition in Denmark.

The idea for the tasting dinners began in 2024, and since then, the progress has been remarkable — not only in technique and presentation but also in the students’ overall approach.

“Every year, we see how much they’ve advanced. Their visual and service levels are getting closer to professional gastronomy,” notes Holubčíková.

Bridging Theory and Practice

Each student receives a Training Guide upon arrival — a 13-page document containing essential information and a detailed list of skills to master across different departments.

The guide includes practical tasks such as:

• handling and tapping beer,

• techniques for serving coffee and beverages,

• wine service, cellar work, and identifying wine faults.

Each skill has a space for instructors to record when it was covered. This system ensures that students gain experience in every department and truly understand how the hotel operates as one cohesive organism — preparing them to enter the world as professionals who know their craft in depth. 

Young People Who Love Hospitality

“Our main motivation was to spark a genuine interest in hospitality,” says Holubčíková. “We see that many graduates seek work outside their field, but we want to show them that hotel management has a future.”

The hotel doesn’t just train students from the academy — it also mentors young people who start here with part-time jobs during school. Many of them have since become key employees, proving that investing in young talent always pays off.

“Our goal is for every employee, regardless of their position, to understand that they can influence more than just their own area. A hotel is a large mechanism made up of many small gears. If one stops, the whole system suffers,” she adds.

Although today’s generation of students is different, collaboration remains the key.

“It’s essential to connect generations so that they can work together. Each has its strengths, and those need to complement each other,” concludes Holubčíková.