News Article

Dwayne Stratton knows hard work, determination, and the right schooling can take you a long way in your chosen career. He’s held many jobs in the hotel industry and credits that experience, along with his schooling, for getting him where he’s to today.
 
Now the general manager of Holiday Inn Lethbridge in Alberta, Dwayne says his career in the hospitality and tourism industry started when he was in high school. While in Grade 10, the Corner Brook native worked at the Glynmill Inn on evenings and weekends. 
 
“When I graduated from high school I did one full year there in between high school graduation and starting at College of the North Atlantic (CNA),” says Dwayne, who was employed at the Glynmill Inn from 1989-1993.
 
“After working at the Glynmill Inn for several years and in particular in the last year when I was out of school, I noticed that many of the people at the Glynmill were there for long periods of time. To gain an opportunity, to get into a leadership role and someday the general manager’s chair, I would have to go to school.”
 
He determined CNA was the right fit for that purpose.
 
“After researching where I could go to school, apply my knowledge in the industry and have an opportunity to learn more, CNA really jumped off the page at me,” Dwayne continues. “I was intrigued by the fact they had so many elements to offer that were in line with the industry such as working in the dining room, a cooking course, hotel rooms, etc.  As I read through the course outline I was able to see that there was a real balance between classroom and hands-on training and felt this was the right fit for me.”
 
Dwayne graduated from the Hospitality Tourism Management program in 1995 (then known as Hotel and Restaurant Management) and packed his bags for Jasper, Alberta where he started in the hotel industry as a dishwasher. He says his time in the program was amazing and he would recommend it to anyone that has an interest in a rewarding career.
 
“While I believe the program set me up for a management position down the road, I believe that starting at the bottom really gave me a good sense of the hard work that goes into a hotel and the positions that help it operate daily.”
 
He spent 10 years in Jasper, holding positions such as, stewarding supervisor; assistant chief steward; chief steward; beverage manager; maître’d; banquet manager; food and beverage training manager and executive housekeeper.
 
Looking to explore new opportunities he transferred to Banff Springs as manager of the Bow Valley Grill, a successful restaurant which grossed $10 million annually. It was the largest in the Fairmont company at that time and he stayed in this position for two years before transferring to the Fairmont Hotel in Newfoundland as the food and beverage manager. Last year, Dwayne took his current post as the general manager of Holiday Inn Lethbridge. He feels to be successful in the industry you have to be willing to punch a lot of hours and be open to relocating
 
“I’ve had to move around frequently to get into this position and while it’s a rewarding career and one that can bring you much success, there are many sacrifices and long, long, long hard days to get into this (general manager’s) chair.
 
“When I went to the program I felt that by working at the Glynmill Inn that I knew everything about the hospitality industry. The program opened my eyes to the fact there was more than one hotel in the world…and while the business is similar, each hotel and brand has its own way of operating. Each one has its own system of getting things done and it’s way more complex than simply checking people in and out.”
 
The program also helped him realize that hospitality is one industry that doesn’t have an expiration date.
 
“No matter where you are in the world including the most posh places to the most desolate and quiet spots, hotels exist. Travel is important in the world and includes thousands of segments such as business, leisure, airline, etc. With so many segments and so much happening in the world, travel is one of the safest industries for life span out there,” Dwayne says.
 
“The program is unique, fun and hands-on. In most programs you are looking at an 8-4 type of day where you are going from classroom to classroom and it’s all academically driven. While I found the program to be academic, it still had a valuable element of hands-on. Hands-on is something that our industry is and will always be… no two days are alike.”
 
For more information about CNA’s Hospitality Tourism Management program visit www.cna.nl.ca.
 
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Media Contact:
 
Glenda McCarthy
Public Relations Assistant
College of the North Atlantic
709.643.6408
glenda.mccarthy@cna.nl.ca