Becoming Brilliant Barista’s at Bristol’s IBIS!

Last month, Bristol WORKS supported Culverhill School to provide an exciting work experience taster session for a group of students at Bristol’s very own IBIS hotel! The session focused on introducing students to the opportunities available within the hospitality industry and offered a chance to gain some hands-on work experience.  

Based in central Bristol, the IBIS hotel welcomes hundreds of guests every week, providing a welcome retreat form the hustle and bustle of the city centre. Students were introduced to Danya, the General Manager of IBIS Bristol, who delivered an informative presentation on the realities of working in the hotel industry. We helped students to think about what roles exist at a hostel, such as concierge, chef, front of house, management and maintenance, and thought about what roles would suit them best. Students also discussed what skillsets they’d need to demonstrate to be successful in these roles, such as excellent communication skills, being organised and able to work well in a team. Danya also told us about the opportunities that IBIS staff have to travel all around the world- whether this would be to work in different hotels or stay as a guest for a discounted fee!   

Following the presentation, we were taken on a tour of the hotel which included a look around the kitchen (and more importantly, inside the fridge!), the staff office, the tap rooms and storage areas before finally having a peek at one of the 141 guest rooms the hotel offers. We also met the Maintenance Lead who was working on fixing a shower at that very moment! It was fascinating for students to see the behind-the-scenes of the hotel and explore how much work goes into keeping the guests happy and comfortable.  

Considering everything we’d learnt on our visit; it was now time for students to put their customer-facing skills to the test in a practical exercise! Students received a 1-1 mini-training session that taught them how to channel their inner Barista and make the perfect hot beverage from scratch. For some, this was the highlight of the day, ‘Making our coffees was so much fun and they tasted so good! I loved it!’. Students were able to enjoy their own lattes, cappuccinos and hot chocolates over lunchtime where they took the chance to score their drinks out of 5. Unsurprisingly, we saw 5’s across the board. 

We had a brilliant time at Bristol’s IBIS hotel. Thank you so much to Danya and the team for providing a valuable insight into the hospitality industry and encouraging students to think about the options available to them after they leave school. Finally, a huge thank you to the brilliant staff and students at Culverhill School for bringing such enthusiasm to the session!