One of the oldest government promoted hotel management institutes in India, Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow’s 23 batches of graduates occupy important positions in the hospitality and allied industries

Spread over four lush acres in the heart of the city, the Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow (IHML), is the fifth oldest government established hotel management institute in India. Promoted in 1969 as the Food Craft Institute, it was upgraded to the status of a full-fledged hotel management business school offering a three year B.Sc degree in hospitality and hotel administration under the aegis of the ministry of tourism, in 1980. Today, the 23 batches of students who have graduated from IHML and occupy important positions in the hospitality and allied industries, are a testimony to its success. Eminent alumni include Virag Joshi, CEO Pizza Hut, Anurag Bajaj, general manager, Hotel Marina, Mumbai and Rashi Puri, general manager, Gemini Continental, Lucknow.

The IHML bachelor of science programme, offered jointly with the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology (NCHMCT) and the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), imparts training in core areas such as food production, food and beverage service, front office operation and housekeeping. These are combined with training inputs in sales and marketing, financial management, human resource development, hotel and catering law and property management besides entrepreneurship development. While NCHMCT provides the hospi-tality and catering curriculum, IGNOU’s course material includes study programmes in tourism management, English communication skills, HRD and entrepreneurship.

“Although there is no official ranking of hotel management institutes by NCHMCT, I believe IHML, being one of the oldest, is among the top choices of students who write the joint entrance exam of hotel management institutes supervised by NCHMCT,” says Arun Kumar Singh, principal of IHML. An alumnus of the Thames Valley University, UK, Singh is also credited with the promotion and upgradation of the Food Craft Institute, Jodhpur.

The enviable reputation IHML enjoys among the rising number of aspirational hotel management students could be attributed to the institute’s high quality 16-member faculty which includes professionals with career stints in the International Labour Organisation, government of India and several top-rung hotel chains. Moreover six hands-on professionals from the hospitality and corporate sectors constitute the institute’s crack visiting faculty.

“A growing number of our graduates are being recruited in industries such as banking and entertainment which have no direct connection with hospitality. Moreover our students routinely attain vice presidential positions in corporate enterprises while many have become successful entrepreneurs. I attribute this to the all round personality development education provided by IHML,” avers Singh. This employment mix is also reflected in the companies which visit the IHML campus for placement. Last year, the list included ICICI Prudential, Jet Airways, Wills Lifestyle, Max Health Care, Raddisson Hotels, Taj Group, Overture and Hyatt Regency among others. The 600-member alumni association also serves as a strong recruiting network.

According to Singh, the distinguishing characteristic of the IHML B.Sc degree is the high premium on practical training. “It makes all the difference,” says Singh, “that we insist upon a 22-week industry internship programme for our students in the second term. Students can choose to intern in any part of the country and many are recruited in the training period itself. Even the curriculum is designed such, that of 35 hours of classes per week, almost 26 have a practical training component. A number of private institutes have entered the hospitality field but they don’t provide their students with such variety or depth of practical hands-on experience.”

Abhinav Singh, a third-year student at the institute agrees. “The gruelling practical training helps student mature personally and professionally. The industry exposure I have received in three years has been beneficial. For instance we were called in to help with the catering and hospitality arrangements at the wedding of the son of former deputy prime minister L.K. Advani and the mass wedding of the sons of Sahara India chief Subrata Roy. They provided invaluable practical experience.”

Moreover IHML prides itself on its superior infrastructure and academic facilities. The campus boasts 12,000 sq metres of constructed area spread over three floors, three kitchens, a bakery, a computer lab with 20 computers, an on-campus cyber cafe with 16 computers, a training restaurant, audio visual room, front office, confectionery, lab room, a library stocked with 40,000 volumes, a 40,000 sq ft playing field and two hostels. The girls’ hostel accommodates 60 students while the boys’ hostel has room for twice the number.

Apart from its signature B.Sc programme, IHML also offers customised training programmes for in-service tourism and hospitality professionals. “We help organisations which don’t have in-house training departments to develop and upgrade their employees’ skills. Last year we conducted 100 programmes for organisations as varied as the National Botanical Research Institute and the local golf club. At the Munshiganj Guesthouse in Rae Bareilly we trained two chefs in Italian cuisine when Sonia Gandhi had come to stay. Moreover as part of a government sponsored initiative we are training chefs, waiters etc who work in roadside dhabas in hygiene, communication, subject knowledge, and food presentation techniques and technologies. Under this initiative we have covered most of the Lucknow-Kanpur highway,” says Singh who adds that these customised training programmes have helped the institute generate revenue and reduce its dependence on government funding.

Singh is confident of the institute’s future. Immediate plans include promotion of a small hotel on-campus. “Since Lucknow does not have too many top-grade hotels, we need to provide in-house training facilities to our students. Our own hotel will mean more hands-on experience for students, who will be industry ready when they graduate,” he says.  

Admission and fees

Admission into the Institute of Hotel Management, Lucknow is through a combined all-India joint entrance exam conducted for 24 hotel management institutes under the aegis of the National Council of Hotel Management and Catering Technology. The total intake of the 24 institutes is 3,000 annually, of which IHML admits 180. The written test is followed by counselling. 

Minimum qualification for admission into the three-year B.Sc degree in hospitality and hotel administration is Plus Two or its equivalent with English as a compulsory subject. 

Tuition fee: First term: Rs. 24,590; second term: Rs. 20,690

At the time of admission students are required to deposit Rs.10,000 with the NCHMCT 
Hostel fees (annual): Rs.14,500
Uniform charges: Rs 3,000
Books, stationery and kitchen kit: Rs 2,000

For further information write to the Principal, IHML, Sector G, Aliganj, Lucknow: 226024, Uttar Pradesh. Tel: 0522-2326772; e-mail: ihm@sanharnet.in; website: www.ihmlucknow.com

Vidya Pandit (Lucknow)

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