A hotel of FHWien der WKW against the rest of the world – EuroCHRIE Challenge 2023

From mid-February to the end of March 2023, the EuroCHRIE Challenge 2023 took place with universities from over 12 countries worldwide. As part of this, 6^th semester students Timea Fazekas, Maria Freiberger, Christin Gerstorfer and Andrea Greimel took over a poorly performing hotel with the goal of beating the other 15 hotels in 4 quarters in a dynamic competitive environment. The team was coached by Dr. Florian Aubke, Head of Tourism & Hospitality Management Study Programs. First, the hotels had to beat 7 competitors in their own competitive set based on a balance scorecard, only in the final the two actually best hotels of both sets were compared against each other for the overall victory.

In order to lead the “VV Hotel” of FHWien der WKW to victory, decisions had to be made in the virtual simulation every week by a certain deadline, such as calculating the number of rooms to be sold, renovating the hotel, hiring employees and paying loans. It was important to anticipate the decisions of the competition and to react strategically. In addition, the students engaged in weekly online sessions with challenge leader Heidi Anaya, learned about the virtual simulation system, and were able to prepare for the final “Hospitality Business Acumen” certification exam with theoretical online modules.

The team of FHWien der WKW was able to hold on to first place with the VV Hotel until the last quarter, but in the end they unfortunately lacked the “little bit” of luck and were overtaken by their strongest competitors Hotel Lungomare on first place and Hotel Puli of the other Competitive Set on second place. The students and Dr. Aubke are nevertheless very satisfied with their result, they could prevail internationally against some universities and take many learnings for their future career in tourism after graduation this June.