Chelsie Carvajal
This summer, Malibu isn’t just about surfers and celebrities—it’s about the next generation of hospitality leaders. Emerging Leader Academies has announced the Young Hoteliers Academy, a 10-day crash course in the art (and hustle) of hotels, launching at Pepperdine University. Only 30 high school students nationwide will make the cut.
Forget boring lectures. This program blends classroom smarts with real-world glamour. Students dive into hotel operations, brand leadership, and guest service by day, then shadow pros at some of LA’s most iconic properties—the West Hollywood Edition, Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey, the Viceroy Santa Monica, and more. They’ll meet executives, watch the inner workings of five-star service, and pitch their own hotel concepts by the program’s finale.
“This program was created to give ambitious students early access to the realities of hospitality,” says Megan Cloutier, Director of Emerging Leader Academies. Translation: this isn’t a summer camp, it’s a career accelerator.
But it’s not all spreadsheets and site visits. Students will also explore the cultural heartbeat of LA—from the Griffith Observatory and Hollywood Walk of Fame to Malibu’s hiking trails and Santa Monica Pier—seeing firsthand how tourism and local identity shape hotel strategy.
The program is intentionally selective, designed for a small circle of motivated students who want to test their limits, sharpen their skills, and build real connections with leaders in the field. Alumni leave with mentorship opportunities, internship pathways, and a strong foundation to launch future careers in hospitality.
The curriculum itself goes beyond surface-level exposure. A hospitality instructor guides students through the fundamentals of hotel operations, service culture, and brand building. Site visits, case studies, and group work push them to analyze real-world challenges, while the program culminates in teams presenting their own original hotel concepts.
“This is the kind of program I wish existed when I was a teenager,” says Eric Meyer, hotelier and guest lecturer at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. “It’s rare for students to get this level of access so early—learning directly from executives, seeing world-class hotels from the inside, and building their own concepts. I look forward to welcoming students as interns at my properties in Mexico.”
For high school students, there’s nothing else in the country quite like it. With access to LA’s hospitality heavyweights, behind-the-scenes industry exposure, and the energy of a world-class city, the Young Hoteliers Academy sets a new standard for what a summer program can deliver.
If you know an ambitious student with dreams of hotel management, you can nominate them at younghoteliers.org. Students ready to take the leap can also apply directly online.
About Young Hoteliers Academy
The Young Hoteliers Academy is a ten-day summer program hosted at Pepperdine University in Malibu. Each session accepts thirty high school students from across the United States. Students take part in academic classes, behind-the-scenes visits to hotels such as the Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey and the Viceroy Santa Monica, and team projects that culminate in pitching original hotel concepts. Alumni also gain access to mentorship opportunities and a growing peer network.
Contact Information
Young Hoteliers Academy
www.younghoteliers.org
[email protected]