In July, Host welcomed five high school interns as part of the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Summer RISE program. This initiative, organized by MCPS and in collaboration with organizations in Montgomery County, MD, invites rising juniors and seniors to engage in career-based learning opportunities related to their fields of interest. This year, 800 internships were assigned in over 60 industries, and Host was the only lodging company to participate. Host’s five interns hail from three different high schools and had varying interests including hotel management, real estate, event planning and photography.

Over the course of three weeks, we organized various activities to help the students learn about our company and about a workplace environment in general. They had focused sessions learning about the basic concepts of an organization, the lodging industry, hotel profit and loss statements and how to read a paycheck. Over the course of a few days, they also met with individuals throughout the company to learn about various job responsibilities and career journeys.

The highlight of the program for the students was the opportunity to tour nine hotels over four days in Bethesda, Gaithersburg and Washington, D.C., including four Host-owned properties – Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center, Grand Hyatt Washington, The Westin Georgetown, Washington D.C. and Washington Marriott at Metro Center. The general managers graciously showed the students around the properties and even gave them a behind-the-scenes look to the back of house areas. 

Following these tours, the students prepared a group presentation on a topic of their choice and participated in one of Host’s onsite Toastmaster sessions before presenting in front of a group of Host employees. 

Learn more about corporate responsibility at Host, including our corporate citizenship and community engagement programs.