A Curriculum Offering from Wyoming, Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality Initiative
(WORTH) & the Center for Principle-Based Leadership & Ethics (PBLE)
Program Overview
The Western Hospitality Certificate is a continuing education program tailored to
meet the training and professional development needs of hospitality providers, companies,
and businesses. Its primary objective is to nurture and enhance competencies vital
to the industry.
Rooted in the “Code of the West” and the cherished values of Western hospitality,
such as integrity, trustworthiness, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect,
sustainability, and innovation, this program caters to participants seeking to enhance
their skill set. By embracing these values, participants will develop essential competencies
for the hospitality industry while learning how to apply these principles in their
daily interactions with guests and colleagues. This unique approach ensures that graduates
of the program not only excel in their professional roles but also uphold the enduring
traditions of Western hospitality, creating memorable experiences for guests and setting
a high standard for the industry.
How does this work?
We come to your location (or you can opt to come to UW), on your schedule. We can
schedule the certificate in back-to-back sessions or spread them across multiple sessions
to better fit your employees’ schedules—the choice is yours. We staff these trainings
with highly skilled instructors. We come alongside your employees to help them gain
valuable organizational and interpersonal skills. No boring lectures: these are highly
interactive and active learning sessions, so your employees get the most out of our
time together. Also, you can include as many employees as the room can hold; we have
no limit on numbers. We charge by the hour of instruction; companies also cover faculty
travel.
There are 11 badges to choose from. Each badge takes approximately three-four hours
to complete. Companies have the flexibility to pick as few as two badges or up to
all eleven. To achieve the Western Hospitality Certificate, companies must opt for
a minimum of 5 badges.
Read on for more information on each badge, the specific competencies the badge covers,
and a description of each training option.
Western Hospitality Experience (Curriculum)
- Badge 1 – Customer Service*
- Badge 2 – Ethical Leadership
- Badge 3 – Leadership Development
*Badge 1 Required – Pick Badge 2 or 3 (2 Badges Total)
1-Day Session | 8 HRS
Western Hospitality Certificate – Gannett Peak (Curriculum)
- Badge 1 – Ethical Leadership*
- Badge 2 – Customer Service*
- Badge 3 – Leadership Development*
- Badge 4 – Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Badge 5 – People Operations
- Badge 6 – Customer Experience
- Badge 7 – Fiscal Responsibility
- Badge 8 – Event Management
- Badge 9 – Organizational Leadership
- Badge 10 – Organizational Sustainability
- Badge 11 – Leveraging Technology
*Badge 1-3 Required – Pick 2 Additional Badges (5 Badges Total)
2.5-Day Session | 20 HRS
Western Hospitality Certificate – Grand Teton (Curriculum)
- Badge 1 – Ethical Leadership*
- Badge 2 – Customer Service*
- Badge 3 – Leadership Development*
- Badge 4 – Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Badge 5 – People Operations
- Badge 6 – Customer Experience
- Badge 7 – Fiscal Responsibility
- Badge 8 – Event Management
- Badge 9 – Organizational Leadership
- Badge 10 – Organizational Sustainability
- Badge 11 – Leveraging Technology
*Badge 1-3 Required – Pick 7 Additional Badges (10 Badges Total)
5-Day Session | 40 HRS
Badges and Competencies
Badge 1: Customer Service
- Competency Workshop: Logistics of Customer Experience
- Participants learn principles for strategic procurement and delivery of resources
needed to provide excellent customer results. Participants will equip themselves with
the tools and knowledge to create a seamless, customer-centric journey, enhancing
loyalty and driving business growth.
- Competency Workshop: Service Excellence
- Participants understand the dynamics of service excellence in the hospitality industry
and determine their personal service philosophy. Participants will develop the skills
needed to exceed customer expectations, build lasting relationships, and drive customer
loyalty.
Badge 2: Ethical Leadership
- Competency Workshop: Personal Code of Ethics
- Reflecting on the “Code of the West,” participants gain awareness of their own moral
foundation by developing their own personal code of ethics. Each participant’s code
will consist of a unique set of principles, which they will use as a framework for
making ethical decisions for themselves.
- Competency Workshop: Principle-Based Decision Making
- Integrating their personal code of ethics, participants gain awareness of strategies
for making principle-based decisions in their hospitality work. Participants are then
prepared to live and lead on principle through application of fundamental decision-making
principles.
Badge 3: Leadership Development
- Competency Workshop: Self-Awareness of Your Leadership
- Participants gain a profound understanding of their leadership traits and behavioral
tendencies through the lens of self-awareness and assessment work. By courageously
examining their strengths and areas for growth, participants will be better equipped
to adapt their leadership approach to various situations and challenges.
- Competency Workshop: Leveraging Your Leadership Style
- Participants dive deeper into the practical application of how their personal leadership
styles can enhance team dynamics and drive organizational success. By understanding
the unique benefits and drawbacks of their leadership attributes, participants will
be able to understand how to foster a more collaborative and innovative work environment.
Badge 4: Interpersonal Effectiveness
- Competency Workshop: Above-Board Communication
- Drawing on the various frameworks of humble and servant leadership, participants learn
how to compassionately listen for understanding, humbly receive feedback, and honestly
express their needs and intentions. Participants will be equipped with the essential
communication skills for building trust, fostering collaboration, and achieving sustainable
leadership excellence.
- Competency Workshop: Group and Conflict Management
- Integrating several interrelated frameworks for team effectiveness, participants are
exposed to the markers of team success and typical dysfunctions (e.g., communication
breakdowns, conflict, etc.) that prevent them from reaching those. Participants then
learn how to help their teams effectively address those dysfunctions and become a
cohesive unit.
Badge 5: People Operations
- Competency Workshop: Talent Acquisition
- Participants learn effective talent acquisition practices to align selection and staffing
strategies with business strategies in the hospitality industry. Participants will
learn how to create a compelling employer brand, employ innovative recruitment techniques,
and effectively evaluate candidates to build a skilled and diverse workshop.
- Competency Workshop: Talent Management
- Drawing upon various motivation and performance management frameworks, participants
learn how to effectively direct capable employees. Participants will gain expertise
on how to align talent management with business objectives, create robust succession
plans, and foster a culture of continuous learning and growth.
Badge 6: Customer Experience
- Competency Workshop: Lean Management
- Participants learn the principles of total quality management and how to execute this
team-oriented, cohesive strategy in the hospitality industry. Through interactive
sessions and practical exercises, participants gain the skills to streamline processes,
optimize resource utilization, and enhance customer value.
- Competency Workshop: Professional Sales & Marketing
- Participants learn principles of professional sales and how to effectively align marketing
and sales campaigns with corporate strategy. Participants will learn how to create
compelling marketing campaigns, target audiences effectively, and harness the power
of digital marketing tools.
Badge 7: Fiscal Responsibility
- Competency Workshop: Revenue Management
- Participants learn pricing strategies and distribution channels in maximizing the
organization’s profitability. In this intensive program, participants will learn understanding
of pricing strategies, demand forecasting, and inventory management to optimize revenue
streams.
- Competency Workshop: Cost Control and Budgeting
- Participants learn principles for strategic budgeting in order to keep costs in line
with strategic objectives. Participants will be guided through creating budgets that
align with strategic goals and implementing strategies to control and reduce costs
without compromising quality.
Badge 8: Event Management
- Competency Workshop: Event Proposal and Contract Implementation
- Participants learn to determine the overall objectives and goals of your event, use
data to determine your overall budget, ROI, contracts, and risk management. Participants
will learn to craft winning event proposals, negotiate contracts, and navigate legal
and logistical considerations.
- Competency Workshop: Event Planning and Problem-Solving
- Participants learn to determine event logistics, communication strategies, promotional
strategies, and how to problem-solve the unexpected. Participants will develop the
skills to design, execute, and adapt event plans effectively while creating memorable
and successful events.
Badge 9: Organizational Leadership
- Competency Workshop: Strategic Leadership
- Participants are prepared to implement business-level strategic plans and organizational
change initiatives by exploring the mechanisms of change. They are also taught how
to align human capital management functions with the business-level strategy and talent
philosophy.
- Competency Workshop: Entrepreneurial Leadership
- Participants are prepared to address a practical challenge facing their organization
or unit through an experiential exercise during which they learn best practices of
entrepreneurial leadership, including the process of supporting organizational innovation.
Participants are also taught principles for implementing the process of integrating
new ideas, strategies, processes, and practices for growth.
Badge 10: Organizational Sustainability
- Competency Workshop: Values-Driven Culture
- Participants develop a plan for integrating their values into the organizational culture,
and then create a “higher-purpose” statement for the organization. This workshop will
equip participants to build a values-driven culture that enhances employee engagement,
fosters innovation, and drives long-term success.
- Competency Workshop: Sustainable Operations
- Participants learn how to effectively engage their people and resources around a long-term
vision and purpose. Participants will take a deep dive into sustainable business strategies,
covering topics such as resource efficiency, environmental responsibility, and ethical
supply chain management.
Badge 11: Leveraging Technology
- Competency Workshop: Basic Applications
- Participants gain exposure to and competence with cutting-edge technologies used in
the hospitality industry. This program is designed to demystify and harness the potential
of technology, empowering participants to utilize technology to streamline operations,
improve productivity, and drive innovation.
- Competency Workshop: Improving Customer Experience through AI
- Participants take an in-depth exploration into the future technological innovations
that will alter the hospitality industry and gain understanding how to prepare for
them. Participants will learn how to implement AI-driven solutions, automate processes,
and provide customers with tailored experiences.
For questions and more information
Chris Haller, Director of PBLE
PBLE@uwyo.edu | (307) 766 - 6271
