Pamela Roberts gains industry experience through Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality

PHILADELPHIA, PA (04/19/2011)(readMedia)-- Pamela Roberts of Norristown is taking part in a unique experiential learning opportunity this spring through Temple University's School of Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM).

Roberts, a junior tourism and hospitality management major, is a part-time staff member at Minute Suites, which recently opened its doors at the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). PHL joins Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International in offering this unique passenger service.

Minute Suites at PHL features 13 private suites and two workstation cubicles located in the A/B Link, making it nearly three times larger than their Atlanta location, where the company has hosted more than 10,000 guests since November 2009.

A team of nine School of Tourism students staffs the PHL Minute Suites. The unique partnership allows the students to gain real-world experience in their field of study while growing alongside a new company.

Priced at $30 for a one-hour minimum stay, each suite includes two sleeping surfaces with fresh pillows and blankets, a sound-masking system that neutralizes noise, the unique NAP26 audio program that helps deliver the equivalent of three hours of sleep in 26 minutes, and a high-definition TV with access to DIRECTV, the Internet and flight-tracking information.

"These students aren't doing this to just get experience as a student," said Associate Dean Elizabeth Barber, who participated in the company's April 6 grand opening. "This is a really new concept – and an extraordinarily creative one. Because they are in STHM, these young people have gotten a chance for professional growth in a company that will grow with them."