Major: Hospitality Management
At an early age, Roy Beaumont was interested in the hospitality industry.
“My father worked in the travel, tourism and hospitality business for nearly 40 years, so I had the advantage of getting an angle on it when I was young,” he said.
Beaumont attended College of DuPage from 1989 to 1991 and earned his associate’s degree before transferring to Purdue University, where he earned degrees in Hospitality and Tourism Management (B.S.) and Public Relations (B.A.), as well as his Master’s in Business Administration. While attending COD, he worked at the Marriott Oak Brook Hills Hotel and Resort, applying what he learned in class while saving money for school.
“College of DuPage was like a bees nest in terms of activity,” he said. “There were many areas where you could become engaged, and I took advantage of that. Not only did I study hotel classes, but I also looked for ways to expand my horizons.”
One of his favorite extracurricular activities was becoming a student officer in the International Foodservice Executives Association. He served on the northern Illinois board with industry executives and had a chance to learn from them.
“I always wanted to develop a deeper knowledge of the business and operations side of hospitality,” he said. “It’s a unique industry that has three dimensions: the design of the hotels, the delivery of the right services and amenities to guests, and how you deliver on those services.
“Most people in this industry have a hospitable nature, and that’s always been appealing to me. You must have the spirit to serve. If you take care of your guests, your guests will take care of the bottom line, which will take care of the owners.”
I was able to get a world-class education from a fantastic academic staff.
Roy Beaumont
Beaumont is currently an Area Director for 17 Managed by Marriott (MxM) hotels in the Eastern Region. He is responsible for this portfolio’s performance ($90 million annually) and talent development (500 associates) on behalf of several ownership groups.
He lives in Rockville, Md., with his wife and three sons. In 2011, he was named the COD's Distinguished Hospitality Alumni, and in 2017 he was named one of the College’s Distinguished Alumni.
Beaumont appreciates his start at College of DuPage. In addition to learning from top-notch instructors, he interacted with a wide variety of classmates.
“COD is a melting pot of students of all ages, disciples and backgrounds, and it was beneficial to take advantage of that,” he said. “There were students out of high school looking to complete their education. I had classmates already working in industry who wanted to advance their knowledge. And then others were looking for a career change, and COD was a great pathway for them.
“I was able to get a world-class education from a fantastic academic staff while applying what I was doing in classroom to an industry that I wanted to be a part of. If there was a College of DuPage across the street from where I live now, I’d still be taking classes, because there was always something of interest for me to take every semester I was here.”
Learn more about the Hospitality Management program at College of DuPage