ENG Successful Participation of TATM Students in Hotel Simulation in Germany (February 22 – March 1, 2025)
René Arvola 13.03.2025
For the second year in a row, our master's students helped organize a hotel simulation at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. In addition to senior lecturer René Arvola, the simulation was facilitated and evaluated by Katriin Visamaa and Tarmo Pertel. The media team was led by Rebecca Marie Berting. All of them had prior experience with hotel simulation gained from our own MMJ5190 Management Game course last spring. Laura Roosileht, who had no previous experience with hotel simulations, participated as a player on a team that ultimately won the game. The student exchange was funded by the Erasmus+ BIP project. The nine-day on-site simulation in Bavaria was preceded by online lectures that began in December. The hotel simulation is organized by a network of university lecturers, established 15 years ago. In addition to the host university, eight lecturers from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Karlshochschule International University, Matej Bel University in Banska Bystrica, Comenius University in Bratislava, and the University of Birmingham also participated.
The hotel simulation is part of the tourism studies program at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. In line with tourism education, the simulation involved exploring the local area to understand the location and culture. Ingolstadt’s identity is strongly linked to the local Audi factory, which was visited at the beginning. The group also toured the old town and explored the historic university buildings established in 1472, which operated in Ingolstadt until 1800 before moving to Landshut, and later, in 1826, to Munich, now known as the University of Munich. Ingolstadt is also known for its cultural and historical significance, including the 1516 Bavarian Purity Law (Reinheitsgebot) declared by Duke Albrecht, the founding of the Illuminati secret society in 1776, and its association with the fictional character Frankenstein.
Katriin Visamaa and Tarmo Pertel helped organize the simulation and participated in evaluating the teams' performances. To encourage closer connections among team members, a party was held on the evening of February 24th. The date also provided a great opportunity for the Estonian delegation to celebrate Estonia’s Independence Day. Tarmo Pertel and René Arvola treated everyone to homemade sprat sandwiches—because how else would you celebrate? Other participants also contributed to the party, creating a festive atmosphere. It must be admitted, however, that only a few guests dared to try the sprat sandwiches, as they seemed quite exotic. Those who did taste them, however, praised the unique flavor and even went back for seconds. The team of student coaches was also diverse and contributed actively to the event.
Participating in the hotel simulation both as a student and as a coach has been an eye-opening and enriching experience. Last year, I actively participated as a student in the simulation at TalTech, but this time, during the winter school, I had the opportunity to take on the role of a student coach and see the process from a completely different perspective.
As a student participant, the focus was strongly on strategic planning, teamwork, and staying competitive. There was an adrenaline rush because every decision influenced the course of the game, and success depended on the team's collaboration. The simulation also tested stress tolerance, time management, and flexibility, as important decisions had to be made quickly in a constantly changing environment.
As a student coach, the perspective changed significantly. While as a player I focused on competition, in the coach role, the goal was to support and guide participants, assist the organizing team, and oversee the broader progression of events. We coordinated various activities with the team, provided support to students, and even organized a team task during the evening event—a cocktail competition where students creatively expressed their hotel concepts through mixology.
Our team of student coaches worked in an international environment, allowing us to develop management, time management, and communication skills. I also realized how essential quick information flow and clear role distribution are—some activities could have been coordinated better to minimize information gaps and enhance strategic planning.
Overall, it was a valuable experience that provided practical skills and a deeper understanding of management games, teamwork, and international cooperation. The simulation challenges both students and coaches, but in the end, the most important thing is not winning but learning from the experience and applying it in the future.
– Katriin Visamaa (Study assistant)
The simulation at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt was a valuable experience. It gave the opportunity to discover the history and sights of the region and to meet students and lecturers from different universities. The role of the student-coach proved to be intensive and multi-faceted, involving mentoring and evaluating the participants as well as organising daily debriefings. The experience gained at Tallinn University of Technology during the Management Game course provided a solid preparation for the evaluation of the simulation participants' performance and contribution. - Tarmo Pertel (Study assistant)
The task of the competing teams in the simulation was to create and manage a virtual hotel located in Ingolstadt. During the simulation, teams had to present an elevator pitch to investors, showcase their hotel at a tourism fair, handle a crisis situation, and much more.
The entire simulation was filled with truly intense work—there was never a moment when it felt possible to focus on just one specific task. Simultaneously, we had to complete daily assignments, plan for the next day, prepare presentations, update social media and the website, and keep an eye on competitors' activities. I believe this reflected the real business environment very well, where it is not always possible to carefully consider every decision, and in certain situations, such as crises, quick reactions are necessary.
The importance of teamwork became apparent very quickly—it was simply impossible to complete all tasks collectively. Therefore, we mapped out the strengths of each team member and assigned tasks accordingly. I was very fortunate with my team—not only were they all incredibly nice people, but they also contributed to the collective effort to the fullest, always being active and involved. As a team, we spent a lot of time together outside of work tasks—during coffee breaks and evening outings, where we discussed both hotel development plans and personal topics, getting to know each other better.
A perfect example of the simulation experience was the final day. We had to prepare a three-minute presentation about our hotel. We decided to present it as a poem, which meant that each team member had to memorize their lines. Everyone practiced differently—some gathered together, others repeated the text in their accommodation, and some even rehearsed late at night in a bar because social life didn’t stop. By morning, everyone knew their lines, and it turned out that each of us had woken up at least once during the night to go over our parts again. This perfectly sums up the whole experience for me—work and fun hand in hand, and those who put in the effort will succeed.
Although the entire simulation was very labor-intensive, it was also immensely fun. Teamwork was excellent, we laughed a lot, explored the local culture, and even had time to discover local bars and restaurants in the evenings. Saying goodbye at the end was quite difficult because, in such a short time, we had become very close as a team.
– Laura Roosileht (simulation participant)
The task of the media team, coordinated by Rebecca Marie Berting, was to create a media partner for the hotel teams competing in the simulation and to cover the event. Rebecca Marie Berting, head of the media team, shares her impressions.
The media team's task was to document and cover the entire simulation week. Additionally, we took on the role of the local marketing organization "Ingolstadt Insights." This role gave me the opportunity to be at the center of events, capturing both formal presentations and fun, unexpected moments.
What I enjoyed most was capturing the creativity and energy of the participants—from presentations to investors to hotel-organized events and unexpected crisis communication challenges. It was truly inspiring to see how the teams brought their ideas to life and tackled challenges. The final day's "3 Minutes of Fame" presentations clearly showed how much had been accomplished in such a short time.
It was an intense and challenging week, but at the same time, it was incredibly inspiring and motivating. I had the chance to learn new skills and create unforgettable memories with people from many different countries.
– Rebecca Marie Berting (Media Team Lead)
One of the most entertaining tasks in the hotel simulation has always been handling a crisis situation. This year, the crisis theme was set for Thursday, February 27th, a day known in Germany as "Women's Carnival Day" (Weiberfasching), when women traditionally cut off men's ties.
The virtual hotel simulation featured a fashion show on that day, during which some men's ties were cut off, sparking dissatisfaction and creating a crisis. During the fashion show, teams presented their collections, and even lecturers showcased their own designs. The conflict arose when fashion designer Hommy Fash, whose collection focused on extra-long ties, became the victim. Unfortunately, the women present did not think much of the collection, and scissors in their hands did the job.
The designer soon called a press conference, and the hotels were given the opportunity to provide solutions to the situation. The way the hotels handled the crisis was highly professional, demonstrating quick thinking and effective communication.
Out of nine teams, our master's student team INstyle Hotel emerged as the winner of the simulation.
After the simulation, the group visited Munich. On the way to Munich, they stopped at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial. In Munich, they explored the main attractions, including the Hofbräuhaus, which is also featured in a famous German folk song known to Estonians as "Ma lõbus õllepruulija" (I am the happy brewer).
The hotel simulation has been played annually at Tallinn University of Technology since 2010. This year's simulation (MMJ5190 Business Game) took place at Tallinn University of Technology from March 20 to 25, 2025 (read the separate news story).