Since graduating from Vatel Los Angeles in 2014 Tim Abenhaim has had a full and exciting career; from the opening of the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem to the very private club Home House in London and now the first Hôtel Fauchon in Paris, Tim is just at the beginning of his career and also the youngest F&B Director in Paris.
2014 Vatel Los Angeles Graduation ceremony with Mr Colaianni, Dr Jasso and Pr Harrer.
On the right: with Republique General Manager Christian Philippo
Let’s explore Tim’s story to understand how he got there… After a bachelor’s degree in Economics & Management at Paris III, and a successful experience as Food & Beverage Supervisor at the InterContinental hotel in Tel Aviv, Tim took the decision to become an international Industry leader in the Hospitality field.
In order to reach his goal, Tim needed to learn about American Management and become proficient in English. It didn’t take long to find out that the best choice was to get an MBA at Vatel Los Angeles. It was not so easy at first; Studying in English with Ph.D Professors and starting his internship at the new L.A. trendiest restaurant Republique was a big challenge. However, failure was not an option and Tim got to work. In Tim’s words "it was intense… but so rewarding!"
https://www.thrillist.com/eat/los-angeles/best-french-food-restaurants-in-los-angeles
Thanks to Vatel USA placement offices, Tim was part of the opening team of Republique Restaurant by Chef Walter Manzke, in the incredible location of Charlie Chaplin's former office space from the early 1920's at 1416 N. La Brea Avenue in Hollywood. Most importantly, Tim worked under the leadership of the manager who became Tim’s inspiration for his brilliant career ahead: Christian Philippo.
Tim remembers how fascinated he was, observing Philippo carrying on daily operation meetings, leading the floor with his team and charming the guests with his charisma and warm personality. Above all, Tim remains so grateful for the trust that he was given to become a manager during his internship. All that he learned during his internship in L.A. he still applies today as the Director of Food and Beverage of the Trendy Fauchon Hotel in Paris.
Just 2 months after graduation, Tim was offered to join the opening team of the Waldorf Astoria in Jerusalem as General Manager of the fine dining restaurant The Palace. His experience at Republique was crucial to the successful completion of his mission.
Tim was Responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations and leading a staff of 50. Strong of a dynamic management style, implementing a new Menu and new Standards Of Operations (SOP), Tim's successful management resulted in double the number of covers per day and the hotel saw an increase of 15% in revenue.
#1st Best Hotel in the Middle East by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine 2015
#7th Best Hotel in the World by Condé Nast Traveler Magazine 2015
Two years later Tim became General Manager and Managing Partner for GAUCHO Restaurants, in London. This position as Managing Partner allowed him to push the business forward and get a strategic understanding of the London hip crowd allowing Tim to always stay one step ahead of the latest trend.
In 2017 Tim was offered to manage the Food and Beverage department at the exclusive Home House Private Members Club in London, which includes 3 restaurants, 5 bars, 1 nightclub and the Events department.
Always looking ahead to new challenges, in 2018 Tim accepts a new exciting adventure with the opening of the first Fauchon Hotel, becoming at the age of 28 the youngest F&B Director in Paris.
What is your best advice to young Vateliens who want to become as successful as you?
My best 3 advice are:
1) Never stay in your comfort zone, always take on new challenges.
Often we resist to change, the unknown… but it is when you take a leap of faith and trust yourself that magic happens.
2) Networking is KEY!
It’s amazing how your connections can lead to coincidences and incredible opportunities. I regularly contact people on LinkedIn whom I met during my various positions around the globe and I stay informed. I am still in contact with Christian Philippo as well as many other inspiring leaders, but I also take time to connect with younger professionals and always happy to share what I’ve learned.
3) If you want an international career, work on your English!!! That was a big one for me
What do you keep from your studies at Vatel Los Angeles ?
The courses at post graduate level are based on books that we read and then discussed in class. One of my favorites and the one I still use today is “The 7 habits of Highly effective people" by Stephen R Covey
I like to keep this book with me always for it contains so many precious tips. I actually re-ordered this book recently for a friend since it is one of the best gift I could give to someone serious about their career.
Thank you Tim for sharing your story, it will surely inspire many hospitality students to follow your steps.
We hope your next challenge will bring you back to Los Angeles and hopefully our trainees will be able to learn from you in person.
Best wishes from California Tim!
First year students enrolled in the International Hospitality and Management Vatel program visited Portonovi and One&Only Portonovi hotel to explore career prospects within the resort industry.
Read more“Vatel made me more open-minded and allowed me to meet people who contributed to making me who I am today.”
Aurélie Ponce - Operations manager for the Cheval Blanc Paris Hotel / 2006 Alumnus
Second year students attending the Open Day of the Dukley Gardens hotel.
Read moreVATEL Group, specialized in teaching Hospitality and Tourism Management, is proud to announce the nomination of Karine Sebban-Benzazon as CEO of our Group.
Read moreAn agreement on co-financing a program and project that will be implemented at the Faculty of culture and tourism on the University of Donja signed today.
Read moreA third year student Marija Glišić participated on the "Women Entrepreneurs in Science" training from March 16 to 18, within the project "Women Entrepreneurs in Science".
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Sara Lubarda is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Málaga - Hotel & Tourism Management School Congratulations!
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Hana Sendelj is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Nimes, France - Hotel & Tourism Business School . Congratulations!
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Tamara Nikolic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Nimes, France - Hotel & Tourism Business School. Congratulations!
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Stefan Ivanovic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul, International Hotel & Tourism School Congratulations
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Nadja Milicevic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul, International Hotel & Tourism School Congratulations!
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Konstantin Kujovic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Nimes, France - Hotel & Tourism Business School Congratulations!
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student,Teodora Globarevic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul, International Hotel & Tourism School Congratulations!
Read moreNew summer internship positions for our students have become available thanks to a partnership with the Lustica Bay company.
Read moreThe presentation of Mamula Island will be organised on Thursday, March 09, 2023 starting at 05:00 P.M. in the A3 amphitheater at the University of Donja Gorica. We invite all interested students to attend.
Read moreThe presentation of Nikki Beach Hotel & Beach Club Montenegro will be organised on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 starting at 04:00 P.M. in the A3 amphitheater at the University of Donja Gorica. We invite all interested students to attend.
Read moreToday as a part of subject Economy of tourism , guest lecture was held by Ms. Milena Brajovic General Manager /CEO • Voco™.
Read moreIt was our pleasure to host representatives from Nikki Beach & Hotel Beach Club Montenegro. We are so glad that our students had the opportunity to learn more about the vision, mission and goals of the company, as well as about high quality services
Read moreThe presentation of Luštica Bay will be organised on Friday, February 24, 2023 starting at 01:00 P.M. in the A3 amphitheater at the University of Donja Gorica. We invite all interested students to attend.
Read moreWe are delighted to have had the opportunity to welcome Luštica Bay representatives to our Faculty. We are so proud of our students for taking advantage of this learning experience and for immersing themselves in the company's vision and mission.
Read moreFirst year students took classes in the wine cellar of the "13. Jul Plantaže" winery as part of the Wine Vintages course.
Read moreSchool director prof. dr Andjela Jaksic-Stojanovic participated in a National convention ,,Vrijeme kreativnosti” organized by Ministarstvo kulture i medija Crne Gore as a panelist in session that deals with education for creative economy and creati
Read moreInterview of prof. dr Andjela Jaksic-Stojanovic in the show "Link" on RTCG. You can watch the entire interview on the link: https://youtu.be/hUoGACZbmVg
Read moreThe presentation of hotel Casa del Mare will be organised on Friday ,February 03.2023 starting at 10:00 a.m.in the A3 amphitheater at the University of Donja Gorica. We invite all interested students to attend.
Read moreVatel Montenegro wishes all students, associates, professors, friends and partners a happy and successful New Year 2023!
Read moreThe vineyards cover 2300ha with around 11.5 million grapevines and it represents the biggest vineyard in one piece in Europe.
Read moreVatel students attended the debate entitled "Policies and practices for the protection of academic integrity at higher education institutions in Montenegro".
Read moreStudents of the 3rd year visited the biggest cellar of "13. Jul Plantaže" winery, with capacity of 30 million liters.
Read moreToday, we had a pleasure to organize a presentation of the One&Only Portonovi Hotel for students of Faculty of culture and tourism- study programs Vatel and Culture and tourism.
Read moreWe inform all students that on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, starting at 12:30 p.m., the presentation of the One&Only Portonovi Hotel will be held in the AP amphitheater at the University of Donja Gorica. We invite all interested students to attend.
Read moreThe guest lecturer Mr. Nemanja Ciric, national director of the distribution company Berba D.O.O., shared with the students his experience on the sale of premium category wines and spirits in Montenegro.
Read moreToday Human Resources assistants of the HR Factor agency, Ms. Andjela Neric and Ms. Maja Stajovic presented to our students vacant positions as well as opportunities for conducting an internship in MAISTRA Hospitality Group in Croatia.
Read moreAt the recently held Vatel Convention hosted by the University of Donja Gorica, the Vatel School in Montenegro received the prestigious award - The school of the Year 2022.
Read moreThe University of Donja Gorica will host the 16th International Vatel Convention, which will be held from October 19 to 23 in Montenegro.
Read moreThe Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Culture and Media in Montenegro and UDG Montenegro, will contribute to the promotion and training of young and talented personnel in the field of culture, cultural heritage and creative industries
Read moreAs part of the subject Current events in the hospitality industry, on Saturday, November 5, a guest lecture was held by Ms. Marina Radjenovic, general manager of the Grand Heritage Perast Hotel.
Read moreOrientation classes for first-year students will be held on September 15 and 16, 2022.
Read moreThe Vatel Montenegro announces enrollment of a new generation of students for two-year master academic studies (120 ECTS) for study program International hotel industry and management.
Read moreOn the occasion of 10 years of Montenegrin negotiations with the EU, the General Secretariat of the Government of Montenegro and the Ministry of European Affairs organized a meeting.
Read moreCongratulations to mr Alldin Resulbegoviq for successfully defended master thesis "English language communication in hospitality industry- Case study of the Karisma hotel emoyees”!
Read moreCongratulations to mr Vuk Krunić for successfully defended master thesis "Potentials for development of MICE tourism in Montenegro - case study of Splendid Conference Spa Resort". We wish him a lot of success in his future professional career!
Read moreToday, we have had the opportunity to summarize the achievements of the first year students and to share out experiences and impressions.
Read moreOur first and second year students do their five weeks proffesional training at One&Only Portonovi Resort
Read moreVatel Montenegro students who are currently on an exchange in Russia through the Marco Polo program had the opportunity to be part of a study visit to the prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel in Moscow.
Read moreNext year, we will have a pleasure to host Marco Polo student Abel Dubois from Vatel Bahrain. We will be happy to welcome him in Montenegro!
Read moreStudying at Vatel involves a lot of work, effort and sacrifice, but also a lot of travel, socializing and fun.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Ivan Vukčević is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Hanoi Vietnam
Read moreThe manager of Nikki Beach Hotel & Beach Club Montenegro Mr. Viktor Matjan and the chef Zulfikar Demirsi held a guest lecture for Vatel students
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Brajan Martić is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Hanoi Vietnam.
Read moreThe manager of Nikki Beach Hotel & Beach Club Montenegro Mr. Viktor Matjan and the chef Zulfikar Demirsi will hold a guest lecture for Vatel students.
The guest lecture will be organized on Monday, March 21, at 1:30 P.M. in the amphitheater A4.
We present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Željko Ćupić is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Bahrain.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Simon Globarević is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Mina Vukčević is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Bordeaux.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Danilo Grbović is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Nimes.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Ksenija Batrićević is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Mexico.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Miradin Mrhović is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Vasilije Mićunović is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Staša Vukčević is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Bordeaux
Read moreMore and more human communities consider ecotourism to be a solution that promotes their way of life, and preserves their culture and biodiversity surrounding them.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Dario Ćorović is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Nikolina Šarić is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Filip Vučelić is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Madrid
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Mitar Perovic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Brussels.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Veselin Uskokovic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Bahrain.
Read moreMartin Rousset, a Vatel Nimes student, flew to Antananarivo for Vatel Madagascar’s specialization in ecotourism management for his last MBA year.
Read moreWe present you this year winners of Marco Polo scholarship! Our first year student, Tamara Radovic is going to spend next academic year in Vatel Istanbul.
Read moreThe tourism sector, one that now attracts millions of young students throughout the world, is in tune with globalizationthat is currently being overturned by inequalities and environmental threats.
Read moreVatel Rwanda started in 2016, we began to prepare the first intake for 2018, headed by Nicole Bamukunde, a Rwandese graduate of Vatel, and who has worked in startups in her country, which is totally renewing itself.
Read moreThe Ambassador of the United States of America to Montenegro, Her Excellency Judy Rising Reinke, gave a lecture today at the University of Donja Gorica to students of the study program International Hotel Management and Management Vatel.
Read moreH.E. Judy Rising Reinke, the Ambassador of the United States to Montenegro, is going to hold guest lecture to Vatel third year students. We are happy to welcome her at University of Donja Gorica
Read moreAnother outstanding defense of master thesis at Vatel! Student Igor Vujacic and his brilliant presentation in the field of marketing in the hotel industry made us extremely proud!
Read moreOur third year students have just finished their five weeks professional training at One&Only Portonovi. Many thanks for this great experience!
Read moreTwo more students: Nevena Vulanovic and Alen Redzematovic successfully defended their MBA theses
Read moreToday, Prof. dr Vasilis Pagounis from University of West Attica hold a guest lecture for first year students of Vatel in Entrepreneurial nest.
Read moreSpectacular celebration of Montenegro’s National Day at Expo2020 Dubai.
Read moreProf. Dr. Andjela Jaksic-Stojanovic, Dean of the Faculty of Culture and Tourism, together with Dr. Ivana Kovac- Barett, Honorary Consul of Embassy of Spain in Podgorica and a lecturer at the Faculty of Culture and Tourism, hosted Ms. Carmen Alvarez,
Read moreThe second year students of Vatel visited the One&Only Portonovi and got acquainted with the business of this prestigious resort, the only one of this kind in Europe.
Read moreThe first-year Vatel students visited the Hilton Hotel in Podgorica. The study visit was organised as a part of the course Human Resources.
Read moreToday, at Vatel, we made a celebration of Chinese New Year!
Read moreMr. Nikola Burzan General Manager of Azul Beach Resort Montenegro hotel hold a guest lecture to second year students of Vatel.
Read moreProf. of Chinese language, Lai Peiyu, gave a lecture to Vatel first year students about Chinese New Year and Spring Festival.
Read moreOur student Slađana Noković is the winner of the Student Award for Best Students of the Capital-Podgorica.
Read moreThe unique theatrical-musical happening "Semper Iuvenis" was held on 16th December, 2021 in order to celebrate 55 years of successful work of the Cultural Information Center "Budo Tomovic".
Read moreA professor at the Faculty of Culture and Tourism, Dr Filip Ivanovic, was elected as a regular member of the Royal Historical Society from London.
Read moreRepresentatives of the Faculty of Culture and Tourism today had the opportunity to host students of the secondary school ''Sergije Stanic'' at the Donkey Farm.
Read moreMasa Djukanovic, a first-year student of Vatel Montenegro and a representative of the Montenegrin Karate team, won second place at the Balkan Karate Championship in Rijeka, Croatia last weekend.
Read moreDear students,
Read moreWe would like to inform all our students that One&Only Portonovi hotel is organizing a career day on December 3, 2021.
Read moreThe best always go with the best! It was a great pleasure and honor to guest One & Only team at Vatel Montenegro and to strenghten our cooperation and to open many new possibilities for our students. Gratitude to the standing team of One& Only One&On
Read moreThis last week of November, 339 5th year students competed in English for 1st place on the podium.
Read moreOn Thursday, 25th od November, we have a pleasure and honor to host One & Only Portonovi Montenegro team that will present our students all possibilities of inclusion in the world of ultra luxury hospitality.
Read moreWe had a pleasure to welcome Mr. Paul d’Azémar, International Network Director of Vatel group.
Read moreMr. Andrija Pesic CEO of Montengro Stars Hotel Group hold a guest lecture to second year students of Vatel.
Read moreThe Ambassador of the Republic of France
Read moreVatel students are from the very beginning of their studies placed in the heart of the hospitality industry!
Read moreAs a part of the course Wine, Beer and Spirits, our third year students had classes in Voco hotel Voco Podgorica.
Read moreThe guest lecture for third year students was given by Mr. Ravi Bankar, Founder of Genesis Leisure Consulting company from Mumbai, India.
Read moreGreat news for Montenegro and University of Donja Gorica- Vatel convention 2022 will be organized in Montenegro!
Read moreHis Excellency Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic to Montenegro Mr. Panayotis Partsos will hold a guest lecture to our first year students on October 13 at 14:15 pm.
Read more