The Department is responsible for the management and teaching of the hospitality-related courses of the Short-Cycle Vocational Programme in tourism and catering, the supervision of students' internships and project work, as well as the organisation and administration of the final examinations of the graduating students.

The Department is responsible for the supervision of the hospitality specialisation in the Vocational Technical Instructor Bachelor's Programme and the Teacher of Economics Master's Programme and is responsible for the teaching of hospitality and gastronomy related courses advertised in these programmes. 

The Department is responsible for the three hospitality-related specialisations of the Tourism and Catering Bachelor's Programme, namely commercial hospitality, institutional hospitality, and hospitality event organisation. These specialisations train economists who, after completing their studies, will have up-to-date theoretical, organisational and management knowledge of all the business activities, organisation and management of hospitality and accommodation. 

In the first three semesters of the Bachelor of Tourism and Catering programme, students mainly study general foundation courses and methodology. After choosing a specialisation, from the third semester onwards, students will be taught the organisation and management of catering and manual activities (food preparation, service). In addition to economics, future catering professionals should have adequate theoretical and practical knowledge in the fields of food and nutrition, hygiene, technical and technological knowledge. Studies will be completed by an internship at a national or foreign company, either in the 7th semester (or in the 7th and 8th semesters for students starting their studies from 2020), under the professional supervision of the Department. Students will also complete their thesis in this semester, mainly the guidance of faculty members. The final examinations in the hospitality specialisations are also organised by the Department.

The Department supervises the kitchenettes, educational restaurants, the food and microbiology laboratory, and the Sommelier Room in the Markó Street building, which provide practical training essential for catering education. These specially equipped rooms allow our students to acquire not only theoretical but also practical knowledge in the field of catering, where they can, among others, test food themselves, prepare delicious dishes, learn the elements of decoration, and gain insight into the mysteries of preparing cocktails, coffee drinks and other delicacies that will delight the guest.

In academic work, the Department of Hospitality conducts research on management issues related to hospitality, food science and nutrition, the results of which are published continuously, and on request carries out business and management-related analytical and consulting activities. We involve students in the research work of the Department partly through the College for Advanced Studies organisation and partly directly.

A significant part of the research topics of the Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Hospitality, founded in 2017, can also be linked to the Department. The main objective of the Centre is to contribute to the scientific knowledge of the field by researching the very broad field of sustainable development, especially in the field of hospitality and related areas of tourism. 

The main research topics of the Centre that are related to the Department of Hospitality: 

• Sustainability in the Hungarian hospitality industry 
• Investigation of the magnitude of food waste in hotel operations 
• Can a healthy diet be maintained? Is sustainable nutrition healthy? 

The Department of Hospitality organises the events of the Hospitality Open University, where renowned representatives of the profession appear and present their activities, while contributing to the students’ deeper knowledge of how to successfully operate a hospitality enterprise. The name of the Department is also associated with the organisation of several successful professional competitions, such as the Dr László Ketter Traditional Gastronomy Competition and Conference organised jointly with the Gödöllő Regional Tourism Association, or the Olivier Roellinger International Chef Competition. 

The Department also organises two or three academic conferences a year examining and analysing current issues in the profession, such as the “Free from” Hospitality - Safe Foods conference organised jointly with the National Association of Gluten-Sensitive People in 2018, or the ’Hungaricums: Our Past and Future - I National Pálinka Conference’. The lecturers of the Department participated in the organisation of events, competitions, and receptions to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the foundation of the faculty in 2019, involving students studying hospitality and inviting professional partners to provide quality programs and catering services.

The faculty members of the Department maintain intensive and wide-ranging contacts with the industry, owners, managers, representatives of professional organisations of restaurants, event management companies, hotels, and other related businesses, many of whom have already visited the faculty as guest speakers, competition sponsors, or final examination committee chairpersons. The Professional Advisory Board operating alongside the Department is made up of renowned representatives of the hospitality and hotel industry, who provide advice and suggestions to help the Department's professional work and the development of teaching materials. 

• La Fiesta Ltd 
• Budapest Party Service 
• La Perle Noir Restaurant 
• Golden Caviar Restaurant 
• Kistücsök Restaurant 
• Continental Group 
• Accor-Pannónia Hotels LLC 
• The Fishmarket (Fish Market of Budaörs) 
• Premium Apartment House 
• Hungast Ltd 
• METRO Trade Ltd 
• Hungarian Catering Industry Association 
• Association of Hungarian Hotels and Restaurants 
• National Association of Catering Vocational Instructors 
• National Association for the Advocacy of Gluten Sensitive People 

• AlOudat M., Magyar N., Sarkadi Lívia S., Lugasi A. (2021): Nutritional Content Of Ready-To-Eat Meals Sold In Groceries In Hungary. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GASTRONOMY AND FOOD SCIENCE Paper: 100318.
• Fekete-Frojimovics Zs., Lenkovics B., Magyarné Horváth K., Jakuschné Kocsis T., Lugasi, A. (2018): Study of basic taste recognition among the tourism and catering management students of the Budapest Business School. FOOD SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS LXIV: 2 pp. 2030-2035. 
• Lenkovics B., Fekete-Frojimovics Zs., Hidvégi H., Magyar N., Pavlicsek Cs., Lugasi A. (2020): Sensory examination of vegetable spirits among the students of the Faculty of Commercial Hospitality and Tourism of the Budapest Business School. Multidisciplinarity in Tourism X. International Tourism Conference, Study Volume, Széchenyi István University, Győr, 2020. 228-244. 
• Karakasné Morvay K. (2019): Significance and possibilities of minimising food waste in the hotel industry. Contemporary social and economic processes. (Journal of the Institute of Economics and Rural Development, Faculty of Engineering, University of Szeged), XII. 4. 219-233. 
• Karakasné Morvay K., Erdélyi É. (2020): Food as hazardous waste, In: Marton, Zs., Németh, K., Pelesz, P., Péter, E. (editor) Study volume of the IV. International Scientific Conference on Tourism and Security., Nagykanizsa, University of Pannon, pp. 220-231. 
• Karakasné, Morvay K., Barcsay, V. (2019): How Sustainability Meets Luxury in Hotel Events. In: Marton, Zs; Németh, K; Péter, E (editor) Study volume of the III. International Scientific Conference on Tourism and Security., Nagykanizsa, University of Pannon, pp. 267-278. 
• Kemény K., Karakasné Morvay K. (2020): Changes in demand and supply for sustainable solutions in event management, In: Marton, Zs., Németh, K., Pelesz, P., Péter, E. (editor) Study volume of the IV. International Scientific Conference on Tourism and Security., Nagykanizsa, University of Pannon, pp. 232-240. 
• Papp A., Lugasi A. (2018): Delicious, healthy and popular - gastronomic challenges in childhood and adolescence. In: Antal E., Pilling R. (editor) The lifestyle of Hungarian children and young people: Nutrition, exercise, soul. White Paper based on the research data of the TÉT Platform Association. TET Platform Association, pp. 70-74.

Address: HU-1054 Budapest, 9-11. Alkotmány street 2nd floor, Room 208 

Phone: +36(1) 374-6266  

E-mail: Mahunka.Balazs@uni-bge.hu, Turek-Belanyi.Zsuzsa@uni-bge.hu