Tech-enabled hospitality platform and operator Placemakr has announced a partnership with Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, to provide hospitality students with real-world experience. The partnership will launch Placemakr Marymount Ballston, a mixed-use hospitality and residential property adjacent to the nationally ranked private university’s Ballston Center campus.
This fall, the university’s new Hospitality & Innovation MBA track offers students with an opportunity to participate in the operation of the property. The partnership will also support Placemakr’s technology-driven approach to hospitality management, supplementing classroom knowledge with real-world experience.
“Our approach to graduate education for hospitality is to focus on the intersection of data, design and entrepreneurial leadership. Our new MBA in Hospitality and Innovation is unique, and our partnership with Placemakr, an innovative venture-backed company, is indicative of our unique focus,” says Jonathan Aberman, dean of Marymount University’s College of Business, Innovation, Leadership and Technology (BILT).
Formerly known as The Riley, the Placemakr Marymount Ballston will begin welcoming guests Oct. 28. The mixed-use 265-unit property includes residential apartments for student housing plus apartment-style hotel rooms. Guests and residents will have access to hospitality services like housekeeping.
Students housed within the property will also have access to laundry services, discounted stays for visiting friends and family, optional add-on cleaning, and pet care services. Amenities include a 15th-floor clubroom and rooftop deck, as well as a fitness center, and convenient access to Metro stations, dining, and shopping.
“Innovation is at the core of what we bring to the hospitality industry, and we’re always looking for ways to take that to the next level. This unique partnership with Marymount is extremely exciting to me because it allows us to have a hand in shaping some of the future leaders in our industry,” says Jason Fudin, CEO and co-founder of Placemakr.
“By providing students with this type of experience working with commingled, tech-enabled properties early on, they’ll come out of school already with a leg up on their peers and an eye for innovative thinking. I can’t wait to see how the experience impacts them in the future.”
