MSc International Tourism and Events student inspired by Virgin Hotels UK initiation

A Masters student has had the chance to share the culinary delights of Glasgow through an innovative GCU project with Virgin Hotels and now plans to continue the promotional work of her adopted home country beyond her degree.

Weddy Mugambi, who moved to Scotland from Kenya in 2018, is in her final year of the MSc International Tourism and Events Management programme. As part of her Tourism and Events Experiences module, Weddy teamed up with other students to help provide market research for Virgin Hotels debut developments outwith the USA.

The partnership between the global brand and GCU was created after Programme Lead Daniel Baxter reached out to the organisation’s Chief Executive.

Weddy explained: “Virgin Hotels CEO and Chief Marketing Officer came to GCU to tell us about the launch of brand new boutique hotels in Edinburgh and Glasgow, which are set to open in spring this year.

We were tasked with identifying the customer personas and social media influencers that would be interested in visiting, and what the cities had to offer them. It wasn’t just about spending the night in the hotel, it was about the overall experience they could have in Edinburgh or Glasgow.

All of us had different findings, which we later presented to a panel made up of Virgin Hotels staff and our personal tutors. My group focused on food-lover persona because we wanted to look at the different cultural delicacies Glasgow has to offer. We felt someone coming here would be interested in trying different types of foods - not necessarily just Scottish - so we focused on the likes of Indian and African cuisine. We actually had a lot of different options and it was really difficult to choose.”

With the glitz and glamour of London overlooked for the organisation’s first venture on UK shores, Weddy was surprised to find out the reason for the location of the new hotels.

She said: “Richard Branson’s wife is from Scotland and he wanted to show his family connection, while also targeting a new market. The Virgin brand is already known in London but Edinburgh and Glasgow presents new opportunities to them as a business. I think it shows the value of Scotland and why it’s an attractive place to visit.”

With her time studying at GCU coming to an end, Weddy - who completed her Undergraduate degree at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology - is keen to make sure she continues to shine a spotlight on Scotland beyond her module and degree.

Weddy explained more about her personal journey and future plans: “I’ve lived here with my family since 2018 and I’ve been at home most of the time because of my young children. I decided at the start of 2020 that I really wanted to do my Masters. I chose GCU because they had the exact course I wanted to do, I didn’t even think of going to any other University. I’ve really enjoyed the whole experience over the last two years and can’t believe it’s almost over - I wish I could stay longer!”

She added: “I’m actually now looking at how I can work with the University to help people learn about the opportunities available in Scotland. Back in Kenya, when people hear about the UK, they just think about London and Manchester. I want to use my experience to show them that Scotland has so much to offer; whether that’s at GCU, another University…or even a hotel stay!”

By Ross Clark        
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter