A Garden Welcome to Remember: AHA Opening Ceremony 2026
On 14 September 2026, we welcomed our first-year students and their families to American Hotel Academy, marking the beginning of their journey in our two undergraduate programmes:
International Hospitality & Tourism Management
Digital Marketing
And this year, we did things a little differently.
Our Casual British Garden Welcome brought students, parents, AHA staff and student ambassadors together in Theatre Park, right next to our campus, for a relaxed start to the new academic year.
New connections
The day began with welcoming words for both students and parents, including messages from our Student Services Coordinator and Academic Director, followed by time to meet the AHA team, talk and simply enjoy being together.
For our first-year students, however, sitting still was not on the programme for long.
A Treasure Hunt brought them together in teams for one of their first shared experiences as AHA students. There were challenges to complete, conversations and plenty of laughter, but, most importantly, a chance to get to know the people they will be sharing this new chapter with.
Passing the pineapple
One of the special moments of the day was the passing of the pineapple from our senior students to the new generation.
A traditional symbol of hospitality and welcome, the pineapple has a natural place in the AHA story. But its meaning goes beyond hospitality as a field of study: it is about making people feel welcome, creating connections and passing that spirit from one generation of students to another.
A beginning shared with parents
Our Opening was also about the families accompanying our students at the beginning of this journey.
Parents had the opportunity to meet members of our team, talk, ask questions and get a closer look at the community their children are now part of.
And perhaps that was what we enjoyed most about this year’s Opening: there was time for people to actually meet each other.
By the end of the day, some of those first-day faces were already becoming familiar.
Two programmes and many different personalities, interests and ambitions, now sharing the same beginning at AHA.
To all our new students: happy to have you with us, enjoy the ride!
