There’s something powerful about a first impression – especially when it quietly shapes the course of your future. For alumna Ketaki Kelkar, that moment came during a visit to the iconic Taj Mahal Palace.
She wasn’t there as a guest, nor did she fully understand at the time what a career in hospitality could look like. But the feeling lingered. The warmth of service, the sense of occasion, the quiet precision behind the scenes – it all left its mark.
“The warm service and the grandeur of the hotel really stuck with me,” she reflects. “I was pulled towards pursuing hospitality as a career.”
What followed wasn’t a straight line, but a gradual unfolding of purpose. It was during a six-month internship – coincidentally at the very hotel that first inspired her – where things clicked into place.
Moving through departments, observing the rhythm of operations and the people behind them, Ketaki began to see hospitality not just as an interest, but as a profession with depth and direction. The idea of building a life in the industry no longer felt like a dream, but something she could turn into reality.
Years later, that same sense of clarity guided her decision to enrol in a Master of International Hospitality Management at Le Cordon Bleu Adelaide. The connection had been years in the making. Having first encountered the institution at a high school university fair, Ketaki had long been aware of its global reputation.
When the time came to take the next step in her career, the choice felt like a no-brainer.
Le Cordon Bleu's strong industry network, experienced teachers and practical course delivery truly sets you up for success.
“Le Cordon Bleu’s reputation, the course structure and guidance from lectures with real life experiences is what drew me towards studying with them for my master’s degree over other institutes,” she explains.
Graduating in 2015, Ketaki stepped into the industry with both technical knowledge and a grounded understanding of how hospitality works in practice.
Her career has since unfolded across multiple layers of the hotel environment, from front office operations to rooms division management, and eventually into leadership as a hotel manager.
Along the way, she has been part of two significant hotel pre-openings, experiences that demand both demand and adaptability.
Today, she brings that same combination of structure and intuition to her role as a conference and events planner with the Holiday Inn Express portfolio in Australia. It’s a position that combines meticulous planning and delivery, where every detail matters and every event is an opportunity to create something seamless behind the scenes. From initial enquiries to final execution, Ketaki plays a central role in shaping the guest experience long before anyone walks through the door.
She says the master’s degree equipped her with a solid foundation of hospitality operations which she’s constantly applying in her current role, as well as other roles in the past.
“Applying what I learned to day-to-day work and building meaningful industry connections has been key,” she explains.
Originally from India, Ketaki arrived in Australia with experience already under her belt, having worked in both India and the UAE. Today, she calls Melbourne home, where life extends beyond the pace of hotels and events.
For those considering a similar path, her perspective is measured but certain. “Le Cordon Bleu provides a stepping stone into the hospitality industry in Australia and overseas,” she says. “Its strong industry network, experienced teachers and practical course delivery truly sets you up for success.”
Sometimes all it takes is a single moment – like standing in a grand hotel lobby, taking it all in – for that journey to begin
Explore our Master of International Hospitality Management program today
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