Meet MS in Hospitality and Tourism (MSHT) graduate and Ambassador Patrick H. Murphy ‘24, whose career spans over twenty-five years, across two coasts, and millions of guests served.
Murphy’s career started in restaurant operations. Although he enjoyed the restaurant business, he later desired to transition into a role that would allow him to continue working in hospitality while also applying his skills in finance and offering a change in pace.
Over time, Murphy flourished into a hospitality leader with expertise in enhancing guest experiences by implementing new technology at prominent attractions such as The Bronx Zoo, the New York City Aquarium and The Walt Disney Company, among others.
To further advance his skills, Murphy decided to pursue his MSHT, which provided him with the opportunity to connect with classmates from around the world, learn more about the challenges they faced in their roles, and develop new solutions to address those challenges.
Murphy’s extensive experience in multiple aspects of the hospitality industry—from waiting tables to setting food prices—has given him an authentic perspective that he applies in his day-to-day role. In this interview, Murphy shares details about his experience in the MSHT program, offering insights into the online learning experience and how the MSHT program helped broaden his outlook. He also shares details about his career journey and how an internship foreshadowed his current role at the Disneyland Resort.
How did your career in hospitality and tourism start?
I started my career working at restaurants in high school, so when it came time for college, I decided to major in hotel and restaurant management.
After graduation, I continued to work in the restaurant industry to gain real-world management experience at the operational level. However, as time went on, I realized that I didn’t want to be an operations manager for the rest of my career. I couldn’t keep working every day of the week, including nights and weekends, so I pivoted into a finance-focused role for a better work-life balance.
How did you transition into finance in the hospitality and tourism industry?
My first finance-focused role in hospitality was with the Wildlife Conservation Society, which owns and operates the New York City Aquarium, the Brooklyn Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, the Central Park Zoo, and the Queens Zoo.
As the finance manager, I was responsible for the financial success of the food, beverage, and merchandise shops for the three city parks. One of the major projects I worked on was implementing a modern point-of-sale (POS) system. Before implementing a modern point-of-sale system, the Wildlife Conservation Society used simple cash registers, meaning they couldn’t collect any of the data commonly captured by today’s systems.
What is your current role at Disney?
Manager of Revenue Management & Analytics. I lead a team that develops and executes pricing strategies for the food & beverage line of business at the Disneyland Resort. Our work primarily involves analyzing guest behavior and industry trends specific to Disneyland, with a focus on ensuring a positive guest experience. We work with restaurant managers, chefs, F&B operations support teams, and finance partners to ensure our offerings are fairly priced, competitive, and sustainable, while also meeting our long-term business goals and revenue objectives. Our day-to-day work is challenging, fun, and a little bit magical.
How did you start your career at Disney?
I had some relationship with Disney before a role in finance appeared. As an undergrad at the University of Albany, I applied for the Disney College Program. Students who participate in the program have the opportunity to gain hospitality experience by working at Disney Parks. The summer I participated, I rotated through every area of food and beverage at the Disneyland Resort. Over twelve weeks, I worked as a room service waiter at the Disneyland Hotel, helped with inventory management for catering, served at a few different resort restaurants, and even worked in a coffee shop in the park.
When I returned to Disney as a salaried employee, my role focused on reporting items like revenue and cost of sales while managing profits and losses. My role later evolved into working with the information technology team to support our point-of-sale system for food, beverages, and merchandise.
How has the MSHT program helped you in your current role?
The program helped me gather all the data points and understand that not everything can be handled in one way. Because my role is focused on finance, I’m often focused on improving revenue.
Driving down costs via tech optimization is one way to accomplish this, but from an HR perspective, something like new training could have a similar effect. Investment in marketing could be another factor that boosts revenue.
The MSHT program put these perspectives into context, helping me create and implement better solutions at Disney.
How was the online learning experience?
The online experience was new to me, so it was difficult to “connect” with classmates and professors at first, but staying after class and connecting with classmates in the chat allowed for further live conversations outside of the Zoom classes. Additionally, a few of us connected around the LA area outside of class, and this has fostered meaningful connections and friendships.
The program also broadened my perspective to see things from a global perspective. Internationally, the cost of doing business is also high, so it was also refreshing to know that the problems we face aren’t solely geographically focused. One of my classmates was based in Dubai, and it was great to talk to her and learn what it takes to be successful in that region.
What was your favorite thing about the MSHT program?
My favorite part of USC is the network and engaging with the USC community! I’m excited to be an ambassador and looking forward to networking with potential students interested in the MSHT program.
As an MSHT Ambassador, what advice would you share with prospective students?
Like most things in life: “You get out what you put in or invest.” Higher education is expensive, but it’s an investment in yourself. If you are only in it for the degree and not connecting with professionals in the industry, I’d suggest a different path. If you are serious about advancing your career and knowledge of the industry, however, this is worth the time and investment.
The classes and workload were challenging with a full-time job. However, like anything, you have to prioritize what is important to you and what you are trying to accomplish; this includes making short-term sacrifices for long-term success.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
Along with advancing at Disney, I hope to teach someday and connect with more professionals in the industry. Having this master’s will give me more credibility to do so in the future.
Learn more about the Online MS in Hospitality and Tourism program today.