Dr. Marlene T. Csonka

Marlene Csonka is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hospitality Management at International University Canada, where she teaches and supports students across the School of Hospitality & Tourism. Her academic work focuses on guest service operations, examining how hotels, resorts, and hospitality businesses deliver consistent, high-quality experiences across every stage of the guest journey.

Throughout her early academic career, Marlene Csonka has built a teaching approach grounded in service excellence and operational detail, helping students understand how front-of-house and back-of-house operations work together to shape a guest's overall experience. She encourages students to think from the guest's perspective while also understanding the operational systems required to deliver that experience consistently.

In her courses, Marlene Csonka draws on hospitality case studies, service design frameworks, and current research in guest experience management to help students build practical operational skills. Students explore topics such as front office operations, housekeeping management, guest service recovery, and the technology systems increasingly used to personalize and streamline hospitality service delivery.

As an Assistant Professor within the Department of Hospitality Management, Marlene Csonka also supports curriculum development that reflects changing guest expectations and the growing role of technology in hospitality operations. She works closely with senior faculty across the School of Hospitality & Tourism to ensure that coursework remains practical, current, and aligned with the skills hospitality employers value most.

Marlene Csonka is especially attentive to helping students develop strong problem-solving and communication skills, recognizing that service recovery and guest satisfaction often depend on how staff respond to unexpected situations. She uses scenario-based exercises to help students practice handling common operational and service challenges before encountering them in real hospitality settings.

Recognizing that many of her students are working professionals studying online, Marlene Csonka structures her courses with practical operational checklists, accessible case studies, and consistent opportunities for applied discussion. Her approach to online teaching emphasizes building service and operational skills that students can apply directly within hotels, resorts, and other hospitality businesses.

Students who study under Marlene Csonka often highlight her ability to make hospitality operations feel practical and directly relevant to real guest service challenges. Her long-term goal as an educator is to help students develop the operational expertise and service mindset needed to succeed in hospitality management roles worldwide.