Career in Hotel Management

Every hotel has a different personality and composition. The basics of running a hotel remain same in India or any other country. Hence it is easy for a quality professional to find jobs across the world. The key ingredient for success is ‘Customer Service’. The customer service is facilitated with friendly supporting staff along with the right professionalism. It is crucial to make a lasting positive impression on every customer. It is easier said than done. You have to be at your best behavior at all the times. There would be times, when the customer shall approach you with a bad mood. But you cannot lose your calm.

A successful hotel management professional would have an affinity towards socializing and ability to understand the needs of people. It is helpful to have a sense of humor to put even the nervy customer at an ease. You should have an eye for detail. Additionally you should be really good at managing people. It deals with managing hundreds of people especially if you are in some of the best ones.

In a hotel work is divided across multiple departments:

Front Desk and Reception: When the guest arrives at a hotel it is the ‘Front Desk’ or ‘Reception’ that welcomes him and begins the process to complete the registration formalities. The guest is then escorted to the designated guest room by a lobby attendant, also known as the ‘Bell Boy’ in some hotels.

Concierge: This is the desk near the entrance, inside the hotel lobby, that is responsible for unloading, storing and delivering the guest baggage to the designated room. During check out, it’s the ‘Concierge Desk’ that has the baggage collected from the room and loaded on the guest’s vehicle.

Housekeeping: The maintenance of all guest rooms, common areas, service areas and lobbies, is the responsibility of ‘Housekeeping’ department.

Room Service: Delivering meals to guests in the rooms and collecting back the dishes after the meal, is the responsibility of ‘Room Service’ department.

Food and Beverage (F&B): Management and maintenance of all dining areas including the kitchen space, and serving guests in the dining areas, is the responsibility of the ‘F&B’ department. Chefs are a part of F&B department.

Guest Services: Managing these services involves managing services of office including accessing computer, printer, scanner, etc.; conference facilities; banquet spaces for holding meetings and functions, all fall under the purview of ‘Guest Services’.

Travel Desk: Pick up and drop from airport, railway or any other location, ticketing, excursion planning and coordination of guests is the responsibility of the ‘Travel Desk’.

Health and Spa: Managing, maintaining and serving guests in the salon, spa, gym, swimming pool, etc., is the responsibility of the ‘Health and Spa’ department.

As you can see, each activity mentioned above is a specialised service that requires intense training and experience to ensure that the guest receives the best and warmest experience during his stay at the hotel. The training for the above services forms part of hotel management. This could be a 3 or a 4-year degree course. One can also pursue a diploma in the field.