Career in Hotel Management

Guest is God is the most important ruling of hospitality Industry. This concept of giving utmost importance and respect to the guest remained has taken a new form. With the span of time, it gradually got commercialised with the emergence of restaurants and hotels. The restaurants and hotels appeared as the milestones in this long journey of the Hospitality Industry.

Today hotels are the major service providers of the hospitality sector. Hotels are basically a big pool of professions and management related techniques related to the care of (paid) guests right from their entry and comfortable stay to a pleasant exit. This task of taking care of the guests requires high level of professional expertise involving an amalgam of various professions and activities. That is why; there is a big army of personnel employed in hotels especially in star (five and seven stars) hotels.

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Growth of the hotel sector is directly related to revenue and a big pool of employment opportunities. There is a growing demand of diversified human resources in this industry ranging from Manager and Engineer to sweeper. Big hotels are usually multi-departmental encompassing the following departments:

• Food and beverage (F&B)

• Housekeeping

• Financial management

• Marketing

• Recreation

• Computer Application

• Engineering

• Maintenance

• Security

• Fire fighting

• Public Relations

Catering: The catering department headed by F&B Manager provides food to he guests. The Manager Strategies and controls the different works of this department. The Manager and Asst. Managers decide the price of the menu items; ensure consistent quality food preparation and service. The Executive Chef is in-charge of the operation of the kitchen while the Restaurant and Food Managers meet with the sales representatives of the restaurant suppliers to place orders to replenish stocks of tableware, linens and cooking utensils etc.

A hotel is also maintained just like a house but on a large scale and with a professional touch. The housekeeping department is responsible for the cleanliness and other types of maintenance in the rooms, lobby, lounges, parks, etc. The department is headed by the Executive Housekeeper who ensures that guest rooms, banquet rooms are tidy and well maintained. Shift duties are assigned in this section especially because of the nature of the work that goes on round the clock. There are floor Supervisors in-charge of rooms on a floor who instruct and direct the room boys, linen maids and sweepers etc.

People of this department are the first ones to welcome the guests in the hotel premises. The Front Office Manager who is the in-charge of this section supervises the reservations and room assignment scenario while the reservations etc. are done by the front desk staff. Reservation clerk, bellboy, receptionist, information clerk are some of the personnel of this section. A courteous and pleasing dealing of the customer is their main task.

A good personality, a desire of meeting and attending people, confidence and an extrovert attitude are the most desired requirements for this field. A lot of hard work is expected because working in a hotel is never an eight-hour job and goes way beyond.

The industry is expected to flourish further with the expansion of the tourism sector. With hotels coming up in record numbers to cater to the ever growing domestic and international travelers, the demand for trained professional has multiplied and will further increase in the days to come. That is why, the hotel industry has a bright future and so have the hotel management professionals. After completing a course in hotel management, a graduate is usually taken as a trainee. During this period the trainees are required to understand the practical aspects of the system of their employer hotel. They are given a good amount as stipend during the training period. After the successful training in the hotel, the sky is the limit for growth and development. Depending on the performance, one can expect promotions. This industry is known for providing a handsome package to its professional staff like Chef, Managers, and Public Relations Officer etc. Senior managers in a private hotel are paid like Corporate Managers.

Pay: Starting salaries or say stipends during training is although not big but after successful completion of the training, they are absorbed in positions with good and handsome salary +perks. Salaries would, of course, vary from chain to chain.

• Five star and other big hotels

• Airlines

• Travel and tour agencies

• Hotel management training institutes

• Clubs

• Catering departments of Corporates

• Cruise ship hotels

• Reputed restaurants