Month: November 2017

For the hospitality industry, guest services is critical. Without quality and consistent customer service, hotels and resorts cannot guarantee return customers, referrals for new customers, or positive online ratings and testimonials. And although a crucial component of achieving quality guest services is through front desk interactions and individual guest service representatives, the most important player of all is the Guest Services Coordinator. Not only is this position responsible for ensuring guests have quality stays, but Guest Services Coordinators also ensure that other guest service personnel follow quality control standards, such as implementing the hotel’s best practices for guest interactions. At larger hotels, Guest Service Coordinators may even take on more managerial tasks, but regardless of the hotel’s size, there’s no question that Guest Service Coordinators are essential to a hotel’s continued success.

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Hotels are everywhere. Whether that be the motel or hotel chains that line the Interstate for travelers’ convenience, small boutique B&Bs designed for intimate get-aways, large full-service chains that cater to national and international conferences, or luxury resorts built for all-inclusive vacations. Each of these needs multiple employees to run day-to-day operations and fulfill customer’s needs. But who manages those employees? Who ensures that the hotel is operating at peak performance and coordinates between departments and managers? Who balances the demands of hotel guests, employees, potential events, budgets, company standards, and many aspects in between? More than likely, the person who does all of those things is the Director of Hotel Operations. With key skills in organizational planning, human resources, and administrative services, Directors of Hotel Operations are key players in any hotel’s success.

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The leisure and hospitality industry was one of the hardest hit by the 2008 recession. Nearly 10 years later, the industry has fully recovered. With that recovery has come increases in employment and revenue. Combined with the hotel industry’s full recovery from the recession are the changes made to the hospitality industry by improvements in technology that allow for easy check-in and check-out, simplified restaurant ordering, the influence of social media, and the use of virtual reality to preview hotel and resort properties. How do hotels turn all of these industry changes and improvements into revenue? Who determines the best way for hotels to harness seamless technology with social media to ensure customer retention and new customer referrals? Whether at a small boutique hotel or a large resort, all of that comes down to the Director of Hotel Sales. With skills in customer service, sales, and profit management, Directors of Hotel Sales play key roles in the continued success of the hospitality industry.

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The hospitality industry is currently experiencing a resurgence now that the global economy has recovered from the 2008 recession. Hotels and resorts are seeing an increase in customers and necessary employees to meet those customers’ needs. Whether big or small, every hotel needs a team of employees to run day-to-day operations and fulfill customer needs, and all of those employees need qualified managers to ensure the entire hotel is running at maximum proficiency. The task of the General Manager is to ensure all of the hotel’s departments, managers, and employees are organized and performing to the best of their abilities. Not only are General Managers responsible for the hotel operations and staff, but they also ensure quality customer relations, including quality control standards and best practices. With all there is to manage, there’s no question that Hotel General Managers are key players in any hotel’s success.

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A: Also known as a Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) or Marketing Director, Directors of Marketing oversee marketing activities at an organization. They manage the organization’s brand, communications (including but not limited to advertising, promotions and public relations), research, sales, product development, distribution, pricing, and customer service. They are often expected to report directly to their organizations Chief Executive Officer or equivalent position. This is executive as it comes, which requires the confidence, motivation, results and disposition associated with those positions. Marketing Directors are often on the level of Chief Human Resource Officers, Chief Technology Officers, Chief Financial Officers, and general counsel, among other top executives in a traditional corporate structure. Their juniors will likely include Senior Vice Presidents, Directors, and other senior marketing staff members. Directors of Marketing analyze market research and base pricing on that analysis, create new copy, promotional and advertising materials, and integrate different personnel to meet organizational goals.

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A: Working in the food industry can feel like a Sisyphean chore. Wages are low, hours are long, glory is distant and fleeting. But for anyone who’s serious about working their way up the kitchen ladder, there’s one position that is extremely appealing: working as an Executive Chef. Executive Chef’s are leaders that run kitchens as they see fit, managing equipment, staff, food supply and much more. They are ultimately responsible for anything produced by a commercial kitchen, and a good deal of the issues that can be associated with them. Whether its creating a menu, making sure it’s executed properly, ordering inventory, maintaining safety and sanitation criterion or mandating how dishes are plated, Executive Chef’s are expected to be in control, which is a natural fit for some personalities. If you’re not comfortable setting standards and strictly adhering to them, this isn’t the job for you. Executive Chef’s are Type A personalities with extreme attention to detail and excellent hygiene. If you know you’re up to it, here are some steps you can take to better your chances of becoming an Executive Chef.

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A: If you’ve ever realized that you have a natural knack for organization, uniting people and bringing them joy and fulfillment, you might have considered becoming an Event Planner. Event Planners conceive, create and manage projects that can range from small gatherings to gargantuan festivals, and everything in between. It’s grueling yet extremely rewarding work, that allows successful planners access to people and places they likely wouldn’t have been involved with otherwise. The job can be stressful, but many event planners are able to work for themselves, and only take on projects when and if they’re interested in doing them. So how does someone become an event planner?

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Hospitality Management Job Prospects

The field of hospitality is enormous, generating massive revenue and encompassing a vast array of settings and workers. In 2016, travelers in the United States spent more than $293 billion on lodging and accommodations, and this sector supports over 1.4 million jobs. In addition to vast revenue, the field has tremendous breadth. Beyond hotels and lodging, the hospitality industry includes such lucrative venues as casinos, cruises, restaurants, tour companies and convention centers. Zeroing in on any one sub-sector of the hospitality industry reveals a tremendous range of job positions and specialties as well, from the housekeepers who turn down beds to the executives who market luxury resorts. And while many jobs today are in danger of outsourcing and automation, the human touch and face-to-face personal attention define the experience of hospitality. Jobs in the field are only likely to increase over time, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 33% growth in the sector.

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