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The types of hospitality jobs are so diverse, the service industry represents the largest occupational group of all workers, including part time and seasonal employees. Typical management jobs are regional manager, front of house manager, front desk manager, training and personnel manager, operations manager, guest services manager and night manager.
Service employees responsible to these various departments are the food and beverage manager, restaurant and bar managers, head housekeeper, maintenance and security manager, banquets and catering managers, executive chef and sales executive, head receptionist and night auditor. -
With sumptuous five-star rated hotels, the lodging and service industry seeks to be a "home away from home" full-service establishment. Catering to a well-heeled clientele, they provide their guests with every need, including more than just food service. They may offer retail shops, drug stores, workout rooms, fitness areas and swimming pools, laundry services, valet and concierge operations and even health spas and cosmetics specialists.
Some of the finest hotels focus on attracting the convention crowd, offering meeting rooms prepped with audio visual equipment, blocks of rooms devoted to specific organizations, including self-contained banquet and recreational areas. The guest may never need to leave his "corporate hotel environment."
Even limited-service motels and suites hotels (areas with combined living and kitchenette facilities) often have on-site restaurants, free continental breakfast areas and a variety of ice and vending machines. The most modest lodgings are even offering Internet access with fax machine capabilities. -
These features and amenities equate to operations that need lots of people power and that means plenty of jobs. Food and beverage services are needed for the restaurant, room service, banqueting and stores operations. Typical jobs under this umbrella may be bartending, waiter and waitress, room service staff, and, depending on size limitations may also include kitchen supervisor, head chef, sous chef, kitchen staff, cooks and maitre d' or receptionist.
The Front of House manager has under his command hall porters or bell boys, drivers, receptionists, cashiers, sales clerks, switchboard operators and reservation clerks.
In addition to all the concessions, such as the retail stores and other subsidiary outlets, there will be a security outfit and the operations involved with the buyers and stocking clerks, and the shuttling about in the parking garage. -
Working conditions, of course, will vary as each individual job description is so unique, but essentially the new hire will most likely be working rotating shifts according to experience and seniority in this 24-hour service business. There are peak seasons when more staff will be brought on and workers will find themselves working overtime, or on odd shifts to cover a particularly high demand, such as might come about with a festival, specific celebration or convention.
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When working with the public, hospitality workers will deal with all types of people and need to be able to communicate, and extend a gracious and solicitous manner, even at the end of a very stressful or hectic day. Most hospitality businesses rely on the "word of mouth" of satisfied visitors and hope to meet and reach the status of an excellent hotelier with a stellar reputation for service and quality. Sometimes that means that workers must be the invisible-yet-responsive elves for their customers.
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Pay is usually commensurate with experience, but the average hotel worker makes $10 an hour and up. Tips may help to augment the basic workers' income, but education in the hospitality industry will be needed for management success. Office and administrative support counts for about 19 percent of all employment and wages vary depending upon job accountability.
Comments
lubna11 said
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