Hotel and Hospitality Management

India in 2016 recorded a 10% increase in the number of foreign visitors. As per India Trading, a total of 6,15,000 foreign visitors came to India in September 2016 alone. 

Thus, owing to this surge in visitors, the Indian Government is enthusiastically investing in developing the hospitality sector of which the hotel industry is a crucial part.

This in turn has led to more hotels being built and in order to cater to this impressive increase in tourists more and more jobs are available in the hospitality sector.

Thus, in this era of globalization, the hospitality industry is the place one should definitely be in. There are a variety of portfolios wherein aspirants can make a career for themselves in the hospitality industry. Some of these areas are mentioned below.

Note: Candidates are informed that if they want to join the hotel management sector right after their graduation then they will most likely be hired for the position of a Trainee or Executive.

1. Hotel Manager

        The title, “hotel manager” often refers to a hotel’s general manager, who serves as the head executive at a specific property. The duties assigned to the manager depending on the size of the hotel, as well as its purpose and the expectations of its owners. A general manager at a hotel receives support from department heads, who oversee their own employees and report on the key functions

       Primary Duties: The general manager of a hotel is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations, overseeing other department heads and managers, making sure all policies and processes are carefully followed, handling complaints, managing service recovery procedures, maintaining hotel budgets, and managing all property issues that may arise.

He/she is overall in charge of a hotel. A hotel manager is the one responsible to maintain the standards of service and providing facilities to guests. A hotel manager supervises the working of the housekeeping department, ensures that good quality food is offered to guests, and is also involved with the working of the banquet department.

A hotel manager is responsible to establish the standard of the hotel and is also the person in charge to devise plans to increase the finances as well as popularity of the establishment.

2. Front Office Manager

       Primary Duties: The general manager of a hotel is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations, overseeing other department heads and managers, making sure all policies and processes are carefully followed, handling complaints, managing service recovery procedures, maintaining hotel budgets, and managing all property issues that may arise.

People with such a profile oversee the work of receptionists, reservation clerks, and information clerks as well as other personnel such as the doorman and the bell boy. Apart from this, front office managers are also responsible for ensuring that rooms that are offered to guests meet their requirements. They also coordinate between the housekeeping department as well as the food and beverage department to ensure that requests made by guests are catered to on time.

3. Food and Beverage Manager

            Professionals in this career choice particularly need to plan, organize and supervise the work of the catering department. People in this profile usually have the task of interacting with guests and ensuring that the needs/demands of customers are fulfilled.

        Primary Duties:  The food and beverage manager has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders when parties or events are being conducted at the hotel’s banquet.

4. Restaurant and Food Service Manager

          Primary Duties: People working in this profile are responsible for taking stock of cutlery, linens, paper, cleaning supplies, cooking utensils as well as furniture and fixtures of the hotel. They are also the people in charge of arranging equipment maintenance and repairs.

5. Housekeeping manager

          A housekeeping manager is responsible for ensuring compliance with cleanliness and hygiene standards within a hotel. Common duties include hiring and training staff, working with hotel guests to ensure their individual needs are met, creating and overseeing schedules, managing inventory, and coordinating with other departments.

          Primary Duties:  They are responsible for ensuring that the entire hotel premises (which includes the guest rooms, meeting rooms, banquet rooms, and reception area) are clean and well maintained.

A housekeeping manager is also responsible for training, making rosters, and supervising the work of housekeepers along with timely ordering of cleaning supplies.

The housekeeping manager supervises the working of housekeepers, cleaners, and seamstresses.

6. Catering manager

         Primary Duties:  In a hotel, a catering manager works directly with members of the catering staff to handle a variety of tasks related to food preparation and service. Some of these tasks include coordinating and managing operations, managing a team of catering professionals, entering food orders, coordinating with other departments within the hotel, and overseeing food preparation to ensure quality standards are met.

7. Conference Center manager

           Primary Duties: A conference center manager oversees the operations of a convention or conference center. Some of the tasks may include booking events, preparing and managing contracts, reporting on financial information, managing inventory, supervising staff members and other department heads, troubleshooting any issues that arise, and inspecting the facility pre-event and post-event.

8. Chef

            Primary Duties: They are responsible for preparing meals, training kitchen staff, ordering supplies, planning menus, managing the kitchen budget, enforcing health and safety regulations, and preserving food quality.

Chefs are usually the first people to reach for work and the last ones to leave.

9. Banquet Manager: People who choose this profile are responsible for every event that is conducted at the hotel’s banquet. The banquet manager is responsible to rent out the banquet to companies for corporate events as well as private parties.

         Primary Duties: A banquet manager needs to work very closely with the catering department as well as the food and beverage manager to ensure that timely snacks, food, and drinks are offered to the guests.

10. Steward

           Primary Duties:  Hotel stewards are responsible for ensuring that the necessary cutlery is laid out at the hotel’s restaurants along with ensuring that the banquet rooms have adequate and proper furnishings. However, the responsibility of a steward does not end there. They also need to ensure that the food for room service is prepared quickly and orders are filled quickly, properly, and accurately.

Stewards also need to have a good memory and remember all the order specifications accurately.

They are in charge of the upkeep of all the rooms on a hotel’s floor. They work closely with maids and bell boys

OTHER PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS IN HOTEL MANAGEMENTS

Some of the most common departments at a major hotel include the front office or front desk, reservations, housekeeping, revenue, sales and marketing, events and catering, finance, food and beverage, security, human resources, and engineering. A career in the hotel management may involve working in any of these areas within the industry. In a smaller hotel, the departments may include housekeeping, guest services, engineering, food and beverage, accounts, and sales and marketing.

Working in hotel management often requires you to gain experience in a hotel, whether you are working at the front desk or in housekeeping. Many hotel management professionals work their way up through the industry because the relevant experience is often highly valued in hospitality.

Some positions may require applicants to hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management, Business, or another related field, although it depends on the hotel and the requirements of the job. If you want to move up further in the hotel management industry, such as working as a regional vice president or director, you may need a graduate-level degree.