CAREER IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT
A career in hotel management offers a rewarding path with high demand for skilled professionals in a growing industry, providing roles from hotel manager to catering manager, event manager, and even entrepreneurial opportunities in hospitality. While requiring a strong combination of education, diverse skills, and practical experience, this career can lead to significant personal and professional growth, with opportunities for advancement into management and even international roles.
Career Paths and Job Roles
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- Front Office Manager: Oversees guest reception and front-desk operations.
- Food and Beverage Manager: Manages food production, service, and beverage operation
- Front Office Manager: Oversees guest reception and front-desk operations.
- Housekeeping Manager: Responsible for the cleanliness and upkeep of hotel facilities
- Sales and Marketing Executive: Focuses on promoting hotel services and attracting customers.
- Chef: Manages culinary operations and creates menus
- Resort/Hotel Manager: Takes overall responsibility for the smooth and efficient operation of a hotel or resort.
- Entrepreneur: With experience, graduates can start their own hospitality ventures, like restaurants or boutique hotels.
Careers in hospitality
With a degree in hospitality management, your career opportunities are truly limitless. The global industry continues to grow, change and diversify every year. In fact, hospitality is one of the world’s fastest growing employment sectors and it is predicted to continue growing strong for the coming years. Luxury hospitality and tourism careers also present a unique career track for professionals who specialize in creating the finest guest experiences. Here is a breakdown of the kinds of jobs can you get with a hospitality management degree.
Hotel management jobs
Traditional hospitality careers often start in hotels and resorts, and the accommodation sector is
growing more diverse with new properties and new concepts coming to the industry. You could start in Reception, Guest Relations or Rooms Division and work your way up to a Director or GM position. You could choose a company you identify with and grow your career with openings in new locations. Or you can develop a career in marketing or finance and work for a variety of different hospitality companies.
Examples of hotel management career progression:
- Front Office Supervisor >> Rooms Division Manager >> Assistant Director of Operations >> General Manager
- Night Manager >> Guest Relations Manager >> Director of Sales >> Group Regional Manager
Food & Beverage Jobs
Another core area of hospitality careers is the Food & Beverage sector which includes restaurants, night clubs, catering, food trucks, fine wines & spirits, bakeries and sweets, recipe design, and more, as the industry evolves quickly. Hospitality students receive significant training in this area, and demand is quite high, so it’s easy to find a supervisory or management role right after graduation.
Examples of F&B career progression:
- F&B Outlets Manager (hotel) >> Culinary Director >> Director of F&B
- F&B Coordinator >> F&B Catering & Events Manager >> Entrepreneur
Travel & Tourism Jobs
A hospitality degree also prepares graduates to work in businesses related to travel and tourism,
where hospitality services and skills are essential to the customer experience. This includes airlines, cruise ships, private jets and charters, and the career paths vary widely from guest-facing positions in the service areas, to back-end marketing and sales and finance roles. Career opportunities in tourism are booming as the number of tourists continues to grow and visitor expectations change with every generation. It includes positions in the tour-bus market, planning and marketing excursions, travel writing, tour packages, destination management and tourism planning.
Examples of travel & tourism career paths:
- Hospitality Services Coordinator (Cruise) >> Guest Experience Manager >> Director of HR & Training
- VIP Lounge Assistant >> Guest Services Coordinator >> Director of Operations
- Communications Specialist >> Digital Marketing Manager >> Business Development Director
Events, Sports, Wellness & Leisure Positions
Other Sectors for Hospitality Graduates
A hospitality degree opens the doors to other types of careers as well. In fact, hospitality-related soft skills are highly valued in the job market as is international experience and cultural awareness, both of which are covered in hospitality degree programs. Here are some examples of career paths from EHL Alumni on LinkedIn who are not working in the hospitality sector:
- Digital Marketer >> Sales Funnel Manager >> Assistant Director Marketing
- Office Coordinator >> Merchandising Expert >> Marketing Manager (Proctor & Gamble)
- Sales & Planning Coordinator (Honda) >> Product Manager (Honda Motorcycles) >> Business Planning Specialist (Nestlé)
- Finance & Control Intern (Nestlé) >> Expat Tax Associate (PWC) >> International Wealth Management Front Support (Credit Suisse)
Hospitality Salaries & Benefits