What practice for college student ,whose major is hotel manegement ?
I am senior In high school , interesting in hotel management . But very confuse what job about this major and how much money can I get in the beginning . #professor #management #hospitality #hotel
6 answers
Quinn’s Answer
Ruina,
I can comment on this from working in the Hotel Industry. A Hotel management degree is a great start absolutely, however the Hotel buisness is still one where experience is key. YOu should definitely start working in the industry as soon as you can. I would recomend working at the Front Desk to start, You can get a good feel for how the hotel runs from this vantage point.
In terms of Salary, the buisness does not pay a ton of money, your options will increase if you go to work for a large-luxury brand like W, Fairmont, or Four Seasons.
I echo both Quinn and Daniella.
I was an adjunct professor at UNLV - Hotel College. My advice to students is to seek out industry professional for their feedback / shadowing. They are willing to lend a hand and allocate time to show you around.
Also, I recommend to join associations that your college offers such as Club Management Association of America (CMAA) if you are interested in the Country Club, City Club - private club type of settings.
There are various associations that you can join that caters specifically to your interest.
They offer field trips/ hands on perspective / and real life exposure on the fields you want to explore. Hospitality industries are quite broad and this will definitely provide some insights/ exposure.
Sylvia S Lim
Daniela Silva
Daniela’s Answer
Hi Ruina,
Here it is some tips:
Develop Your Skills:
- Because you may be interacting on a regular basis with customers of diverse backgrounds, you'll need to have exceptional customer service and interpersonal skills. You may also have a staff of front desk representatives and facility workers who report to you, so being able to delegate tasks and motivate your team are important.
Being self-starting, proactive in finding solutions to problems and able to work in stressful situations is also required. Managing a hotel entails dealing with finances, reservation systems, security and maintenance issues, so having good math, accounting and technical skills, and the ability to remain calm during emergencies is also essential.
Get Certified:
- Certification that you may obtain includes the Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) designation, offered by the American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute. The CHA designation is designed specifically for hotel general managers, and you can earn this designation if you have a 2-year hospitality degree and two years of work experience (ahlei.org). An early entry option allows you to work toward CHA certification as you complete a degree program and gain work experience.
Search For a Training Program:
- Most large hotel chains offer management-training programs in which you could receive on-the-job training in your area of specialty. Eligibility requirements to participate in these programs include current enrollment in an undergraduate degree program or a bachelor's degree and six months of relevant work experience. The length of training for these programs is typically 6-18 months.
You may receive training in finance, front office, food and beverage sales, housekeeping, hotel maintenance, human resources and revenue management. Training for a hotel general manager career usually includes rotating through several departments as an assistant manager. After you have completed the program, you may be placed as an assistant or general manager at the location where you trained or at a location where there is a job opening.
Earn a Degree:
- Bachelor's degree programs in hospitality management consist of similar courses, such as food production management, facilities management and revenue management. Most undergraduate degree programs related to hospitality management include an internship component, in which you will gain hands-on training at a hotel.
Master's degree programs in hospitality management focus more on interpersonal leadership skills, such as crisis communication, group dynamics, negotiation and mediation. Another educational route you might consider for career advancement is a graduate certificate program in hospitality management or hospitality marketing. Certificate programs may offer a combination of courses similar to those in a degree program, such as hospitality marketing and team dynamics.
What Salary Could I Expect to Earn?
- According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, lodging managers earned a median salary of $46,830 in May 2013 (www.bls.gov). The top-paid 10% earned $92,480 per year, while the bottom-paid 10% earned $28,550. The vast majority of employees in the field worked in the travel accommodation industry.
Source: http://learn.org/articles/How_Can_I_Become_a_Hotel_General_Manager.html
http://learn.org/articles/Hotel_Operations_Manager_Career_and_Salary_FAQs.html
I hope this information can help you. Good Studies!!
Megan’s Answer
You have great thoughts about majoring in Hotel Management. However, I can say from experience and from what I have seen that majoring in hotel management is not necessary to get a career in hospitality management. The key as stated above is experience. Hotels are very likely to promote from within, looking at dedication and performance more than education. (Still get one.) Every college major that you look at has something to bring to the table. I would perhaps recommend diversifying your degree from strictly hotel management and getting a summer or weekend job at a hotel. Throughout our management company, we all have different degrees which lead to different niches. My degrees are in literature and rhetoric, and I have been asked for help in writing trainings and responding to tricky guest situations. Some of us have a business and/or marketing degrees, accounting degrees, etc. Others of us have hospitality management degrees. Just choose the degree with the courses that interest you the most and focus on getting experience.
Katya’s Answer
I believe I order to understand all pro/con of any field it’s important to know all entry,mid level positions as it will help you build your skill level set and you will be able to support your team much more effective once you know their responsibilities and how all processes work.
I started working in the Front Desk and I was a receptionist. I worked three different shifts . What I liked most about the job was a very fast paste environment. My main responsibilities were to check in.check out quests. To accommodate their needs-it was from making sure they were completely satisfied with the room they booked, the cleaning was completed on time, during the day and there were no complaints. I also was responsible for booking dinner reservations, taking rooms service and any maintenance requests and had to coordinate with the facility crew to make sure all issues are addressed on timely matter. In NY- people often requested to book Broadway shows and I had to book tickets, have them delivered to the quests.
The second responsibility was making hotel reservations- all was done mostly over the phone-you searched for room types, checked on availability and the price and of course the view of the room was important.
I absolutely enjoyed working in the Hotel. I think you should start with beginner position and work your experience and grow within the organization.
Junnie’s Answer
I graduated with a bachelor in Hotel, Restaurant and Intuitional Management. Similar to you, when I was in high school, I wanted to work in the hotel industry.
There are many different hotel department: Front desk, housekeeping, events/ banquets, restaurants and HR. Not all hotels have events/ banquets or restaurants.
In most cases, I would think you are able to get summer jobs in most of these departments, to get some hands-on experiences.
In most 4 years bachelor program, internships in hotel is required to graduate. Hence, you also able to try out all these departments.
Front desk, events/ banquets usually meets lots of people days in and day out. Restaurant, you will have to interested in culinary, and if you are, you might even have a minor in culinary. As for housekeeping and HR, it is a lot of management, and maintenance.
All of these departments really are very different.
I always wanted to be an event planner, but I also like food/ culinary a lot and due to opportunity presented to me, I have continued my study with AS in culinary, and became a chef.
Good luck with your endeavors. Sometimes, we can only plan so much, but keep an open mind to experience life and the opportunity presented to you at the moment.
