Hospitality Management

Tired of all those white specks appearing on your dark-colored clothing? Have you tried to ignore this condition only to be subtly reminded of it by your mother who brushes off your shoulders with every welcoming hug? But, since you interrupted your college education for that incredibly low-paying position in the corporate mailroom you haven’t felt either the need or motivation to do anything about your dandruff situation. You need motivation. You need to get a career in hospitality management.

How a Career in Hospitality Management Helps Your Image
Hospitality managers are fortunate individuals who get to interact with people on a daily basis. Therefore, they get to pay particular attention to every detail of their appearance. This helps keep people they meet feeling comfortable when in their company through a well-presented, good-looking smile, a warm welcoming handshake and an attractive physical appearance that is free from the embarrassing speckles of dandruff. Because hospitality managers must meet and greet people frequently during daily chores, they employ all the necessary personal hygiene techniques proven to enhance one’s physical appearance. These include the proper use of personal deodorant, toothpaste, attractive scenting products like after shave and cologne and, of course, necessary hair products such as anti-dandruff shampoo.

Why do Hospitality Managers Suffer Dandruff?
Although t is clearly indicated by scientific research that certain people are pre-disposed to changes in scalp skin, there is no direct evidence to the causes for dandruff found on hospitality managers. There are no scientific reasons for increased skin cell production leading to flaking appearing on the shoulders of working managers. Supposition ranges from the fact these highly-trained, hard-working professionals are susceptible to the condition from an early age when mental faculties work at an ever increasing rate stimulating the skin cell overproduction. It’s not a good theory, nor one widely held by anyone anywhere else than here, but it is a theory nonetheless. The problem becomes one of control. Prior to studying to become a qualified hospitality manager, many individuals live in a state of self-denial subjugating any desires to take control of their personal appearances and, thus, fail to act effectively to address this debilitating dandruff situation. What to do?

Create an Effective Dandruff Control Plan
The most effective method toward getting control over any personal dandruff situation is to enroll in a course of education leading to a hospitality management career. A great idea is to research career and education opportunities online at the American Hotel and Lodging Association. There are basically three levels of education that will prepare individuals for a career in hospitality management where through the proper use of effective hair products, personal dandruff will be controlled. These levels are:
• Associate’s Degree Level
• Bachelor’s Degree Level
• Master’s Degree Level

Of course, each level of education provides a greater degree of knowledge and skills acquired leading to more attention paid toward control of dandruff on a professional level. Although it is quite important for even a department head at a hotel to present an acceptable physical image through dandruff control, it is highly important for the director of hospitality management for an international company to be flake free as well.

Therefore, if you are earnestly in search for the proper motivation to control personal dandruff, seek a career in hospitality management.

Sometimes many young people procrastinate toward getting a post-high school education because they fear long-term commitment to study. After all, recent high school graduates have just endured 12 years of constant education that – to many – is enough. However, in today’s modern world more employment opportunities are increasingly available to people who have obtained a post-secondary education that prepares students with focused knowledge and specialized skills. This is especially true in the world of hospitality management. There is good news. Students seeking a career in this good-paying industry can examine the possibility of a two-year course of study leading to an Associate of Business Administration: Hospitality Degree.

Who Earns Such a Degree?
Basically, students completing a two-year course of study leading to earning an Associate of Business Administration in Hospitality are prepared for entry level hospitality management careers in the tourism, travel and lodging industries. Opportunities are found at hotels and motels, casinos, resorts, private clubs, cruise ships, restaurants, specialty spas and more. Typically, professionals possessing a two-year degree enter as “assistant” managers or possibly a department head.

Course Study Produces Management Skills
Students pursuing a two-year course of study in hospitality management learn basic management business skills that concern hospitality operations in a hotel, restaurant, convention center, banquet facility, resort, and spa or cruise ship. Although the knowledge and skills acquitted through this course of study grant entry-level employment access, this is bit a first-step toward advancement into upper management ranks within the industry.

Knowledge and Skills Acquired through Study
Students enrolled in a two-year program in hospitality management will gain a general understanding of the philosophies and techniques required for effective – and profitable – running of business operations including classes such as:
• Hospitality Philosophy
• Facility Management
• Economics
• Psychology
• Customer Relations
• Employee Relations
• Food and Beverage Management
• Housekeeping
• Computer Technology

Course study, along with practical application during the entire program pursuit, helps students gain the professional skills needed such as team-building, communication, problem solving, confrontation management, business (sales and marketing as well as bookkeeping and accounting), employee supervision along with other specific skills like casino, health spa, golf club or other areas of hospitality management requiring much narrow focus.

Great Forecast
The forecast for job opportunities for students acquiring an Associate in Business Administration: Hospitality can anticipate a 36 percent increase in career demand through the coming decade. Furthermore, individuals entering the industry with an associate level education can expect to experience a 17 percent increase in salaries in the next 10 years. Additionally, many hospitality managers in this industry experience several perks of the trade including free lodging, meals, travel and more adding to the value received through employment gained by obtaining an Associate in Business Administration: Hospitality.

Program Study Online
Many of those burned-out on education teenagers who really do not look forward to more time at school may be happy to learn that an Associate Degree in Business Administration: Hospitality Management can pursue a course of study online. Make sure the schools you examine have proper accreditation from authorizing bodies such as the International Association for Management Education (AACSB). Here are some of those ac credited schools:

Associate of Arts in Hospitality, Travel, and Tourism
at the University of Phoenix – The Associate of Arts in Hospitality, Travel and Tourism degree program (AA Hospitality, Travel and Tourism) provides content and practical application in an array of foodservice, lodging management and tourism settings.

Associate of Arts in Hospitality
at American Public University – The Associate of Arts in Hospitality provides students a general basis in fundamental restaurant operations. Students are exposed to several facets of this challenging career including purchasing and storage, food service sanitation, food preparation, legal aspects and insurance, and marketing and sales.

Associate of Science in Beverage Management
at Sullivan University – In as little as eighteen months, Sullivan University can provide you with the knowledge and expertise to launch a successful career in the beverage industry! This is a continuously growing field that offers a variety of career opportunities. The Associate of Science in Beverage Management program will provide you with a solid foundation of basic business skills, beverage knowledge, as well as other skills that are valuable in the beverage management industry.

Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in Hotel and Restaurant Management
at Stratford University – The mission of the Stratford University AAS Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management is to provide students with a foundation in hotel and event management skills to prepare you for career advancement. Students who successfully complete specific courses in this program receive certificates from the American Hotel & Motel Association (AHMA) and may qualify to be a Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS). This program includes core requirements, elective requirements, and general education requirements.

Associate of Science in Business Administration – Hospitality Management
at South University – The Associate of Science in Business Administration with a specialization in Hospitality Management is designed to prepare students for entry-level and first-tier management employment within the hospitality industry. The focus of the program is to develop a specific understanding of the industry, while developing critical skills specifically oriented towards hospitality.

According to a recent First Research, Hotel and Motel – Lodging Report, the U.S. hospitality industry includes about 30,000 companies that operate 50,000 individual locations, with combined annual revenue over $90 billion. And…it’s growing. One area of rapid growth is small lodging facilities that are either independently owned (Indies) or are owned and operated by larger hotel chains. Often, these facilities operate under a name separate from the parent group. The facilities are sometimes small enough that company staff may be limited to a general manager and a few full and/or part time office personnel. Many independently operated facilities are family-run providing great personal connection and familiar faces for return visitors.

A Very Talented Person
Therefore, these huge corporations running chains of small facility operations call upon a hospitality manager who is a multi-talented “Jack of All Trades.” In small facilities, a successful manage will not only be responsible for operations but may need the skills to physically perform many functions from unclogging a clothes dryer to vacuuming the motel pool. It is important that this type of lodging manager have instruction and experience dealing with every facet of small facility operation including restaurant management (if present), vendor relations (linen purchasing) and complete computer skills to run the motel’s web-based guest reservation system. Additionally, thus individual must be to attract, hire, train and retain whatever personnel will be employed at the facility.

Why Small Facility Management
There are several advantages managing a small hotel/motel operations including:
• One-on-one connection is available as a working condition where managers interact with customer/guests and have a direct impact on the lodging experience.
• Big Fish in Small Pond experience can lead a very successful manager to greater professional heights. Professionals who post successful tenures that are easily recognizable can attract attention from corporate supervisors or other motel/hotel owners which helps propel a career.
• Smaller operations can create excellent lifestyles for both single professionals as well as family-oriented managers.
• Small facility management usually allows managers the opportunity to become involved in community activity that not only benefits the facility, but also helps enhance the manager’s personal life and professional career.
• Small facility management sometimes is accompanied with on-facility housing which can be a great benefit to single managers and ones with families in tow.

How is the Money?
Compensation varies greatly depending upon the size and complexity of a hotel operation. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the median annual earnings for small-facility managers is $42,320. The middle 50 percent earn between $31,870 and $58,380. The lowest 10 percent earn below $25,000 and the highest ten percent earn more than $80,000.

Learn the Trade
Regardless the size of the operation, the best career path in hospitality management is to earn a professional degree. The large, multi-national hotel chains prefer professionals with at least a bachelor’s degree. Because the pay may have to be lower at smaller facilities, owners here tend to look at management experience or an associate’s degree as entry-level qualifications. The BLS claims job outlook will continue to grow by five percent each year in the coming decade. Much of this opportunity comes through an expected expansion in luxury resort and vacation facilities where professionals with a bachelor’s degree will have the competitive edge when it comes to being hired.

First of all, you better make sure you are a people person. If you do not like the species human, in whatever manner it happens to take form at the moment of your interaction, then consider a different career. Because, if you’re considering managing a resort, hotel, spa, restaurant, club or casino, you’re going to have to deal with a variety of different people interacting in a variety of different ways. You will need to be as adept a customer-oriented individual as possible while also being employee-centric as well when it comes to successful staff supervision.

Education Course Structure Varies
There is variety of different educations available for people seeking careers in hospitality management where students can earn professional diplomas like an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, plus even advanced degrees on both the master and doctorate levels. There exist many short-term, specifically subject focused certificate courses that will qualify individuals for a particular job function in hospitality management such as becoming a reservations manager or restaurant manager. There are just as many different subject courses within the framework of a hospitality management education that includes hotel and motel management, security management, travel and tourism, sales and marketing, food and the beverage management, customer service, event planning, purchasing, financial management including bookkeeping and accounting, hospitality IT management, office administration, entertainment management plus much more.

Hospitality Management Professionals Need Crucial Skills
Dealing with both employees and the general public demands from an individual skill sets that are highly honed that include everything from possessing strong communication and organization skills to highly coveted skills such as confrontation management or possessing technological skills that go a long way toward keeping the business current with many computer-based operations that are becoming a necessity managing the affairs in today’s world of high paced hospitality management. There are many levels of cost accounting management within the industry that could be as simple as an assistant manager in a facility department to the Director of Hospitality Operations for a major international corporation.

Salary Good, Needs Growing
Compensation for professional hospitality managers varies depending upon length of service as well as management level. A professional graduating with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management may select an assistant general manager’s position on hotel earning somewhere to start around $35,000 per year. A typical general manager of the hotel can earn $60-$80,000 per year. An executive chef in a hotel can earn nearly $80,000 per year. There are needs growing all the time with the expansion of such industries as cruising and specialized health resorts (spas) where particular training and experience comes into play.

Online Learning can be Quite Convenient
Students seeking to pursue a degree in hospitality management do not have to attend traditional institutions of education. There are many accredited online hospitality management courses that can prepare a person for management positions in a number of different hospitality settings such as luxury resorts, golf resorts, themed resorts and many other specialty types of institutions catering to adventure vacations and more. An education in hospitality management with an emphasis on conducting fungicide activities can lead to a career as a cruise ship entertainment director. Since the universe of hospitality management is quite vast, opportunities exist in almost every facet while the need continues to grow as the industry does in the coming decade. Some courses are sure to six months while professional degree programs can be to have for years. The are many corporations looking to hire hospitality managers that can put their skills to great use knowing how to build customer traffic, operate efficient and profitable food and beverage services as well as manage facility operations making sure that guests and visitors are always satisfied whenever they choose to stay with you.

As a student of hospitality management you’ll develop skills for marketing, occupancy forecasting, front desk operations including reservations, organizational skills, security operations, room service, restaurant and bar management, housekeeping, staff development, meeting planning, banquet planning, purchasing, accounting and many other schools that will make you a viable commodity in the employment market throughout the hospitality management world.

Traveling away from home presents the challenge of finding a comfortable place to stay where you can get a good meal, nice room at a facility operated by a friendly and helpful staff that makes it an enjoyable experience for business travelers as well as vacationing families. There are many services available at popular hotels and motels throughout the world that need direction from a well-trained and experienced professional. Therefore, the hospitality management industry as a whole has expanded greatly in the past few decades where professionals can zero in on and focus upon a particular service offered by a hotel or motel, resort or spa as well as many other venues like cruise ships and theme parks. Many major hotels include services from fine dining to childcare. The larger the facility, the greater the need to departmental eyes these services providing for the employment of hospitality managers who specialize in these areas.

Some specialized areas for hospitality management within a single facility can include:

• Hotel Manager is the individual responsible for the overall operations of the establishment making sure that it runs most efficiently as well as profitably. In a small facility such as a motel, or one that has a limited staff, this position may oversee all operations. However, in much larger facilities this position takes on the role of the general manager who oversees operations that are departmental eyes and assigned to a number of different types of assistance or department heads that report to the general manager directly.

• Assistant Manager is normally the second in charge and is responsible for the overall operations of the facility during the general manager’s absence. In some larger chains, an assistant manager may be in charge of operations whereas another assistant manager may be in charge of employee staffing or another assistant manager may be in charge of restaurant operations.

• Resident Manager is one that lives in the hotel is usually on call 24 hours a day in order to attend to emergencies or resolve problems that nobody else on the staff can handle. Generally, though, resident managers typically work an eight hour day overseeing daily operations. In most hotel operations, a resident manager also functions as the general manager.

• Executive Housekeeper is a manager who is responsible directly for all the housekeeping chores preparing all guest rooms, meeting and banquet facilities as well as making sure all public areas are clean and safe. These individuals also responsible for the training scheduling and supervising of all housekeeping and facility maintenance workers, plus conducting facility inspections as well as ordering and maintaining cleaning and maintenance supplies.

• Front Office Managers are individuals that oversee the coronation of reservations in room assignments. These professionals will also be involved in the training and direction of all facility front desk employees making sure that guests are treated courteously, complaints and other problems are resolved quickly, and all requests for special services are met effectively and efficiently. Front office managers usually have discretionary powers to adjust the room rates that guests pay depending upon how they want to resolve any kind of disputes or complaints.

• Food and Beverage Managers are those professional individual to direct all food service operations at the facility. In a small situation this might be a kitchen manager or in very large facilities and oversee multiple operations such as all the hotel’s restaurants, bars and banquet facilities. Duties may include supervising food and beverage preparation, menu planning, raw food product procurement, staff training and development as well as services marketing.

• Convention Managers or professionals that coordinate and oversee the operations of overriding of different departments in a facility that offers services for meetings, conventions and other special events. Convention managers are also typically event planners who helped clients reserve guest rooms, configure the necessary amount of meeting space and devise an execution plan for the delivery of other services such as banquet and entertainment. These professionals are usually the key individuals who direct all the traffic on the day of the big events being on hand to resolve any unexpected situations and lending your expertise to make sure that the client is completely satisfied with the establishment’s facilities and services.

• Other types of specialized services that might be in need of a professional of hospitality management education include on-facility health spa operations, fitness room operations, child care operations and for many resort-like operations can extend to entertainment and sports related activity management such as golfing, fishing, and water activities like boating, snorkeling, scuba diving, water skiing and more.

Computers Rule…Really
In today’s modern world, most hospitality managers regardless of whether they are general managers or department heads must possess the necessary computer skills to make the operations run smoothly. Computers are used analyst every facet of health operation from calculating restaurant and room bills, making room assignments and involved in ordering facility supplies as well as playing a large role in inventory control. Part of an individual’s hospitality management training will include the use of computers and how they play a large role in the successful operation of the hotel.

Ambitious, always looking-to-the-future professionals can do well obtaining a hospitality management degree in order to run the entire show at large and small hotels – as well as other guest-oriented lodging and entertainment facilities such as resorts and health spas. There are many aspects involved in the details concerning management of certain facilities that depend upon size where large ones may offer banquet or ballroom services that can accommodate large business meetings, corporate conventions, wedding receptions as well as a variety of other types of gatherings where different kinds of hospitality services are needed. An individual who obtains a professional hospitality management degree does well to prepare themselves to oversee operations in many of these facilities.

Hey, Innkeeper
There are quite a few different aspects about the hospitality trade that individuals need to learn in order to become an effective hotel manager. Depending upon what area you wish to concentrate upon will dictate the type of instruction you’ll need to receive. For example, you may want to be involved in the travel and tourism industry which, obviously, caters to travelers who are using your facility for rest and relaxation. You may want to concentrate on hospitality management skills related to the food service industry when it comes to the catering of food, banquet management, food and beverage management as well as wedding and event planning. Your course of study will include classes that provide instruction in reservations and guest services, human resource management, communication, psychology, event coordinating other service-related activities that are necessary to provide a first-class facility for your visitors and guests.

Degree Choices
Although the term “Hospitality Management” is universal, it is also quite broad. There are some courses of study that are designed leading to a degree that is quite specific like a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM). This is a course of study that will take you three to four years to complete but offers a great level of management education. Professionals seeking to further their careers, as well as their education, can avail themselves of study for a Master of Science in Hospitality Management as well as an Executive Master of Science in Hospitality Management. As mentioned earlier, there are short-term certificate courses that offer training in specific areas of hospitality management such as food and beverage as well as restaurant management along with areas like front office supervisor and reservations management.

Choose Accreditation
It does not matter what is your choice for a course of study – whether online or in the traditional brick-and-mortar real-world of real-time go-to-school education – you should make sure that what you do choose has the right credentials and is authorized through and accreditation process. Once you begin your search for specific courses of study, you’re going to find many available. There is everything out there from short, yet specific designed and highly subject focused, certificate courses all the way through to graduate level degree programs.

Accreditation is Prestigious
The number one reason you should be seeking education through an accredited institution is that these facilities are singled out due to their reputation for maintaining high quality standards of learning. Schools offering hospitality management degree programs voluntarily submit to inspections on a periodic basis where evaluation of staff and faculty, as well as the school’s teaching equipment, use of technology and other areas such as testimonial from successful graduates along with graduation rates play a large part toward determining accreditation. The schools work hard to obtain this type of recognition because it’s important to them economically trying to attract people like you looking to pay to obtain a great education. A good place to check for a school’s credentials is the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. You can be sure that a school with official accreditation is going to provide you an excellent education, especially if they are listed with the U.S. Department of Education. Another good source for checking on a school’s credentials is the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Limit your search to accredited institutions so you know that you will find the best hospitality management course of study possible helping you achieve both your personal as well as professional goals.

You’ve probably spent a lot of time, money and energy obtaining a hospitality management degree. However, you definitely do not want to be regarded as one of the best managers in the industry so you’ll need to follow some kind of program in order to make sure that you’re a lousy one. It doesn’t make a difference whether you’re managing a restaurant, casino, hotel or possibly a banquet hall, through following these tips you can assure yourself that you’ll be the worst in your profession.

Do Not Create An Annual Plan
Never create an annual plan that calls for major attention paid to maintenance and other considerations during any particular nonpeak hours or off-season time. This is particularly true if you are running an establishment that operates on a seasonal schedule. Never let operations concerns such as planning for equipment overall, landscaping or other facilities management needs invade your nonpeak or off-season time where you can just be sitting around taking it easy. If you were to attend to these major considerations during the season time no one would ever get the opportunity to watch her management skills when you come under pressure under fire for crisis management when a fire suppression system fails to work the weekend when those 500 salesmen are coming for convention.

Never Call For a ‘Friendly’ Inspection
Make you never proactive enough to contact your local fire health department asking for a friendly inspection. This would be uncalled for because any identification of problems would create a situation in which he would be obliged to get them fixed following the suggestions of the rational is that you invited to give an opinion about your health and safety standards. Better make sure that your insurance company doesn’t care about this proactively if you do implement it because they might have to give you a discount do this uncalled for activity. This can create less amount of work for you when it comes time for you to show off that you can manage the facility in the event the fire extinguishers do not work.

Never Get Your Hands “Dirty”
One of the great characteristics for a lousy hospitality manager is never spending any time working side-by-side with the troops that were supervising. If he did so, you will likely improve communication between you and the employees will receive which would open up lines of dialogue that you have to invest time in two both in part knowledge as well as receive input. This kind of effective communication is going to take a lot out of you, so you’re better off hiding in your office and letting the floor itself. This way, the staff will never be bothered by any chance for you to interact with boosting their morale.

Forget A Planning Calendar
Never take the opportunity to consult with creative planning calendar in order to prepare yourself for any type of large event like New Year’s Eve. There’s absolutely no need to consider anything special or attractive that would please your holiday visitors because we obviously are going to agree to work all possibly leading to becoming successful. If you were to plan and stage an innovative and creative event for any kind of holiday gathering became successful, this would more than likely lead to greater degree of visitors on the next holiday which obviously needs more work for you. Keep in mind that if you do not plan to give over-the-top customer service on any type of holiday gathering, the next holiday will take care of itself because nobody will show up which will make life a lot easier.

What’s the Competition Doing?
Again, this is when those areas that you need to completely ignore. If you were to examine your competition to consider doing something that they don’t do or doing something that they didn’t buy your facility doing better you would again create a great deal of more work for yourself as well as more than likely create a greater amount of traffic into your business. This cannot be tolerated. In fact, by ignoring your competition, you can buy driving whatever customers you do have in through their doors.

Make Sure Everybody Reports to You
You know all your employees suck! Therefore, never give any of them the slightest bit of responsibility for the ability to think for themselves. Although it can be more work for you, make sure you check on every single one of their moves, because you know they lack the skills to get the job done without you constantly being on their back. They need to become comfortable with you barking out orders and how to get things done instead of trying to figure it out for themselves because they might obtain some kind of feeling of self-worth. You can’t have that happening.

Let the Business Run On its Own
Hey, how hard can this business really be, huh? After all – it’s only cooking and serving or providing a place for people to sleep. It should operate without a lot of interference, right. Go ahead, stay in the office. After all, if you were out an about on top of things, you would have to deal with all your guest complaints and all your employees whining. What fun is that?

Keep Ideas to Yourself
You need to make sure to sit on your hands. Never offer your opinion about how to do something differently. After all, why would you possibly want to get creative about this business? If you were to find new and innovative ways of conducting the business, your bosses would expect that from you all the time. You know what happens to facilities that are known for their innovative ways? They become popular attracting a lot of guests and customers, which in turn makes the company more profits and, the next thing you know, they want to give you a raise or promotion to a new level of responsibility. Forget about that.

Stay Away from Technology
Whatever you do, never they’ll yourself of the wonderful results that can be had through the use of today’s modern computer technology. Computers make it seem easy for you to manage things such as scheduling and communications. Plus, if you are up to date on all the different things you can do with the computer, you may be forced to implement in-house marketing programs that use computer generated flyers or put on a periodic newsletter that informs both present of potential on the guests about different aspects of your facility that may be of interest to them.

Lose the Internet
Make sure that you don’t offer any kind of Internet services such as the ability to order pizza online to be delivered or possibly offering guests the ability to get helpful directions or even make reservations online. Isn’t the act of providing wireless Web access throughout your facility going to make it a popular place to visit and thus increase customer traffic causing you more work? Keep in mind that if you had wireless Web access you might attract a lot of business travelers who are in the habit of bringing their laptops trying to keep in constant communication with their own office or clients. You definitely do not want this type of riff-rat clientele in your establishment, do you?

Furthermore, stay away from building or having created your own website to market services. They are way too cheap to maintain and that low, one-time set-up must indicate to you that it couldn’t possibly do the same job all that overpriced newspaper ads can do – even though the Internet reaches millions of people everywhere.

If you happen to be one those people-on- people persons, possibly one who likes to travel, and obviously one who gets a great degree of self satisfaction from helping others, pursuing a career in hospitality management may be an excellent choice. Hospitality management encompasses such a wide and pervasive arena of opportunities including the travel, tourism, and hotel management employment segments that, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), are predicted to experience a 17 percent growth through the year 2014. Now is a very good time for you to start your education.

Plenty of Room at the Inn
Professionals who graduate with a hospitality management degree in the next decade will find themselves in enviable positions. Although the recent economic downturn experienced by the worldwide economy has put a damper on this industry, there is every indication that “vacationing,” the driving force that propels activity within this industry is going to be back on the rise. Individuals can avail themselves of many online hospitality management degree programs as well as studying for the traditional method attending a college or university offering such degree programs. The opportunities for people who obtain a hospitality management degree are quite a few.

What Do I Study?
As stated earlier, hospitality management does cover a wide range of different types of job descriptions that include hotel and resort management, hotel security, business and finance management and a plethora of other types of management opportunities that involve everything from travel agencies to providing activity and entertainment services. Start is to sit down and consider your areas of interest before you begin to examine what programs are available for you to obtain an education. For example, if you definitely like travel, perhaps have a flair for foreign languages, or maybe have experience living in a foreign country, you may wish to consider finding a course of study that will lead you to specific employment in the travel industry. If food is for you, you might consider becoming a food and beverage manager at a hotel, resort, convention center or casino. There are also courses of study and prepare individuals for overall operations responsibility as the director of the resort or club. Don’t overlook the fact that if you love to crunch numbers, there are many opportunities available in both accounting and financial management and hospitality industry. Here are just a few of the job titles that you could seek when looking for employment in hospitality, travel and tourism industry:
• Event planner
• Marketing and sales director
• Purchasing manager
• Hotel and/or resort manager
• Food and beverage manager
• Casino manager
• Human resources management
• Facilities maintenance management
• Front office manager
• Guest relations manager
• Corporate travel planner
• Cruise director
• Travel agent
• …and many more

Not Just the Hotel
A great deal of professionals graduating in hospitality management degrees do have a tendency to work in travel, tourism and hotel management. However, many large corporations with great employee travel needs have on their staff full-time event planners as well as travel coordinators. This is especially true for those kinds of organizations were employees do a lot of domestic and international travel.

Earnings Potential
Even a simple two-year education leading to a Associates degree in hospitality management combined with a minimum amount of experience can pull down for a professional the average annual salary of $38,000 to start. Many people start their hospitality careers at an assistant management level and, with experience in additional education, will work their way up to earning a six-figure income.

On the Job Education
Hospitality, tourism and travel industry often provide a great deal of on-the-job training and continuing education for people who acquire entry-level positions. Often many employers have tuition reimbursement programs as incentives to ambitious employees looking to gain the necessary skills and education to rise through the management ranks. Since the economy is predicted to take an upturn and there is going to be a recognizable need for hospitality management professionals in the next decade, do yourself a favor and take a good detailed look at employment opportunities in this industry.

No, no, no! This is not a reference to getting a job in the automotive industry but rather choosing an interesting and rewarding career in the travel, tourism, or hospitality industries. Travel and tourism remain the number one industry in the world when linking them together, although many people do travel for business purposes or other personal reasons besides vacation. However, vacations are the number one universal family activity that spans across every ethnic consideration. Everybody likes to have some down time. Everybody likes to relax. Despite all the clichés about hanging out with your immediate relatives, family vacations are the principal engine driving this industry.

Get an Education

You can specialize zeroing in on what knowledge and skills are needed to manage operations within the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. There is a variety of different levels of education that will prepare you for a career in the industry including associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s degrees in hospitality management.

Get On Board

Travel is a huge industry in and of itself without being related to taking a vacation. This industry encompasses all modes of transportation from an Oriental rickshaw on the streets of Hong Kong to leasing a private jet for a worldwide tour. People need to get to their holiday vacations and will choose to go by a number of different methods that include airlines, cruise ship lines, railways, bus lines as well as renting or leasing automobiles, vans, SUVs and trucks. Many luxury modes of transportation are available for lease for short and long term scenarios such as yachts and other boats. There are quite a few different jobs within the travel industry that include flight attendants, tour booking agents, rental car agency managers, cruise directors, yacht brokers, and even private jet pilots and ship captains. People involved in this industry can pursue specialized training that is available through focused educational programs that may be offered through an employer – although a great deal of hiring consideration is given to people who already have committed to getting an education and have received at least a preliminary degree. That’s why it’s important if you’re going to consider a career in hospitality management to obtain that degree. Sure, you’ll be able to find quite a few entry-level positions within the travel industry, but if you’re looking for management opportunities you will need an education.

What About the Pig Roast?

Many people working in the tourism industry often work for travel agencies. Some of these positions include company “experts” who have familiarized themselves with different countries acquiring the knowledge about specific geography, history, customs, weather as well as anything else that tourists would need to know when traveling within that particular country. These people who concentrate on particular cultures usually are experts at everything pertaining to this culture including the language. Oftentimes, these experts conduct seminars or presentations about their company’s tour offerings to large groups and are capable of fielding and answering specific questions with authority. Some highly skilled and experienced individuals may work for large companies where employees do a great deal of travel and thus this professional will help coordinate visits to foreign countries. Some corporations hire professionals who familiarize company individual traveling to a specific country with what to expect as well as offering guidelines on how to act while on foreign soil. Other individuals work toward preparing company personnel and their families to make as smooth a transition as possible when relocating from one country to another.

Never Roll the Career Dice by Chance

Many individuals looking to choose a career in hospitality management have quite a few opportunities in this industry where they can be responsible for the operations of hotels, convention centers, casinos, spas, restaurants, golf clubs, ski resorts and much more. Not only can professionals with specialized education be in a position to manage facilities, but other skilled hospitality managers play such roles as event coordinators, fundraising managers, food and beverage directors for a variety of different events, or, perhaps, be a company director for guest relations. Today’s society is especially seeking to find specialized coordinators for events such as weddings, anniversary parties, corporate hallmarks such as retirement parties and more. Outings are also becoming quite popular for both family as well as business purposes which could include reunions as well as special corporate outings such as a hunting trips or possibly a ski trip taken by company employees. Destination vacationing that includes action/adventure themes also have the need for experienced coordinators who have the skills and education necessary to put together a successful packages that pleases clients and makes profits for employers.

Skills Required

Professionals in the travel, tourism and hospitality industries will need to possess a variety of different skills that include business, finance as well as customer service. Individuals will need to be people oriented and thus require some type of conflict management skill as well as possibly having taken sociology and psychology coursework preparing themselves for human interaction. Many of the positions in these industries are not your typical 9 to 5 office jobs. The pace is often quite quick and the job usually takes people to different settings where everything from organizational skills to the ability to handle any kind of emergency that creeps up in a calm, decisive manner would be the characteristics of a well sought-after employee.

Coursework Preparation

All the scenarios discussed above can be met by a professional who has earned a Hospitality Management Degree. Make sure when selecting a course of study that it includes hotel management, food and beverage management, conference and seminar management, tourism as well as human resource study. There are other more focused areas of study within these three industries that would include staff training and development, marketing and merchandising, purchasing, inventory control and various financial studies that would include accounting, bookkeeping and other fiscal operations.

It is highly recommended that when examining a school of offers hospitality management degree programs that you completely consult with admissions and counselors to make sure that the course study that you need is what is offered at this school.

Becoming a Hotel Manager takes a combination of strong communication, organization and management skills, as well as a proper education.

#1) Develop excellent communication skills.
Hotel managers are constantly greeting and speaking to guests, managing staff members, making phone calls and addressing any complaints or problems.

#2) Get organized.
Hotel managers need to be have impeccable organization because they are responsible for every single hotel operation. Hotel services and departments that the manager is in charge of include (but aren’t limited to):
* the concierge
* reception
* reservations
* guest services
* housekeeping
* catering
* entertainment
* engineering
* security

And the size of the staff varies. A small hotel may have a staff of thirty people, whereas a hotel in Las Vegas has a staff of thousands of workers. Either way, you must be organized and able to control several different hotel operations and people at once.

#3) Get educated.
For a comprehensive hotel education program, some choose to enter into a 4 year bachelor’s program. However, there are other options, such as certifications, associate degrees and training programs, readily available as well. Always make sure that the program you’re looking into is accredited by the ACPHA, meaning that it has been evaluated and approved by an authoritative agency.

#4) Learn how to budget.
Hotel managers are in charge of setting room rates, allocating department funds, signing off expenditures, setting restaurant prices, estimating costs of food, dealing with food suppliers and much more. In the end, hotel managers need to have made a decent profit, while having satisfied all customers with a pleasant and accommodating hotel experience.

#5) Don’t be afraid to start from the bottom.
Often times, hotel managers start out as a receptionist, a busboy, a cook, or a guest services representative. Remember that it is in these entry level positions that you will learn the daily operations of a hotel best. Be patient, and you will work your way up to hotel manager in no time.