CAREER IN HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

 

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

Purpose of Pursuing Hotel Management Courses

Hotel Management is an attractive field but it is important to understand the reason to pursue a hotel management course. Hotel management is a field where practical training is crucial to becoming successful. Even a student who has pursued a course from the top hotel management college in India will not be able to land a good job without first going through the training phase. So, it becomes important to understand why even pursue a hotel management course.

• The theoretical knowledge gained in a hotel management course forms a solid foundation. The experience gained after having this knowledge helps you become a professional in the hospitality industry.

• Hotel management courses include practical training and hence you get to learn a lot of skills that help you become a seasoned professional.

• Having a hotel management degree helps open up career avenues early on.

• Completing a hotel management course opens up opportunities for higher education such as a master's degree or PhD in the field.

• You can look for intern or training opportunities in top hospitality establishments after completing a hotel management degree.

• Hotel management courses also include brushing up communication skills and help boost your confidence to ace in a professional role.

• Your hotel management college and colleagues are a support system that will help you throughout your career.

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

Hotels / Spas / Resorts

Hotels are the primary employers of hotel management graduates. The hotel industry offers good career opportunities and is great for freshers as it can help a candidate gain experience in a diverse range of operations. Hotels are also great as they are much more inclined to accept fresher graduates in trainee roles than many other avenues listed below.

Restaurants / Bars / Clubs

Many hotel management graduates can also be found working in businesses such as restaurants, bars and clubs. However, these mainly recruit trained graduates for its kitchen staff and managerial posts. Most of the other posts are professionals with no formal training. One more thing to note is that the salaries paid by these establishments can be below average if you are not working at top-end places or large chains.

Airline Kitchens / In-Flight Operations

Airlines are another major recruiters for hospitality graduates. Airline industries mostly hire candidates who have a recognized degree, diploma or certificate course in hotel management. Plus, they have career opportunities not only in the kitchens but also in providing in-flight services. Airlines give you the advantage of being a much more organised sector of the economy and you also get better pay here than in many other industries.

Cruise Liners

Cruise Liners deserve a category of their own as they are one of the more glamorous jobs in hotel management. They keep you in touch with a lavish lifestyle while also offering a chance to travel on some of the most beautiful waters on board magnificent watercraft. Plus, the pay is exceptionally good. Do keep in mind that cruise liner staff is overworked almost all the time and you are basically on duty 24x7 serving large crowds of party-goers and people enjoying their vacation. While it is a career area preferred by freshers, more experience professionals generally avoid this avenue, choosing to opt for a more fixed place of opportunity than a cruise ship.

Fast Food Chains

Fast Food chains are one of the most booming businesses all around the world. Fast-food chains have an enormous network of outlets and have a restaurant even in many small towns and villages. Naturally, they have a good requirement for trained professionals to manage these outlets and hotel management graduates can look for executive and management roles in these companies.

Indian Navy / Indian Army Hospitality and Catering Services

The naval and land wings of the defence forces also open recruitment for posts related to hospitality and catering. The army requires applicants to have at least a diploma or certificate in hotel management and catering technology. The Navy posts are open to candidates who have completed at least Class 10.

Job Positions and Salary after Hotel Management Courses

The table below contains a list of job positions available to candidates who have completed a course in hotel management or related streams such as hospitality, aviation and travel and tourism. The approximate average salary details of each job position in India is also included in the table.

Job Position	Entry-Level Salary Per Annum	Average Salary Per Annum	Senior-Level Salary Per Annum
Chef	Rs. 2,00,000	Rs. 3,00,000	Rs. 6,00,000
Sous Chef	Rs. 3,50,000	Rs. 4,50,000	Rs. 10,00,000
Executive Chef / Head Chef	Rs. 5,00,000	Rs. 9,00,000	Rs. 20,00,000
General Manager	Rs. 7,25,000	Rs 12,20,000	Rs. 14,75,000
Front Office Manager	Rs. 2,45,000	Rs. 3,00,000	Rs. 4,90,000
Food and Beverage Manager	Rs. 3,60,000	Rs. 5,55,000	Rs. 6,75,000
Rooms Division Manager	Rs. 7,50,000	Rs. 10,50,000	Rs. 16,00,000