Hospitality is a complex industry. It encompasses service, people management, and many other facets that have to be synched for it to succeed. Hospitality Managers or Directors are the supervisory heads of an establishment that offers hospitality services. They work with numerous teams within the organization, such as front desk managers, HR, admins, housekeeping, chefs, etc., to ensure everything works like clockwork.
Becoming a hospitality manager takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and hospitality skills. It’s a position that comes with a lot of responsibilities and accountability is quite huge. Therefore, experience in the industry and in management is highly required. Here’s an overview of the path to becoming a Hospitality Manager or Hospitality Director.
Roles and responsibilities
Being the Manager/Director of Hospitality at a lodging or food establishment is a huge responsibility. The seamless working of the establishment lies almost completely in their hands. Some of the responsibilities of a Hospitality Manager include,
- Overseeing day-to-day operations of the organization
- Supervising staff and ensuring all departments are running smoothly
- Inspecting food, beverages, rooms, security, maintenance, etc. to ensure they adhere to the highest quality standards
- Handling and resolving customer queries and issues
- Guiding employees to improve and provide quality customer service
- Forecasting and budgeting
- Purchasing and bookkeeping
- In some cases, orientation and training of new employees
Skills required
Hospitality Manager is, as the name suggests, a managerial position. Therefore, the most important skill you should possess is leadership. You will be responsible for each and every entity and activity in the organization and thus, you should, first and foremost, be an able leader. Besides leadership, you should also have impeccable communication skills. You will be dealing with customers from different cultures and backgrounds on a daily basis. You should be able to communicate intelligibly with them. Other crucial skills you should possess are problem-solving, decision-making, customer service, and administration.
Educational qualifications
A Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management can get your career off to a good start. You can also opt for a Master’s degree such as an MBA in Hospitality Management to give you a more competitive edge and open the doors to higher and much better positions in the industry. Work experience is an asset in this industry. Thus, it is recommended you skill-up through internships and learnerships.
Salary
Salary range largely depends on the designation you hold. Experience also impacts your salary and can play a huge role in the amount you take home. On an average, as a Hospitality Manager, you can make INR 3,60,000 per year. You usually start off with a modest salary of around INR 1,93,000, which can go up to INR 6,83,000 per year.
If you are involved in hotel management, then the average take home is about INR 5,80,650 per year. This is if you are a Hotel Manager. If your role is that of a General Manager at the hotel, then your average earning per year would be about INR 12,20,834. As you can see with all these roles, experience affects the salary and therefore, it is quite important to update yourself on the skills and competencies required to stay afloat in this industry.
Hospitality Management is a multifaceted industry which requires managers to be highly active, committed, patient, and hands-on. There’s a lot to learn from both peers and subordinates and can be quite rewarding for those who truly enjoy the business of managing people and experiences.
Salary info: Payscale [dot] com
