Hospitality, as you know, is a broad industry. There are so many job roles and career paths involved that merely counting them will exhaust you. Now, each and every one of these varied and diverse paths needs a great deal of understanding to be taken up. This is where a Hospitality Trainer steps in. Hospitality Trainers are responsible for training the staff in a hotel or hospitality provider. They have to ensure trainees are capable of executing their tasks efficiently.
Roles and responsibilities
The primary responsibility of a Hospitality Trainer is to teach staff how to deliver world-class customer service. The hospitality industry’s USP lies in providing quality service to guests, clients, and customers. Therefore, Hospitality Trainers work towards ensuring this service is delivered. Besides this, their responsibilities comprise,
- Recognizing gaps in knowledge and skills and fill them adequately
- Planning and designing training programs
- Aiding in the recruitment of suitable candidates for particular roles
- Assigning tasks to staff in line with their capabilities
- Preparing job descriptions of roles that are to be filled
- Conducting training on proper work techniques and skills
- Providing training in communication and aptitude
- Managing events that are conducted at their organization
Skills required
Training is a vital part of the hospitality industry. There should be someone who knows how to impart the skills, aptitude, and understanding of the job and its responsibilities. As such trainers themselves must possess exceptional skills in a number of sectors. Some of these include,
- Practical experience in the hospitality industry
- Strong writing and editing skills
- Good presentation and time management skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work with different teams and leadership styles
- Demonstration of outstanding customer service
- Fair understanding of technical tools such as spreadsheets, word processors, databases, etc.
- Knowledge of video conferencing, webinars, data analysis, statistics, and similar others
- Willing to work non-conventional hours, including weekends and holidays
The skills that a Hospitality Trainer must possess are not limited to these alone. However, no matter which sector of the industry they enter, these skills will form the foundation of their job. As part of this vast industry, they must master the skills required of their niche, which could vary from one establishment to another.
Educational qualifications
There is no particular qualification that you need to become a Hospitality Trainer. This is because hospitality training spans a number of different sectors. However, it is vital that Hospitality Trainers have at least a full-time degree in Hospitality Management. Many hospitality management programs cover a broad range of topics that allow students to further their learning in more niche fields. While a Bachelor’s degree is a great start, having a Master’s such as an MBA in Hospitality Management [link to the program page] will not just give you a deeper understanding of the industry but also open doors to numerous high-paying and high-positioned jobs.
Salary
The salary for a Hospitality Trainer depends on various factors such as experience, type of industry, and the establishment of work. When starting out, you can expect to make about INR 2,00,000 per year. As you progress in the industry and skill-up, your salary package will also see a hefty increase. Experienced Hospitality Trainers may make up to INR 10,00,000 or even 15,00,000 per year. Many managers tend to move on to training after a period of time. At that juncture, salaries can go even higher. It is hard to estimate the exact salary range for trainers, but with the right skills and experience, you can be sure it’s quite rewarding.
MBA ESG’s MBA in Hospitality Management program offers students a global perspective of the industry [link to the “2-week Paris trip” article]. It makes sure they are equipped with the skills and experience necessary to successfully make it in the industry as a trainer or otherwise.