Hospitality is a pretty broad industry. Let’s have a look at six things that people often do in the hospitality business.

1) They serve

First and foremost, the purpose of people who work in hospitality is to serve guests (or clients). Serving guests includes the whole process of travelling, for example:

• tour operators that plan and book the travel (flights and accommodation)
• the valet who parks the car
• the porter who takes the bags to the room
• the reception staff at the front office of the hotel
• the housekeeping team who clean the suite
• the concierge who gives advice and helps book restaurants, shows and tours
• the chefs and restaurants staff who produce and serve the meals
• etc.

2) They make sure guests have a good time

Imagine you’re on holiday at a game reserve and you’re staying in an awesome lodge. How cool would it be to have people do everything for you? Someone takes your bags to your room so you don’t have to. You arrive to a clean, beautifully presented room. At the restaurant the chef cooks you your own personal meal because you really felt like lasagne and it wasn’t on the menu. The front office books you on the best game drive… Looking out for guests’ best interests and making them happy is what hospitality workers do.

3) They manage

Hospitality workers are finely tuned in the art of managing. They manage various things, like people, events, or admin. A decent-size hotel will have a number of departments headed up by managers who oversee the people in, and running of, that department. A few examples:

• General manager
• Food and beverage manager
• Housekeeping manager
• Marketing manager
• Accounts manager

An events manager oversees the various functions happening in the hotel and will manage people as well as service providing companies (eg, music, entertainment, additional lighting or security).

The admin team will manage reservations, accounts, the phone lines, correspondence and possibly the website if it’s not outsourced to an agency.

4) They assist

Working in hospitality is a team effort. You have to pull your weight, and if someone else stumbles you step in and help pull theirs as well. In turn, your team will do the same for you. Your job is not only to assist guests with any needs they might have, but also to help the general workforce of the hotel. One IHS graduate tells of his experience working on a six star cruise ship. The crew became like family to him and would often help each other out; doing things like polishing someone else’s 200 glasses after dinner service to give them a break.

5) They work hard

Hospitality doesn’t fit neatly into a normal schedule. Accommodation and entertainment venues are busy during evenings, weekends, and holidays. Hospitality personnel work in shifts and sometimes have unusual time off, for example in the middle of the week or during mornings.

6) They travel (or have the opportunity to)

The hospitality industry offers excellent opportunities for travelling and working in beautiful, exotic locations. As a hospitality worker, you can choose to stay and work in your home town or take work in new places-even on new continents! You can work at ski resorts, game reserves or on cruise ships, to mention but a few. IHS’s qualifications certainly set you up for working all over the world.

There you have it. People in the hospitality industry serve; make sure guests have a good time; manage; assist; work hard and travel. And to top it off, they build great relationships and enjoy themselves too!