"Demand runs in spurts because turnover runs in spurts," said Sue Gordon, vice president of human resources for Radisson Hotels and a member of AH&MA's Human Resources Council. The executive housekeeper position comes and goes; also controller, director of sales, and food and beverage director. All positions are opportune areas for people wanting to make careers in lodging."
One of the less known positions is that of the stewarding manager, who is responsible for all the ware washers, pot washers, and silver burnishes. The stewarding manager is responsible for distributing all the china, silver, and utensils, and keeping track of all that would be used for a banquet for 2,000 people, for example, is quite a responsibility. This position is usually a steppingstone to higher positions in food and beverage.
Growing sophistication, specialization, and greater service orientation among the hotel industry's properties are also producing new positions and shifting emphasis. For example, there is substantial growth in concierge positions as part of an industry-wide push in the guest services area. Convention services has come into its own as more and more properties are appreciating the potential of the groups and meetings business; director of catering has thus become a key position, with a new emphasis on promoting banquet sales (much like room sales). The popularity of health spas, golf courses, tennis courts, and other sports and entertainment facilities at properties makes the lodging industry an important employer of these kinds of professionals as well.
Computers have become an essential tool in hotel operations. They are used in reservations, accounting, energy management, and sales. Consequently, most hotel companies have MIS departments, and MIS analysts are in demand.
Shifts in emphasis and changes in services and management techniques directly affect the position of general manager. General managers are much like city mayors in that they have the ultimate responsibility for perhaps thousands of guests and employees. They are also chief executives of large, complex businesses and must be responsible for financial management and for providing leadership.
Not everyone working in the hotel industry aspires to be general manager, and, with the expansion in the numbers of properties, there is actually a shortage of talent. Becoming a general manager is a very attainable career goal.
But, warned one hotel executive, "People don't have a realistic view of the demands. They see 'Hotel' on television see the glamour side of wining and dining celebrities. But that is only a very, very small part of it. Being a general manager is a demanding, highly responsible job, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There is a lot of nitty-gritty, dirty types of things that need to be done to meet guests' needs."
Finally, chains and hotel networks have positions in regional, national, and international offices, although these positions are relatively scarce. A major international chain with hundreds of properties worldwide might have about 200 such positions, which include marketing, sales, public relations, personnel, business development, and franchising.
Salaries
While entry-level jobs are relatively low paying, mid- and upper- management positions pay well, as represented by the salary figures for various hospitality industry positions.
Getting In
Entering the hotel industry is difficult. While this segment of the travel industry has the greatest number of entry level positions, applicants outnumber openings by about 20 to 1. If you have set your sights on working in the lodging business, take any available position. Even if you start as a secretary in a sales office, it is fairly easy to move up or over to another job. Because commercial lodgings operate around the clock, it is usually possible to work in at least a part time job to get a taste of what the work is like, gain valuable experience, and be in a good position to land a full time job.
Many hotel companies recruit directly into management training programs from major colleges with four year degree pro-grams in hotel management (including Johnson & Wales, Cornell University, Michigan State, and Florida International) as well another disciplines (including business, engineering, marketing, and accounting). The American Hotel & Motel Association, representing about 100 properties nationwide, has established a junior organization called "The Future Hoteliers of America" for those enrolled in vocational, hotel school, or college programs in order to involve people in the industry early on.
'The number one thing I look for is whether the school has an internship program and the student has worked each year in the industry in various capacities," said the vice president of human resources for one hotel company. "A dishwasher gets equally good experience as a front-desk person. I look for a grasp of the realities of our industry. And the reality is, there is a tremendous amount of hard work."
Every hotel has entry-level positions, for example, in sales and reservations or as a front office clerk, cashier, convention services manager, or floor manager in a convention services department. While headquarters offices receive many resumes, most personnel directors advise new entrants to contact the hotel where they want to work directly.
The next level after the entry level is a team leader supervisory position, perhaps in housekeeping. From there, you can become an assistant manager in housekeeping or rooms or a front- office supervisor. There may be similar positions in food and beverage.
A newly opened hotel may offer more opportunity for novices than an existing hotel, as well as a better chance of growing into more responsible positions as the whole operation matures. The Charles Hotel, Cambridge, MA, for example, filled most of its 341 positions locally from among inexperienced people. "What I look for," said France, the hotel's first general manager, "is personality, attitude the [person] who smiles and is friendly, is guest oriented." France's method is to have candidates go through several screening processes personnel, the department head, the division head, and, finally, the general manager.
