JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016 - 63

FOCUS :

HOTELS

James says...

Hospitality is still a
❛very
strong area. The
restaurant industry is
massive - there are new
ones opening up all the
time. London is now one
of the foremost cities in
the world and hospitality
is one of the key drivers
to that success.

Words: Kia Hansen. Photos: Shutterstock

Providing an outstanding
guest experience is the
key to a successful hotel

are even more opportunities to work in
the places where people stay. There are
more than 628,800 rooms for rent, in
hotels and guest houses across the UK.
'More than four million families come
on holiday at one of our parks, resorts or
hotels every year and we aim to give our
guests an exceptional experience,' says a
spokesperson from Bourne Leisure, one
of the country's largest providers of
holidays and holiday home ownership.
'Our success over the years has been
driven by the enterprise, experience and
exuberance of our team members. They
play a critical role in delivering an
outstanding guest experience.'
Roles within these establishments
are plentiful and varied. You could be
investigating why the guests in room
11 didn't receive their newspaper in the
morning, arranging Champagne and
flowers for your honeymooning guests,
or devising promotions to attract new
customers. Positions range from
Receptionists and Porters to roles in
the kitchen, sales, managerial, finance
and human resources.
Various characteristics are required
for working in a hotel. These range from
many soft skills such as organisation,
communicating or working in a team,

❜

It takes empathy
and commitment
to put another
person's needs
and desires ahead
of your own
to more technical competences, including
revenue management, accounting and
facilities management.
Also, probably the most important
requirement is that you are able to
take care of people. It takes empathy and
commitment to put another person's
needs and desires ahead of your own,
while keeping a smile on your face.
Customers come to hotels for various
reasons, but in short, they want an
enjoyable experience. They are paying
money to have a nice time, so will want
hotel employees and representatives to
provide them with due care and attention,
so they leave with happy memories.

Working your way up
If you eventually want to manage a hotel
or guest house, you can either work your
way up from a junior-level role, or
complete a qualification in hotel and
hospitality management. Once you
achieve your goal, you'll be in charge
of running the place, which entails
general maintenance and housekeeping,
managing the budgets and dealing with
customer complaints.
Depending on the size of the premises,
a Hotel Manager might be purely officebased as they focus on one particular area
of the business, or deal directly with
customers for most of the day. Entry-level
roles may only pay minimum wage, but in
some hotels, living expenses, such as
meals and accommodation, are provided.
If you're wondering about salaries,
Managers can expect to earn anything
between £16,000 and £100,000 or, in
some cases, even more.
Larger hotel chains usually offer
their employees internal training
programmes or support to take on
external study, such as NVQs or hotel
and catering training. Most crucial
of all, however, is on-the-job experience:
Managers need familiarity with every
aspect of the trade.
J O B S & C A R E E R S /// 0 6 3
JobsAndCareersWithJamesCaanAutumn2016

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