A hospitality course can be a useful way to enhance your career prospects and open up new opportunities within the wider industry. Some courses will serve as ideal preparation for entry-level positions, while others will help to improve your chances of securing senior roles. Here, you will learn much more about hospitality courses, their benefits, and the various educators that offer programs.

Table of Contents:

What is the Definition of Hospitality?

Hospitality refers to areas of industry with a host/guest relationship. This includes accommodation, such as hotels, hostels, and bed and breakfasts; the food and beverage sector, including restaurants, bars, pubs, and nightclubs; various aspects of the wider travel and tourism industry, including casinos and cruises; as well as companies helping to connect guests and hosts, such as travel agencies, online travel agents and tour operators.

When referred to the hospitality industry, this describes all related industry activity. Meanwhile, a hospitality course is any educational course that builds up relevant knowledge or teaches relevant skills. More detailed information, you find in the article “What is Hospitality? The Unrivaled Guide To Hospitality!”.

What is Hospitality Management?

Hospitality management describes the day-to-day management of hospitality businesses or organizations. This may include overseeing important admin tasks and ensuring operations are running smoothly. Management may also involve stepping in to assist departments at times of need. Hospitality management positions are senior positions, and those who occupy them may be required to have completed a relevant hospitality or hotel management course.

What Different Hospitality Management Types Can You Study?

There are several management course types when exploring hospitality courses, each focusing on a different aspect of the industry. Some of the main hospitality management types are explored below:

Restaurant Management

Restaurant management is the discipline associated with managing a business within the restaurant industry. It will involve overseeing core activities, managing the strategic approach of the business, assisting different departments, managing staff, and more. Hospitality courses focused on restaurant management will teach relevant skills.

The “Restaurant Management: Everything You Need to Know” article will provide insights into what restaurant management entails, why restaurant managers are so important, and the skills, personal qualities, and qualifications that may be required to succeed in a restaurant management position.

Travel Management

Travel management is a discipline that centers around optimizing the travel strategies of businesses. It can involve finding the best deals, using industry contacts to secure preferable rates, and arranging transportation and accommodation. Hospitality courses focused on travel management will teach planning and negotiation skills.

In the article “Travel Management: All You Need to Know!”, you can find out more about how travel management is defined, what it entails, the skills and competencies that are necessary, the benefits for businesses, and the differences between working as an in-house or external corporate travel agent.

Hotel Management

Hotel management involves overseeing everyday operations for a hotel, motel, resort, bed, breakfast, or similar business. Typical responsibilities include supervising hotel departments, recruiting the best staff, choosing and implementing business strategies, managing a hotel budget, and overseeing reputation management efforts.

The “Hotel Management: Everything You Need to Know About Managing a Hotel” article enables you to explore the role of a hotel manager in more detail, learn about the hospitality courses that will stand you in good stead for a career in hotel management, find out about the emerging strategic and technological trends, and much more.

Interested in a Hospitality Course? What Skills Do You Need in Hospitality?

If you are interested in taking a hospitality course, it is worth considering the skills that will be needed. Almost all aspects of the hospitality industry require the ability to work well with others, while communication skills are extremely important too. You will need to be comfortable handling various tasks, sometimes simultaneously.

The heavy focus on customer service means interpersonal skills are necessary, while problem-solving skills can help you in virtually any role. The best candidates for hospitality courses are hard-working, adaptable, resilient, and have a keen eye for detail. A level of flexibility is also going to stand you in good stead.

How Long Does a Hospitality Course Take?

If you are considering the possibility of taking a hospitality course, you may wonder how long it will take to complete. Unfortunately, there is no quick and easy answer here, as it will depend on the type, of course, you opt for and whether you choose to study it part-time or full-time.

To provide a guide, a bachelor’s degree typically takes three or four years but may take longer if you study part-time. Following the same logic, a postgraduate degree, such as a master’s, will take one or two years. However, some certificates recognized by hospitality workers could take as little as two weeks.

Hospitality Courses: Examples of Different Types & Topics

Before committing to a specific hospitality course, it is worth learning about the various options. Below is information on some of the most popular course types or module topics.

Hotel Marketing Course

A hotel marketing course will teach you various techniques and strategies for advertising or promoting a hotel or similar accommodation. Hospitality courses of this kind will help you to attract more website hits, generate more bookings, increase brand awareness, and improve guest feedback.

You can learn more about the nature of these particular hospitality courses, what you will learn, and where you can find them by reading the “Hotel Marketing Courses: Tips, Topics & List of Educators” article.

Revenue Management Course

Hotel revenue management courses focus on optimizing revenue generation and minimizing outgoings. In practice, this means learning to sell the right product, to the right customer, at the right time, for the best possible price using the distribution channel that best serves your needs.

If you would like to learn more about hospitality courses centered on revenue management and how they could benefit you, take a look at our “Hotel Revenue Management Courses: Information + List of Educators” post.

Hospitality Course: Food & Beverage

The food and beverage sector is one of the key parts of the hospitality industry, and a food and beverage course will equip you with relevant skills. From there, you will be better prepared to pursue a career in the sector or armed with the necessary skills to take your career to the next level.

Some topics that may be covered in a hospitality course include food hygiene and safety, restaurant marketing, food and beverage management, and much more.

Hospitality Finance Course

The finance department is a crucial part of any hospitality business, and a finance course can help open up various career options. These courses will teach core finance concepts and concepts specific to hospitality settings so that you can monitor cash flow and optimize financial results.

In addition to standalone finance courses, finance modules may be included in other hospitality courses.

Hotel Management Operations Course

A course in hotel management operations will focus on the core operations required for successful day-to-day hotel management. Examples of topics covered include customer service skills, food and beverage operations, check-in and check-out processes, hotel hygiene and safety, and a whole lot more.

These courses can be ideal if you are looking to move into a managerial role in the future, or if you have already moved into a management position and are looking to develop your capabilities further.

Check out The Full List of Hospitality Course Topics

The hospitality courses outlined in this section are among the most popular and useful options for advancing a career in the industry. That said, it is not an exhaustive list, and there may be other options that you are better suited for, or which may better serve your own individual needs.

To see a breakdown of 10 of the most popular course types, complete with descriptions of what you might expect, check out the “Hotel Management Course: List of The Most Popular Courses” article.

Websites to Search for Hospitality Courses

After deciding on the type of hospitality course you wish to pursue, the next step involves finding and applying for a course of that type. In this section, you can find websites to assist you in this search.

Search for Hospitality Courses on Educations.com

The Educations.com website functions as a search engine, helping you find courses from around the world, including hospitality courses. The website allows you to explore the various course options by level (short course, bachelor’s degree, master’s, etc.) and focuses on opportunities to study abroad.

Click here to search for a hospitality course on Educations.com

Search for Hospitality Courses on Study.com

Study.com is an online platform that provides access to various video-based hospitality courses. The aim of the service is to make education accessible and affordable for as many people as possible, and a growing number of academic institutions are partnering with the website, meaning it can serve as a gateway to full degree programs.

Click here to search for a hospitality course on Study.com

Search for Hospitality Courses on Udemy

Udemy promotes itself as a “learning and teaching marketplace” and provides access to more than 130,000 courses, including hospitality courses. The platform focuses on allowing users to learn from anywhere, using any compatible internet-enabled device, and many courses can be studied at your own pace.

Click here to search for a hospitality course on Udemy

Search for Hospitality Courses on OnlineStudies.com

Keystone Academic Solutions operate OnlineStudies.com and helps connect students to higher education courses offered by thousands of institutions worldwide. Using the main search engine, all you need to do is enter your chosen topic and select where you would like to study, and relevant results will be displayed.

Click here to search for a hospitality course on OnlineStudies.com

Search for Hospitality Courses on Coursera

Coursera is a free platform that collaborates with hundreds of top universities worldwide, offering a wide range of online courses, including hospitality courses like hotel management, food and beverage management, hotel distribution, sustainable tourism, hospitality marketing, and much more.

Click here to search for a hospitality course on Coursera

A List of Educators Who Provide Hospitality Courses

In addition to knowing where to search for courses online, you will need to find the right course provider. The following list is of some of the main academic institutions and educators offering hospitality courses.
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Tips to Find a Job in Hospitality After Finishing a Hospitality Course

After you finish your hospitality course and earn the associated qualification or certificate, you will need to find work in the industry. In the various sections below, you will be able to find some useful tips that can be useful as you begin your search for the right vacancy.

What Kind of Jobs Can You Get With a Hospitality Course?

Upon completing your chosen hospitality course, you may need to take the time to identify the type of job you want to do. Depending on the course, there may be an obvious progression, but this is not always true. The good news is that the industry has huge variety, and you will have no shortage of viable options.

You can explore the many career options available within the hospitality industry and learn more about what they entail by reading the “Hospitality Careers: Overview of All Hospitality Positions” article.

Tips to Apply for a Job in the Hospitality Industry

Once you have a better understanding of the jobs available, you will need to take some time to work on your applications to maximize your chances of success. This may mean optimizing your CV for the roles you are applying for, practicing your interview technique, and working on personal branding and online presence.

To learn more about applying for jobs after completing your hospitality course and for tips to improve your prospects, read the article entitled “Hospitality Management Careers: Tips to Help You to Find Your Next Job”.

Finished with Your Hospitality Course? An Overview of Channels to Find a Hospitality Job

Of course, to apply for jobs after completing your hospitality course, you will need to know where to look to find vacancies. Thankfully, many different online channels are available, including industry-focused job boards, recruitment agencies specializing in this area, social media platforms, and the direct approach.

If you want to learn more about these channels and some specific websites within each category, check out the “Hospitality Jobs: Overview of All Channels to Find Your Next Job” article.

An Overview of The Best Hospitality Job Boards

Job boards rank among the best channels to use during your job search, especially if they are focused on the hospitality industry. These platforms will provide a single place to regularly check for vacancies from hundreds or even thousands of employers, giving you a great chance of finding a relevant opportunity.

For best results, having at least a few job boards that you regularly check can be useful. For a list of options, read the “Hospitality Manager: List of The Best Job Boards to Boost Your Career” article.

Video: The Art of Hospitality by Danny Meyer

This is a fine example of how to have great hospitality in any company. Kindness, confidence, work ethic, curious intellect, empathy, self-consciousness, and honesty are six emotional skills needed for high hospitality behavior.

 

List of Hotel Chains to Find a Job

Sometimes the direct approach is the best way to find the job you want, and many hospitality companies, such as hotels, will advertise vacancies on their own websites. One of the potential benefits of this approach is finding job opportunities that have not been advertised on the job boards you have been using.

The best tactic here is to build up a list of potential employers and visit their websites regularly. To find a list of options, read the “Hospitality Management Jobs: List of Hotel Chains to Find a Job” article.

The Ultimate List of Hotel Schools

Finally, after your hospitality course, you may wish to further your education at an institution specializing in teaching hospitality. Hotel schools are a good option here because you can gain specific skills to serve you during your hospitality career.

To find a comprehensive list of hotel schools in Europe, the Americas, the Asia-Pacific region, and Africa, why not take a look at our “Hotel Schools: Global List of Hotel Management Schools” article?

The hospitality sector offers many different job opportunities, but some will require specific skills, and others may require applicants to possess certain qualifications. Therefore, the various hospitality courses outlined in this article have the potential to enhance your long-term career prospects significantly.

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Revfine.com is a knowledge platform for the hospitality & travel industry. Professionals use our insights, strategies and actionable tips to get inspired, optimise revenue, innovate processes and improve customer experience. You can find all hotel & hospitality tips in the categories Revenue Management, Marketing & Distribution, Hotel Operations, Staffing & Career, Technology and Software.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.