If you have ever dreamed of working in the hotel management industry, you should know that this type of job comes with many exciting and even challenging opportunities. To manage a hotel successfully, you will need certain skills and managerial knowledge. In this article, get detailed information on how to get started in the hotel management business.

Table of Contents:

What Is the Hotel Industry?

The hotel industry deals with all types of guest accommodation. In fact, the hotel industry not only relates to luxury hotels and resorts but also includes overnight accommodation in guesthouses, motels, inns, and hostels as short-term types of accommodation. According to the Hotels Market – Global Industry Analysis and Forecast by MMR, the hotel market is expected to reach $1663.82 billion by 2029.

The main purpose of hotels is to provide guest travelers with food, drinks, services, and shelter while they are away from home. You can find more information about the hotel industry in the article “Hotel Industry; Everything You Need to Know About Hotels!”.

What Is Hotel Management All About?

Hotel management involves the management of anything that’s related to the hotel industry. Suppose you want to gain a foothold in this business.

In that case, you will need to learn about all the techniques of managing a hotel business, including marketing, hotel administration, catering management, housekeeping, and accounts. The primary goal behind learning the ins and outs of hotel management is to run a hotel successfully while simultaneously managing other aspects of the business.

Table: Aspects of Hotel Management

Aspect of Hotel Management Description Application
Marketing Strategies and techniques for promoting the hotel, attracting guests, and increasing occupancy rates. Implementing digital marketing campaigns, collaborating with travel agencies, and leveraging social media platforms to attract guests.
Hotel Administration Administrative tasks involved in running a hotel, including staff management, scheduling, and guest relations. Utilizing hotel management software for efficient staff scheduling, implementing guest feedback systems, and ensuring compliance with industry regulations.
Catering Management Managing food and beverage services within the hotel, including menu planning, procurement, and event catering. Developing seasonal menus, coordinating banquet services for events, and implementing cost-effective procurement strategies for food and beverage supplies.
Housekeeping Procedures and standards for maintaining cleanliness and orderliness throughout the hotel, including guest rooms, public areas, and facilities. Establishing cleaning protocols, training housekeeping staff on safety and hygiene standards, and conducting regular inspections to maintain cleanliness standards.
Accounts Financial management and accounting practices specific to the hotel industry, including budgeting, revenue management, and financial reporting. Analyzing financial data to identify cost-saving opportunities, preparing budgets for operational expenses, and optimizing revenue streams through pricing strategies.

What is the Difference Between Hospitality and Hotel Management?

The main difference between hotel and hospitality management is, as the name suggests, hotel management covers all aspects of managing a hotel. In contrast, hospitality management is a broader term that deals with people management in sectors such as nightclubs, casinos, restaurants, transportation, and hotels.

A Brief History of Hotel Management

From the early 17th century, business owners across America started building and establishing inns to serve the accommodation needs of travelers. Initially, these inns only offered basic services, but as time passed and demand for short-term accommodation grew, the hotel owners became prepared to provide guests with more facilities.

Since then, the hotel industry expanded further as people have been willing to pay more for better quality services. This industry has always strived to fulfill the changing demands of society and has developed into an essential part of the economy. Today, travelers can find different types of accommodation based on their budget, from cheap bed and breakfasts to luxurious 5-star hotels.

Which Degree Do You Need For Hotel Management?

You will usually need a bachelor’s degree with extensive work experience to qualify as a hotel manager. However, in some cases, a school diploma will suffice if the candidate has vast knowledge and work experience in the hotel industry.

In addition to a degree or diploma, you can expect to take courses in economics, catering management, accounting, finance, marketing, hospitality, and/or computer studies. Some universities also offer advanced Master’s degrees in hospitality management, often taken by hotel managers looking to progress to regional management positions.

Video: Is it Really Worth Taking a Hotel Management Course?

What Kind of Jobs Can You Get With a Hotel Management Degree?

Hotel management can open up a vast number of other opportunities in the industry. According to the Number of Travel and Tourism Jobs Worldwide Report by Statista, the global amount of jobs in the tourism and travel industry is expected to reach 430 million by 2033. For Hotel Management degree graduates, this might include cruise ship hotel management, restaurant management, catering management, airline catering services, and guest house management. Some of the job positions that are related to your degree are:

  • Accommodation manager
  • Retail manager
  • Event organizer
  • Hotel manager
  • Catering manager
  • Restaurant manager
  • Pub manager
  • Customer service manager
  • HR manager
  • Travel agent

The Essentials on Hotel Operations

Hotel operations teach you how to become knowledgeable in all hotel management and operations aspects. You will learn about the key features of hotels, their responsibilities to customers, and how to provide good service to guests. The aim of this course is to train those who wish to work in the hotel industry with the knowledge and expertise to become competent hotel managers. The hotel operations and management departments require well-trained staff to ensure customer satisfaction.

No matter what size or standard hotel you wish to manage, you must have adequate understanding and skills to cater to guests’ demands. The marketing part of hotels is another essential process that helps managers promote their businesses and prosper. These and much more are all covered by the hotel operation courses.

What Are the Different Hotel Departments?

There are several different hotel departments, which must all work together to achieve shared objectives and deliver a positive experience for guests. The main departments seen in successful hotels are:

Management & Finance Department

Hotel management is critical to the success of a guest accommodation business, and the management and finance department oversees the core day-to-day operations. This can include managing hotel services, overseeing events, devising strategies, solving problems, and meeting with business partners. Meanwhile, the finance aspect involves managing all aspects of hotel finances, including tracking revenue and expenditure and planning financial strategies.

Food & Beverage Hotel Department

The food and beverage department also contributes to successful hotel management because many properties make much of their revenue through selling food and drinks to guests. This department is responsible for purchasing the ingredients and stock needed by hotel restaurants and bars, preparing meals, and serving food and drinks.

Front Office Hotel Department

The front office hotel department serves as the face of the hotel, handling issues like reservations, guest services, and processing payments. The department most often comes in contact with customers, and the front office must also collaborate closely with hotel management and other departments.

Housekeeping Hotel Department

The housekeeping department within a hotel works to provide guests with a safe, comfortable, clean, and visually pleasing environment. Core duties include cleaning rooms, changing sheets, carrying out laundry duties, upholding quality standards, and reporting issues to maintenance teams or senior hotel management figures.

Maintenance Hotel Department

The maintenance department in a hotel is responsible for maintaining all hotel equipment, tools, and technology, including repairing broken pipes, heating systems, air conditioning units, and items within hotel rooms and common areas. Often, repair requests will be issued by hotel management, or by the housekeeping team.

Reservations & Marketing Hotel Department

The reservations and marketing department is in charge of all activities related to hotel reservations, including processing reservations, amending bookings, and updating room availability information. On top of this, marketing duties can include online and offline advertising, content marketing, search engine optimization, and more.

Human Resource Hotel Department

Finally, the Human Resources department is in charge of many of the duties directly related to the workforce itself, including talent acquisition, training and the development of employees, ensuring hotel management is in keeping with labor laws and regulations, interviewing, and overseeing the provision of employee benefits.

Read “Hotel Departments: Learn About All the 7 Sections of a Hotel” for more information.

Staffing and Human Resources in Hotel Management

Both staffing and human resources (HR) are key issues within the field of hotel management. In the sections below, you can explore some of the most significant staffing and HR issues.

Recruitment and Training

One of the biggest hotel management challenges involves actually recruiting skilled workers and training them to carry out their jobs effectively. For best results, training activities should be varied and should cover soft skills as well as the more technical, job-specific skills your new recruits will need.

Your recruitment process should focus on finding candidates with the right experience, core skills, and mindset. Training can then be used to bring these recruits to full competency. You should also allow great performers to access training that will allow them to progress to more advanced and better-paid roles, as this boosts job satisfaction.

Employee Retention Strategies

Retaining staff is critical for optimizing business operations and your financial results. After all, replacing employees who leave your business is costly and time-consuming. A crucial part of effective hotel management involves implementing strategies that boost employee retention and avoid unnecessary staff turnover.

Generalized options here include providing training so that employees can advance their career, providing a degree of flexibility in terms of work hours and ensuring high-performing employees are rewarded with recognition or bonuses. However, it is also important to communicate with individuals and respond to their specific needs too.

Hotel Management - Staff

Addressing Diversity and Inclusion

Those involved in hotel management need to be more aware than ever about issues surrounding diversity and inclusion. In particular, hotels need to ensure their recruitment strategy results in a workforce that is diverse in terms of backgrounds, ages, cultures and gender identities.

It is vital to overcome unconscious biases and ensure nobody is unfairly discriminated against, especially on the basis of things like race, gender and disabilities. Managers and others involved in the recruitment process may need to undergo training in this area. Inclusive workplaces also benefit from diversity of ideas and improved morale.

Jacopo Focaroli

Jacopo Focaroli, CEO & Founder, The Host

“When focusing on the issue of inclusivity, it is important to remain authentic at all times. Promoting diversity needs to go beyond token gestures and should form a fundamental part of your culture. This means ensuring that your hotel is inclusive in its recruitment, marketing messages and approaches to the guest experience. It also means taking the time to listen to feedback and respond appropriately if your hotel ever falls short.

For those involved in hotel management, it is worth contemplating how inclusive your hotel is for people from different backgrounds. Are there groups of people who could feel excluded? Are there steps you can take to avoid this? Are there reasonable adjustments you can make to assist disabled people? Do LGBTQ+ guests feel welcome and safe? Are women receiving the same workplace opportunities and pay as men? Inclusivity throughout your business should be the norm.”

Click here to read more hotel marketing tips from our Hospitality Expert Panel.

Hotel Marketing Strategies

Hotel owners have always implemented different marketing techniques and strategies to make their businesses visible to the public and maximize revenue. Thanks to the wide network of new technology tools, hotels must learn how to adapt to the latest strategies to avoid falling behind competitors.

The hotel industry knows how to keep up with the growing demands of customers by adapting its services to their preferences. This is the only way they can attract more clients. In the article ‘Hotel marketing strategies’, you can gain an insight into the essential strategies to deploy your online marketing.

The Latest Hotel Marketing Trends

In the highly competitive digital era, it is vital to stay ahead and know the most effective hotel marketing strategies that work. Your hotel business can suffer badly if you don’t learn about the new marketing trends.

Whether you own a chain of hotels or just a small, budget-friendly guesthouse, knowing the latest marketing trends and how your business can benefit from them is important. The article, ‘Hotel Marketing; The Latest Trends in the Hotel Industry’, reveals tricks on how hotels use the latest marketing trends to their advantage.

Hotel Revenue Management

Hotel revenue management is one of the least understood aspects of the hotel management business. While many hotel owners understand the importance of proper revenue management strategies to increase occupancy, they don’t always utilize them in their business.

Although revenue management is not something new to this industry, it is highly valued by hotel managers who are running successful businesses. With the changing faces of booking patterns, adopting a robust hotel revenue management strategy is of utmost importance. Discover the importance of using the right revenue management strategies for your business by referring to this article, ‘Hotel Revenue Management – Optimising your Hotel Revenue’.

Video: Revenue Management Explained

Tech Trends in the Hotel Industry

Not so long ago, motels, inns, hotels, and other related businesses offered a fairly basic service to guests who wanted to spend a little time away from their homes. The hotel industry has come a long way in the last few years, thanks to technology’s vital role in expanding these businesses.

Most hotels directly or indirectly rely on technology to offer their guests an enhanced experience. The article, ‘Hotel Technology Trends’ provides an interesting insight into the significance of hotel technology trends and what they mean for the hotel industry.

Consumer Trends in The Hotel Industry

The world is moving faster than ever, as shifting social attitudes, new technologies, and economic and demographic changes all drive seismic shifts in how we live, do business, and work. Any business involved in the hotel industry must know the significance of keeping up with the hotel sector’s emerging trends.

To avoid disappointing customers and falling behind competitors, keep your pulse on the constantly changing trends. In the article “Hotel Industry Trends: Keep Up With The Latest Developments!” you will learn about the important changes that’ll impact hotel professionals’ management of their hotels.

Important Hotel Software Solutions

Technology in the hotel sector continues to grow at a rapid pace. Hotel owners looking to improve their businesses rely heavily on software technologies to streamline their processes and enhance their day-to-day operations. The key to reaping into the most effective hotel software‘s benefits is learning what it is and how it works.

Only then are you able to implement it in your hotel management business. In the article, ‘Hotel Software Every Hotel Needs’, you will learn all about the most important software solutions for better hotel management and how they can maximize business results.

Advance Your Hotel Management Career

For those interested in hotel careers, there are several ways to stand out and enhance both your short-term and long-term prospects. Whether you are just starting out, or on the lookout hotel management position, there are always things you can do to boost your chances of securing the job you want.

In “Advice for Advancing Your Hotel Career“, you can read through a list of 10 tips to help you find the right position, catch the eye of employers, impress during your interview, and find work.

Job Boards: Find Your Ideal Hotel Job

If you are looking for a hotel management or executive position, the best option may be to turn to specialist hotel job boards. These platforms will provide listings of the various vacancies within the hotel industry. Many job boards offer additional benefits besides making it easier to land your ideal role.

Read the article “Job Boards: Find Your Ideal Hotel Job” to learn more.

Channels for Finding Hotel Management Jobs Online

Many people dream of moving into a managerial role, but it is best to use a combination of channels to give yourself the best possible chance of finding the right hotel management job for your skill set. This may include approaching hotels directly, using social networking sites, or going through recruitment agencies or job boards.

Read “Channels for Finding Hotel Management Jobs Online” to learn more about the available channels, complete with a list of some of the most popular websites and platforms.

Hotel Management - Channels for Finding Hotel Management Jobs Online

Tips for Finding a Hotel Manager Job

Becoming a hotel manager can be extremely rewarding, due to how varied the role is and how wide-ranging the responsibilities can be. However, it is crucial to know that hotel management positions are highly sought-after, and understanding the requirements can help to give your prospects a significant boost.

Read “Tips for Finding a Hotel Manager Job” to learn more about the nature of the role and the experience, skills, and qualifications necessary to land a hotel management position successfully.

Hotel Management & Hotel Positions

There are many different job roles within a typical hotel, from hotel management and senior departmental leaders to kitchen staff and front desk workers. Having an understanding of the main hotel positions can help to improve your knowledge of the industry and can assist with personal career management too.

Read “Overview of the Most Common Hotel Positions” for a breakdown of the jobs you would expect to find in most hotels, along with a description of what each role actually entails.

How to Make Sure You Hire the Best Hotel Staff

For those in recruitment and hotel management roles, finding suitable new employees is a major responsibility. Successful hotels can identify when they need to hire new hotel staff and then take the necessary steps to pinpoint what positions need to be filled and what skills and qualities the new recruits will need to bring to the table.

In our “How to Make Sure You Hire the Best Hotel Staff” article, you will learn more about why and when you should hire new employees, complete with seven tips that will help you to choose the best candidates for your needs.

List of Chains for Finding Hotel Vacancies

When hotel vacancies need to be fulfilled, those responsible for hotel management and recruitment will often advertise jobs on their own website. As a result, whether you are looking to start your career in the hotel industry or take the next step in an existing career in the industry, it makes sense to browse these websites.

Read “List of Chains for Finding Hotel Vacancies” to learn more about the application process, complete with a list of some of the most popular and successful hotel chains to explore.

A Global Overview of Hotel Schools

If you want to begin a career in hotel management, you’ll need to obtain proper training and education first. A degree in hotel management may be for you. In our article “Hotel Schools: Global List of Hotel Management Schools”, you’ll discover the top hotel schools and their courses.

Topics and modes of instruction vary and cover every possible concept associated with the hotel industry. One school might focus more on the day-to-day running of a hotel, while others might focus on upper management. Topics span asset management, hotel accountancy, food and beverage management, and hygiene.

An Overview of Popular Hotel Management Courses

“Hotel Management Course: List of The Most Popular Courses” covers the definition of hotel management as a subject and introduces many of the most important educators in the field. Find out about the top 10 courses in hotel management and how you can use them to develop your career.

You’ll learn how hotel schools can help you and which hotel management courses are available. You’ll learn how flexible courses can allow you to fit your studies around your normal work, letting you develop your career without risking your current position.

Unlock Hotel Management Opportunities With a Hotel Course

There are many different responsibilities associated with hotel management, and the role requires an in-depth knowledge of the industry and hotel operations, along with specific hotel-related skills. For this reason, many employers prefer candidates to have completed a hotel course that teaches them the most important elements.

Take a look at the “Hotel Course: A List of Courses & Hotel Educators” article for a more in-depth exploration of hotel courses, the educators that design and offer these courses, and websites that can help you find them.

Video About Hotel Management

Below you find a video from Brentwood Open Learning College which explains more about hotel management.

Guide For Hotel Owners and Managers

Hotel management is a highly competitive job that requires knowledge and experience. As a hotel manager, you must balance capacity and demand by maximizing the effectiveness of your hotel’s facilities and resources. You must also keep up with the rising online travel agencies that have added another dimension to this industry. D

eveloping your hotel revenue management requires new measures to be adopted for the purpose of customer satisfaction. While hotel marketing and revenue management can be complex, you can use many low-cost and effective strategies in your hotel business. Here is a free comprehensive guide to ‘Revenue Management & Hotel Marketing Strategies’, including practical advice and tips on optimizing revenue.

Asset Management for Hotels

Hotel asset management is the process of managing a hotel property to maximize both its profitability and its value. This includes developing and implementing strategic plans for the hotel, managing hotel operations, and ensuring that the physical assets are well-maintained.

Hotel asset management also involves identifying and mitigating business risks and seeking opportunities to improve the hotel’s performance. In “Hotel Asset Management: Definition, Importance, and Practices“, you’ll learn everything you need to know about asset management for hotels. You’ll learn what hotel asset managers do and how they can help you develop your business.

Hotel Management FAQs

The ideal career choice in hotel management is subjective and will depend on individual skill sets and interests. Some popular roles include hotel general manager, hotel restaurant manager, and front office manager.

Hotel management is a role that has significant challenges but also great rewards. Managers are required to have excellent communication and problem-solving skills, multitasking abilities, and the capacity to deal with pressured situations. They need to be able to think strategically, lead teams, and deescalate conflicts.

Those working in hotel management positions are responsible for overseeing core operations and strategies. They must set objectives, recruit and manage staff, and continually assess performance.

Hotel managers have a working life that includes long hours and high-pressure situations but good pay. They are able to make major decisions, and their day-to-day tasks are likely to be extremely varied.

Management of a small hotel requires great care, as budgets are likely to be relatively low, and bad decisions can prove costly. Most small hotels place a strong emphasis on customer service and attention to detail. Small hotel managers will often be more directly involved in recruitment decisions than managers in larger hotels.

Once you have successfully started your career in hotel management, keep in mind that you will need ongoing training in the form of personal development courses and workshops to stay updated with this ever-changing industry. Hotel managers must always ensure their skills and knowledge are kept up-to-date with the latest market trends, or they will risk falling behind their competitors.

Want to Learn More About Management in Related Industries?

All hospitality, travel, and tourism-related industries have commonalities, however, specific unique factors influence management in each industry. You can learn more about management within related industries in the following articles.

More Tips to Grow Your Business

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.