The hotel is a world by itself where the greatest challenge is the ability to be continuously innovative. Today, the Hotel Industry is the fastest growing sector of the Indian economy owing to industrial growth and promotion of tourism. Career avenues are varied and there are plenty of job opportunities for trained and suitable hotel management personnel. Emerging trends in the growth of tourism and the expansion of the accommodation sector has necessitated a substantial increase in the additional requirement for trained manpower. Coupled with this is the demand for manpower in special areas such as airlines and railway catering, industrial catering, etc.
This is a service oriented industry requiring skill based proficiency in addition to management, personnel and communication abilities. The skills include cooking, serving at a table, making a bed or taking a reservation. These form an integral part of the training. In addition to this, a three year diploma or degree course in Hotel Management covers principles of management, financial management, communications, computer applications, sales and marketing, food production theory, nutrition, hotel law, a foreign language, etc.
The practical aspect of the course provides hands-on training where you operate actual systems and procedures in a hotel. If you join a hotel directly, you will receive on-the-job training. The hospitality sector in India is booming at a very healthy rate over the years. All this is leading to an unprecedented demand for accommodation. Existing and new hotels require an increasing number of managers, supervisors and staff. Other than hotels, hotel management graduates find job opportunities in service sectors like restaurants and fast food courts, event management, cruise liners, the catering sector, catering department of public and private sector corporations, undertakings, airlines, tourism sector, banks, BPOs, malls, multiplexes, manufacturing companies and more. There is also demand for fresh professionals abroad. However, the demand continues even after graduates have gained experience in the sector.
YOUR TRAINING
Training opportunities are available after graduation. After plus two, selections through an entrance examination and interview are made by various institutes and colleges.
You should be an extrovert with strong qualities of leadership and have the ability of getting on well with people and dealing tactfully and diplomatically with dissatisfied customers. As you are very much in the public eye, you should have a smart appearance and good social skills are essential. Also important are organisational ability, business skills competence in financial matters and interest in and knowledge of the practical skills related to hotel work such as cookery. The work can be hectic so you do need stamina!
