About Hospitality Management

Hospitality Management involves supervising the short- and long-term activities of a leisure location, like a hotel, spa, resort or restaurant. Hospitality managers supervise their staff and oversee maintenance, food, and financial matters such as managing budgets. Hospitality managers can and do specialise in specific areas, like food service, security and customer service.

　　Common course modules you can expect to study are hospitality operations, tourism laws, strategic management in the hotel industry and service management. An associate or bachelor’s degree is sufficient to pursue a career in Hospitality Management.

　　

Is Hospitality Management right for me?

Students who are efficient multitaskers, adept at managing different tasks and coordinating among several groups are best suited for Hospitality Management. Managers usually have to be patient and professional in all kinds of situations, especially since they may interact with people from different countries, religions and nationalities, hence, maintaining an unbiased attitude is crucial to the job. People who like to go an extra mile for the satisfaction of people under their care are a good fit for this career as well. In addition, if you have a knack for organisational skills and work well with people, then an education in this field will help you capitalise on your strengths and make a meaningful contribution in the hospitality sector.

　　

Hospitality Management study options and costs

　　There are several pathways a student can take to pursue a career in Hospitality Management. A high school graduate can go for a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management. A bachelor’s will usually take four years, the average cost of a public four-year college is $8,655 per year (tuition and fees) for in-state students and $21,706 per year for out-of-state students.

　　Another way of getting into Hospitality Management is going for a diploma or associate programme. The duration of a diploma is around two to three years, including an 80-hour unpaid field work in the last year. The course usually includes basics of entrepreneurship, food safety and sanitation, basics of business, hotel operations, marketing and culinary theory. The cost is usually around $5,000-$15,000 in the US, depending on the college you choose.

　　Even though students with any of the aforementioned degrees can get decent managerial positions, you may go for a master’s in Business administration (MBA) degree as well. Students can choose from a specific speciality and focus on it. Earning a master's degree in Hospitality Management can cost $10,000 to $35,000 but costs can soar as high as $80,000 to $90,000 in premier institutions.

　　

Future outlook

The future prospects of pursuing Hospitality Management are highly favourable. According to the U.S. Bureau of labour statistics, the employment of hospitality managers is projected to grow 9% this decade. More than 5,800 job openings are project each year. Tourism and leisure locations are expected to see a steady growth in the future as technology frees up more time.

　　

Career pathways for Hospitality management graduates

　　

Concierge

　　Concierge members is the first point of contact for the guest and is involved in making reservations and accommodation/travel arrangements. They meet and greet guests, take phone calls and run errands for the customers. Their average salary in the US is $38,236 per year.

Human Resources Coordinator

　　HR coordinators over-sees the influx of personnel in a company. They are involved in recruiting, hiring and maintaining employees in firms as well. Their average salary in the US is $40,909 per year.

Restaurant Manager

　　Restaurant managers supervise the employees working there and ensure the customers are satisfied with the food and ambience. Their average salary in the US is $47,871 per year.

Operations Manager

　　Operation managers are involved in leading, motivating and evaluating all the employees. They optimise the processes involved in service delivery and improve company culture. They earn $69,346 on average per year in the US.

Director of Sales

　　A director of sales is responsible for supervising all sales related activities for an organization. Common job duties for this role include forecasting potential sales, managing the sales team and reporting to internal and external stakeholders as needed. Their average salary in the US is $107,859 per year.

Food and Beverage Manager

　　Food and beverage managers handle tasks like designing the menu, ensuring the staff follows industry rules and regulations and maintaining the necessary inventory. Their average salary in the US is $71,236 per year.

Head Chef

　　Duties like managing the kitchen, junior chefs, stocking the pantry with ingredients and tools, training new recruits and establishing a proper menu are managed by head chefs. Their average salary in the US is $48,588 per year.