What is Hospitality Management?

Hospitality management is the academic study of the running of hotels, restaurants, and travel and tourism-related business. The hotel industry, which is an integral part of the tourism sector, provides a large percentage of the total employment in the tourism industry. A hotel needs the services of trained staff to provide professional services for national and international clients. The hotel and catering industry has been one of the fastest growing industries in the world in the past 50 years. India's hotel industry is thriving due to an increase in business opportunities and foreign and domestic tourism. It is estimated that the employment opportunities in the hotel industry in India will increase to 15 million by 2010. The travel and tourism industry consists of tourists, travel agents and government and private tourism departments. Why Hospitality Management? It is estimated that between now and the year 2013, the hotel industry will generate 250 million jobs which will consist of approximately 10% of total world employment." -TheWorldTravelandTourismCouncil Hospitality Management, including the Food Service Industry, is one of the fastest growing occupations in the world. According to a survey, the growth in Indias hotel industry has recently reported a tremendous boom. In the year 2006, the Indian hotel industry earned revenues of INR 604.32 billion. In recent years, the government has been giving special emphasis to boost the hotel industry in India. It is estimated that employment opportunities in the hotel industry in India will increase to 15 million by 2010. Travel and Tourism in India has emerged as one of the main sectors responsible for the significant growth of the Indian economy in recent years. Being a very vast industry, the scope of employment opportunities is unlimited. The travel and tourism industry consists of tourists, travel agents and government and private tourism departments. The tie-ups of private airlines with foreign airlines have increased the flow of domestic and foreign tourists in the country. Indias foreign exchange earnings from travel and

tourism industry in 2005 were US $ 5731 million. According to a survey conducted across 134 countries by the worlds travellers, India is rated as the fifth most preferred destination. Career Prospects Organisational Employment: Management Trainees in Kitchen Management/ House Keeping in Hotel and Allied Industry Guest/ Customer Relation Executives in Hotel and other Service Sectors Employees in Flight Kitchens Multi skilled Executives in Fast Food Chains Catering Executives or Chefs in Hospitals, Institutions, Defence Services and Cruise lines Faculty in Hospitality Management/ Food Craft Institutes (after earning industry work experience) Cabin Crew in National and International Airlines Marketing/ Sales Executive in Hotel Executives in Tourism Development Corporations and Resorts Customer Service Professionals in BPOs, Call centres, Multiplexes etc. Self Employment Entrepreneur (Hospitalitypreneur) Freelance Consultants Catering Managers Facility Consultants Hospitality industry

The hospitality industry consists of broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, cruise line, and additional fields within the tourism industry. The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar industry that mostly depends on the availability of leisure time and disposable income. A hospitality unit such as a restaurant, hotel, or even an amusement park consists of multiple groups such as facility maintenance, direct operations (servers, housekeepers, porters, kitchen workers, bartenders, etc.), management, marketing, and human resources.

The hospitality industry covers a wide range of organizations offering food service and accommodation. The industry is divided into sectors according to the skill-sets required for the work involved. Sectors include accommodation, food and beverage, meeting and events, gaming, entertainment and recreation, tourism services, and visitor information.

Competition & Usage Rate

Usage rate or its inverse "vacancy rate" is an important variable for the hospitality industry. Just as a factory owner would wish a productive asset to be in use as much as possible (as opposed to having to pay fixed costs while the factory isn't producing), so do restaurants, hotels, and theme parks seek to maximize the number of customers they "process" in all sectors. This led to formation of services with the aim to increase usage rate provided by hotel consolidators. Information about required or offered products are brokered on business networks used by vendors as well as purchasers.[1]

In viewing various industries, "barriers to entry" by newcomers and competitive advantages between current players are very important. Among other things, hospitality industry players find advantage in old classics (location), initial and ongoing investment support (reflected in the material upkeep of facilities and the luxuries located therein), and particular themes adopted by the marketing arm of the organization in question (for example at theme restaurants). Very important is also the characteristics of the personnel working in direct contact with the customers. The authenticity, professionalism, and actual concern for the happiness and well-being of the customers that is communicated by successful organizations is a clear competitive advantage.

What is Hospitality Management

Many people ask the question what is hospitality management and what it relates to. When we refer to hospitality, we are talking about hosting of guests at a hotel, vacation or holiday resort, casino or any kind of membership club. When we talk about hospitality, when it relates to hotels, this includes paying guests, as well as conferences, conventions and events held at a specific venue where hundreds or even thousands of people will attend. Therefore, hospitality management means managing an event, or when referring to a hotel, it simply implies managing it, incorporating each department and members of staff of that site. Hospitality is part of the service industry, so the individuals who work in hospitality management must possess certain qualities and skills to be able to perform their duties to a standard which is going to bring paying customers back to that venue, time and time again. This is because they are dealing with either the general public, or in the case of conferences and conventions, they will be serving any level of management (and any kind of career driven people) in any area of business. Who Should Work in Hospitality Management Hospitality, when referring specifically to hotel management, requires individuals to posses people skills to a level, where they are confident in their role and friendly to guests in every way possible. If you are contemplating a career in this field needs to be versatile in their approach, and diverse in the way they think. In other words, they must be able to think fast and on the go if necessary, because problematic situations frequently arise when providing a service of any nature. Hospitality is one of the largest international industries, because of the genre of services included within it. So what work is there to be found in hospitality management? To analyze this, lets take a hotel for example and break down the various departments: Front desk Housekeeping Restaurant and bar Human resources

Marketing and Sales Financial management These areas could also be attributable to conventions and resorts, as they all require the same services. As you can see, there are careers which may interest you in each area and department, and each of those needs to be organized and managed to keep the engine running perfectly. This ensures the success of any convention, casino or repeat business. If just one of those areas fails to meet the high standards expected by event/hotel guests, the hospitality management team has failed in their duties and goals. If a hospitality management company was employed to organize a particular event or convention by a fortune five hundred company, how long would they remain profitable in business? Not long, for sure. For this reason accredited certificates and business degrees can and should be sat by individuals seeking a position. These can be done in universities and colleges, right around the world. A degree in hospitality can also be sat via an online university. The career choices available are enormous, but what job is right for you in hospitality management can only answered by you! Providing you are people and situation oriented, and work as part of and lead a management team, then your options of working in this thriving environment are huge.

Administration/General This department is made up of several areas including the General Manager's office, Engineering, Accounting, Purchasing, Human Resources, Retail and Sales and Marketing. These departments are described in greater detail below. Audio Visual The Audio Visual department supports the Food & Beverage and Meetings/Special Events departments by providing audio (sound), light, projection and other services to guests who hold meetings and events at our hotels. Beach Club Guests of the hotel enjoy privileges to the Members Beach Club, including use of the Members Spa, within the hotel, and the Beach Club. The Members Spa features treatment rooms offering a variety of health, wellness and beauty treatments, a fitness center and a beauty salon. The Beach Club includes a magnificent restaurant, beachfront pool and whirlpool and stunning views of the coastline. Casino A few Ritz-Carlton hotels also operate a Casino. The Casino department employs qualified, experienced people in positions such as Slot Cashier, Dealers, Table Games Supervisor etc. The Casino is an entertainment facility where various games involving gambling are played. Condominium/Residences The Ritz-Carlton offers condominiums and private residences that may or may not be physically attached to the hotel. These are beautiful homes that guests purchase and live in for extended periods of time. Hotel services and facilities are available to the residents, such as service of food and beverages in their home, cleaning and servicing of their home and access to recreational facilities at the Hotel. Finance/Accounting All transactions involving cash, billing, purchasing and other numerical data processing and reporting are done in this department. This department also assists with the preparation of the annual budgets and the profit and loss statements and other accounting reports. Finance Purchasing/Receiving This department ensures that all the products, food and beverage, equipment and other operating supplies required to run the hotel are ordered in a timely manner, received, checked and stored until they are needed by the operating departments.

Fitness/Recreation This department includes services and facilities to enhance the well-being and health of our guests by offering Tennis, Golf, Massage, Swimming and a Fitness Center among other activities. Food & Beverage: Restaurants/Bars/Lounges This includes all the restaurants, bars and lounges that are located throughout the hotel. Food & Beverage: Banquets This department sets up the rooms where small and large meetings and events including weddings and receptions are held. They take place in the various conference rooms and ballroom of the hotel. They also provide the service of food and drink to the guests at these events. The Banquet Department coordinates the details of an event as it is happening, executing the requests the guests have made prior to their arrival and responding to any unexpected needs of each guest. Food & Beverage: Culinary This department includes all the kitchens of the hotel. Typically, a hotel will have a Main Kitchen, a satellite Fine Dining Restaurant Kitchen, a Banquet Kitchen, a Cold Kitchen, a Pastry Kitchen and sometimes, a Pool Kitchen. These various kitchens order, receive, store and prepare all the meals in the Hotel. They also prepare the beautiful buffets and the guest room food amenities. Food & Beverage Night Cleaners Since the food and beverage areas are all very busy from morning to night, much of the cleaning activity must take place overnight to ensure that the highest levels of cleanliness and hygiene are maintained in all food preparation and service areas.

Food & Beverage: Room Service Also known as In-Room Dining, this department provides meal and beverage service to the guest in his/her room. The meal is always beautifully presented, as if the guest were at a table in one of our restaurants. This department operates 24 hours of the day. Food & Beverage: Stewarding This department stores, cleans and distributes all the equipment (glassware, silverware, chinaware) that is needed in food and beverage service for our guests. This Stewarding department supports the entire food and beverage operation, providing important equipment supply and cleaning services to the kitchen and to every food and beverage outlet. Food & Beverage: Storeroom This is the storeroom where all fresh produce, meat, dairy and preserved foods as well as beverages are stored at the correct temperatures and in an orderly way until they are needed for preparation in the kitchens. Golf Some of our hotels offer golf facilities to our guests. This department ensures that all the guests' needs with regard to playing golf are met. This includes the management of the landscaping, irrigation, golf buggies, golf retail store etc. Human Resources This department ensures the well being of all employees. It also assists the other departments with their recruiting and selection activities so that they are adequately staffed.

Human Resources Training Every employee receives an average of 250 hours of training every year. This department ensures that the various training programs are made available to employees. Information Systems / Technology This department ensures that all the computers and computer systems in the hotel are installed correctly and run properly at all times. This department also ensures the efficient functioning of the telephone switchboard equipment. Loss Prevention / Security The Loss Prevention department ensures the safety and security of all guests, employees, their property and the hotel building and the equipment contained within it. Meetings & Special Events The Meetings/Special Events Department coordinates all details involved with group bookings, working closely with meeting planners to arrange all rooming, food and beverage details, meeting facility specifications, and any additional requirements of the group. The Meetings & Special Events Managers partner with company event planners prior to their arrival to understand, manage, record and coordinate the details of each event and to communicate these to the relevant departments. The role of the Meetings & Special Events manager is to be the liaison between the planner and the hotel operational departments. The team works to ensure the guest's utmost satisfaction with the event. The Meetings & Special Events department is responsible for accurate forecasting of group rooms, banquet food and beverage and for achieving overall hotel budgeted revenue.

Quality The Quality department makes sure that the quality sciences are known and energized by all employees and that all decisions are made using quality tools. Retail Most hotels have one or several retail outlets. These include shops that sell logo items and other sundry items. The Retail Manager ensures that items are ordered in a timely manner and displayed in an enticing way. Rooms Division: Club Level Every Ritz-Carlton hotel has a hotel within the hotel, known as the Club Level. Guests staying on these floors pay a premium and have access to a private lounge with five complimentary food and beverage presentations, dedicated concierge and separate check-in/check out facilities. Rooms Division: Concierge The Concierge department is there to answer the guest's inquiries about the city and its surroundings, make reservations at restaurants, theaters, sightseeing tours and many other services. Rooms Division: Communications This staff of this department answer all in-coming telephone calls, assist guests with long-distance calling information and provides wake-up calls. Rooms Division: Guest Services The Front Door: Often the first person the arriving guest sees is the Door Person, who will open the door and extend a warm welcome to the guest. This department also takes care of the arriving and departing guest's luggage, calling taxis and parking the guest's vehicle.

The Bell Desk: The guests' luggage is brought to and from the room by the Bellpersons who also provide the guest with the hotel orientation and with much needed information such as the hotel hours of operation, shoeshine service etc. Rooms Division: Housekeeping This department is charged with keeping the hotel clean and in order, to include twice daily service of all guest rooms and the maintenance of all public and heartof-house areas. Our guests expect the very highest levels of cleanliness when they enter a Ritz-Carlton hotel. This department plays an important role in meeting this expectation. Rooms Division: Laundry This department cleans all of the hotel's linens and terry to include rooms and food and beverage. Guest's laundry and dry cleaning needs are also processed through this department. Rooms Division: Transportation / Garage The Transportation department oversees the parking garage and also any special transportation needs that a guest might have. Rooms Division: Guest Relations This department is responsible for engineering surprises and anticipating our guests' needs, by pre-calling all guests prior to their arrival to help garner preferences, identify special occasions and offer additional hotel services. Public Relations The Public Relations department ensures that the image of the hotel and the company in the local community is always maintained at the very highest level. They also make press releases whenever there is something important to announce and maintain excellent media relations. Sales Reservations & Revenue Management The Reservations department takes calls, emails and faxes from guests and makes their room reservations for arrival at a future date. The Revenue Management department establishes the optimal room rate at any given time, based on demand and other market variables. Sales & Marketing This department sells the hotel and all its services and brings in the guests. Sales people have targets to meet and their goal is to keep the hotel busy all year.

Sales & Marketing: Catering Sales The Catering Sales Department sells, plans, and coordinates all social and local corporate catering events such as weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, retirement parties, society events, local functions and meetings. After booking the event, the catering sales department works with event planners to understand, record and coordinate the details of what the guest is looking for and communicate these to the relevant departments. The team works to ensure the guest's utmost satisfaction at the event. Each catering sales manager is also responsible for individual booking goals and for achieving departmental budget requirements. Sales & Marketing: Conference Sales This department sells the space that guests need to hold their meetings and social events in our hotels. They also take care of recording and sharing with the appropriate departments all the details (other than food and beverage needs, which are handled by the catering department) related to the function such as flowers, audio-visual needs, table layout etc. Spa The Spa department operates almost like a hotel with a hotel. It offers separate services such as reservations, housekeeping, front desk and concierge. It may be joined to a fitness center or a Golf Club or a Resort Hotel, and will operate as a profitable business unit. In addition to the services mentioned above, the Spa department employs certified massage therapists, nutrition consultants, wellness coordinators, nail technicians, and hair stylists.