The Concept of Hospitality
Hospitality is a multifaceted concept that encompasses warmth, generosity, and kindness extended towards others, particularly towards guests and visitors. It involves creating an atmosphere of welcome, comfort, and care to ensure the well-being and satisfaction of individuals or groups.
At its core, hospitality embodies the following characteristics:
Warmth and Friendliness
Hospitality is characterized by a genuine and welcoming attitude towards others. It involves greeting guests with a smile, making them feel valued and appreciated, and creating a friendly and inviting atmosphere.
Generosity and Kindness
Hospitality involves acts of generosity and kindness, such as offering assistance, providing amenities, and going above and beyond to meet the needs and preferences of guests. It’s about anticipating their needs and taking proactive steps to ensure their comfort and satisfaction.
Respect and Courtesy
Hospitality requires treating guests with respect and courtesy, regardless of their background or circumstances. It involves listening attentively, being empathetic, and showing consideration for their preferences, privacy, and cultural sensitivities.
Service Excellence
Hospitality is synonymous with exceptional service delivery. It entails providing prompt, efficient, and personalized service to meet the expectations and exceed the expectations of guests. This includes attending to their requests promptly, addressing any concerns or issues promptly, and striving to create memorable experiences.
Attention to Details
Hospitality involves paying attention to the smallest details to enhance the overall guest experience. This includes ensuring cleanliness and tidiness, maintaining high standards of quality, and providing thoughtful touches that demonstrate care and thoughtfulness.
Flexibility and Adaptability
Hospitality requires being flexible and adaptable to accommodate the diverse needs and preferences of guests. It involves being responsive to changing circumstances, accommodating special requests, and adjusting services to meet individual requirements.
Authenticity
Hospitality is most effective when it comes from a place of authenticity and sincerity. It involves genuine interactions and heartfelt gestures that convey a sense of warmth, sincerity, and genuine concern for the well-being of guests.
The Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry encompasses a broad range of businesses and services related to accommodation, food and beverage, event planning, tourism, and entertainment. It is a dynamic and multifaceted sector that plays a crucial role in the global economy.
Overall, the hospitality industry is diverse, dynamic, and constantly evolving to meet changing consumer preferences, technological advancements, and global trends. It also offers a wide range of career opportunities for individuals interested in hospitality, tourism, event management, and related fields.
Recent industry reports from 2022 mention a full and speedy recovery of the hospitality industry after the Covid 19 pandemic.
Economic impact
In 2023, the global hospitality market reached nearly 4.7 trillion U.S. dollars and was forecast to grow to 5.8 trillion U.S. dollars in 2027.
Employment
The hospitality industry is one of the largest employers globally, providing jobs to millions of people worldwide. It encompasses a wide range of occupations, including hotel management, food service, event planning, tourism, and entertainment.
Hotel Industry
The global hotel industry generates revenues was over $600 billion on a yearly basis.
Food and Beverage Sector
The food and beverage sector within the hospitality industry generates billions of dollars in revenue annually. Restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs, catering services, and food trucks contribute to this sector’s growth.
Tourism
Tourism is a vital component of the hospitality industry, contributing to economic growth and development in many regions. In 2019, international tourist arrivals reached around 1.5 billion globally. International tourism is expected to fully recover to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with initial estimates pointing to 2% growth above 2019 levels, according to UNWTO.
Technology Adoption
The hospitality industry has been increasingly adopting technology to enhance guest experiences and improve operational efficiency. Online booking platforms, mobile apps, contactless check-in/check-out, and guest management systems are among the technologies being utilized by hotels and other hospitality businesses.
Sustainability
Sustainability initiatives are gaining importance in the hospitality industry, with a growing emphasis on environmental responsibility and social impact. Many hotels and resorts are implementing eco-friendly measures such as energy conservation, waste reduction, water conservation, and sustainable sourcing of products.
Career Outcomes
Hospitality is a global multi-billion-dollar industry which encompasses a wide range of businesses and organizations, from small and medium enterprises to wide multinational corporation and as such it offers a wide range of career paths catering to diverse interests, skill sets, and professional goals. Here are some common career paths within this sector:
Hotel Management
Hotel management careers involve overseeing the daily operations of hotels, resorts, and other lodging establishments. Positions may include general manager, assistant manager, front office manager, housekeeping manager, food and beverage manager, revenue manager, human resource manager or finance manager.
Food and Beverage Management
Careers in food and beverage management involve managing restaurants, bars, cafes, catering services, and banquet operations. Positions may include restaurant manager, bar manager, sommelier, chef, catering manager, and food service director.
Rooms Division Management
Careers is rooms division management includes managing the front office operations, guest relations and concierge services, housekeeping management and reservations management.
Event Planning and Management
Event planning careers involve organizing and coordinating various events, such as weddings, conferences, meetings, trade shows, and special occasions. Positions may include event planner, event coordinator, meeting planner, conference organizer, and wedding planner.
Tourism and Travel Management
Careers in tourism and travel management involve promoting and facilitating travel experiences for individuals and groups. Positions may include travel agent, tour operator, destination marketing manager, tourism development officer, and travel consultant.
Entertainment and Hospitality
Entertainment careers involve working in venues such as theatres, cinemas, amusement parks, casinos, nightclubs, and concert halls. Positions may include performer, technician, event coordinator, hospitality manager, and entertainment director.
Revenue Management
Revenue management careers involve optimizing pricing, distribution, and inventory strategies to maximize revenue and profitability for hospitality businesses. Positions may include revenue manager, pricing analyst, distribution manager, and revenue optimization specialist.
Hospitality Technology
Careers in hospitality technology involve developing, implementing, and managing technology solutions for hospitality businesses. Positions may include IT manager, systems analyst, software developer, and technology consultant specializing in hospitality.
Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Careers in sustainability and CSR involve promoting environmental responsibility, social impact, and ethical practices within the hospitality industry. Positions may include sustainability manager, CSR coordinator, environmental consultant, and corporate citizenship specialist.
Education and Training
Careers in education and training involve teaching, research, and professional development in hospitality management, tourism studies, and related fields. Positions may include faculty member, lecturer, instructor, curriculum developer, and training coordinator.
Sales and Marketing
Sales and marketing careers involve promoting hospitality products and services, attracting customers, and generating revenue for hospitality businesses. Positions may include sales manager, marketing manager, digital marketing specialist, sales representative, and brand ambassador.
Hospitality Consultant
A hospitality professional with valuable experience and expertise, who provides expert advice, guidance, and support to businesses in the hospitality industry to help them improve operations, enhance guest experiences, and achieve their business goals.
Entrepreneur in Hospitality
Entrepreneurship in the hospitality industry involves creating, launching, and managing businesses that provide products or services related to lodging, food and beverage, event planning, tourism, or entertainment.
These are just a few examples of career paths within the hospitality industry. The industry offers a wide range of opportunities for individuals with diverse backgrounds, interests, and aspirations. Career advancement often involves gaining experience, acquiring specialized skills or certifications, pursuing higher education, and networking within the industry.
Related Industries
Hospitality graduates, with their strong service and customer orientation skills, have the potential to develop successful careers in a myriad of other service industries where the concept of hospitality is a key differentiator. Most popular choices include:
Luxury & Retail
Sales & Marketing
Health Care
Private Banking
Customer Service
Events & Entertainment
Aviation
Business, HR and Finance
Real Estate & Property Management
Clerical, Secretarial and Administrative
Industry Placements
Professional experience is invaluable and that is a fact. Especially for the hospitality industry and even more so for recent graduates. Having over one year of work experience at the point of their graduation gives our students a massive advantage compared to other graduates who have limited or no experience, making them a top choice for employers worldwide.
1st Year of Study
Trainee Role
1st Internship, 5 months during the summer in 5 star hotels in Greece and Cyprus. Roles:
- F&B Trainee
- Front Office Trainee
- Culinary Trainee
- Housekeeping Trainee
2nd Year of Study
Trainee Role
2nd Internship, 5 months during the summer in 4 and 5 star hotels in Europe or in hospitality connected industries (Events, Retail & Luxury, Wellness, Aviation, Cruise Lines)
Or
1-Year internship in the USA – operational training in Food & Beverages and/or Front Office/Rooms Division
3rd Year of Study
Entry Level Employment
3rd Placement or continuation of the previous placements with full-time employment, employment opportunities worldwide.
Or
Management Trainee Programs at Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, Dorchester Collection, NH Hotels, Mandarin Oriental, Radisson, Hyatt.
4th Year of Study - Master
Working Professional
Continuation of the career path or switch to a new role / company
Or
1 year Internship in the USA – Advanced Training or Management Trainee Program
respectively the
for more specific information about currently available placements.
Recruitment Events & Industry Partnerships
Our career events in 2023
Kronwell Hotel, Romania
20th of October
Qosmo Hotel, Romania
20th of October
ITN Presentation, USA
27th of October
Dunraven Hotel, Ireland
2nd of November
Silva Hotel Spa Balmoral, Belgium
3rd of November
Hand Picked Hotels, UK
10th of November
Atlantica Hotels, Greece
10th of November
JW Marriott Venice, Italy
10th of November
Finca Cortesin Golf & Spa, Spain
18th of November
Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel, Spain
18th of November
Marugal Hotels, Spain
18th of November
Jan Hotels, Czech Republic
18th of November
Hyatt Regency, Dubai
8th of December
Du Lac et Du Parc, Italy
8th of December
Falkensteiner Hotels, Italy, Germany, Austria
19th of January
Hotel Belles Rives, France
19th of January
Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, France
19th of January
Partner portfolio - Who is recruiting from us?
Online Career Platform
How students access and use the platform
Students use our online career platform to get hired, make connections and keep themselves updated with news from the industry and to continue learning new things. The platform brings together the best talents, schools and employers of the hospitality industry into an innovative online community.
Log in and start using the platform to:
- View and apply for internships or job opportunities;
- Register for events including employer information sessions, presentations and workshops;
- Sign up for on-campus interviews;
- Stay up to date with upcoming career fairs (events calendar);
- Keep up with the latest hospitality news and developments;
- Find out what hospitality professionals have to say, what tips & trick they share.
Log in steps:
- Click here;
- Click on JOIN US and start the registration process;
- Start using the platform, improve your profile and connect with employers, colleagues and alumni.
Find here internships, jobs, make connections and keep learning: