Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries Name School HTM 100 Professor Name February 3, 2013 Careers in Lodging and Food and Beverage Industries The hospitality industry is a very lucrative and rewarding career choice. Choosing a career in this field is not for the faint at heart. A career in this industry requires an individual that is ambitious, self-motivated, and has a charismatic personality. However, the hard work comes with many personal and financial rewards. Hospitality covers all careers that can come underneath the lodging, restaurants, event planning, theme parks, transportation, and tourism.
However, this paper will go in depth explaining the role of general management, growth of employment, and human resource practices that should be used when hiring within the lodging and food and beverage industries. The management careers that are available in the lodging and the food and beverage industries are general manager, director of food and beverage, executive housekeeper, director of security, executive chef and quite a few more. The hospitality industry is a several billion dollar a year business, and having excellent management and support staff is critical to the success of the business.
Management is a very important key factor within the lodging and the food and beverage industries. This is why having an excellent General Manager is so critical to the success of the many organizations that exist within the lodging and food and beverage industry. A General Manager or (GM) has broad, overall responsibility for a business or organization. A General Manager has the power to hire, fire, or promote employees. A manager may be responsible for one functional area, however the General Manager is responsible for all areas.
A General Manager is responsible for higher level planning than a manager. A General Manager is often responsible for the overall strategic planning and direction of the company or organization and leaves the day-to-day management of the various functions to the managers (F. John Reh, 2013). In the lodging industry the General Manager or (GM) is responsible for making sure all facets of the hotel or lodging structure is running properly. They must provide owners with a reasonable return on investment, keep guest satisfied and returning, and keep employees happy.
This may seem easy, but because there are so many interpersonal transactions and because hotels are open every day, all day, the complexities of operating become challenge that the general manager must face and overcome. The GM not only focuses on leading and operating the hotel departments but also on aspects of the infrastructure, from room atmosphere to security (Walker, 2013). If a restaurant is inside of a hotel, then the food and beverage division is overseen by the general manager of the hotel.
In this scenario the person that runs the food and beverage division is referred to as the director of food and beverage. In this case, the director reports to the general manager of the hotel. However, if there is a free standing restaurant, bar, or lounge; there is a general manager who is responsible for the entire operations of that establishment. If the restaurant, bar, or lounge is a freestanding establishment, the owner will sometimes double as the general manager and do the job on their own without hiring someone.
Sometimes owners will hire an individual to fill the job as General Manager, especially if they have invested in a restaurant and do not have any experience in how to run it properly. If the food and beverage establishment is located within a hotel even though the general manager is responsible for all aspects of the hotel, as stated earlier, the GM depends on the director of food and beverages to run this division. The director of food and beverage has many job duties and is responsible for the efficient and effective operation of the following departments: * Kitchen/Catering/Banquet * Restaurants/Room Service/Minibars Lounges/Bars/Stewarding When taking all of the above areas in consideration, it could be stated that it could be harder to oversee the food and beverage division within hotel than in a freestanding restaurant. This is because a freestanding restaurant does not have to oversee room service and minibars that are located in the guest rooms. When reviewing all of the departments that a general manager is responsible for within the lodging and the food and beverage industries, it would make one wonder what is the overall growth rate within this industry. As far as restaurants are concerned, growth is looking strong for this year.
According to the National Restaurant Association, many private sector jobs were added in the fourth quarter of 2012. “Two days after a Commerce Department release that showed real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted for the first time in more than three years, the latest jobs report boosted economic spirits with stronger than expected private sector hiring in the fourth quarter of 2012. Despite the mixed signals, the underlying fundamentals of the economy remain positive, which points toward an improving business environment in 2013 (National Restaurant Association, 2013).
The restaurant industry is not the only one that has a pleasant future. The hotel industry also seems to have a bright and optimistic future. Look at what the Bureau of Labor Statistics had to say. “The vast majority of workers in the hospitality industry — more than eight out of 10 in 2004 — were employed in service and administrative support positions. Employment of hotel, motel and resort desk clerks is expected to grow faster than some other occupations in the industry. Hotels also employ many workers in part-time and seasonal jobs. Hospitality industry fear not!
Despite an unemployment rate that’s higher than the national average, hotel jobs and hospitality jobs are actually on the rise. Projected to grow 17. 7% through 2014, the most popular hotel jobs and hospitality jobs continue to be waiters and waitresses. Oh, and the employment rate for hospitality jobs is at an all-time high as well” (AOL JOBS, 2013). Now that it has been established that the lodging and food and beverage industries have made it through the recession and is a strong and growing industry; what does a general manager do to make sure they are hiring the best possible employees?
Many may think that anyone can work in the hospitality industry, but nothing is further from the truth. The hospitality industry requires an individual that is hard working, flexible, and a warm, confident personality. These are the following attributes a general manager should look for when hiring a potential employee. * Communication – when interviewing look for eye contact and well-formed answers to interview questions. * Multi-Tasking – look for examples from their past work indicate an ability to multi-task by asking two or three pronged questions that relate to slightly different topics. Attitude – look for a candidate that smiles and provides answers to questions that hint at optimism. * Flexibility – look for open-minded candidates who can explain to you why flexibility is important. The above qualities are exactly what an employee needs to possess in order to be an asset to the hiring organization. In conclusion, the lodging and food and beverage industries are very challenging but lucrative industries.
Both industries have made it through the recession and now that people are starting to travel and eat out more it is more imperative than ever that this industry has quality employees to keep their guest happy and the industry moving forward. One of the areas of importance is that organizations in this industry hire general managers that are able to keep their business successful by doing the most important part of hospitality which is keeping their guest happy. It is also imperative that the general managers make the proper hiring choices when filling positions within their organization.
If all facets of the business are met, this can ensure the length and prosperity of the lodging and food and beverage industries. References . AOL JOBS. (2013). Hospitality & hotel jobs outlook. Retrieved from http://jobs. aol. com/hospitality-jobs/ F. John Reh. (2013). General manager. Retrieved from http://management. about. com/od/policiesandprocedures/g/gm1. htm Labor Systems Job Center. (2013). What makes a good hospitality employee? Retrieved from http://blog. laborsystems. com/2010/12/01/what-makes-a-good-hospitality-employe