Hospitality comprises five sectors: food and beverages, lodging, recreation, travel and tourism, and event management. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the hospitality industry saw a drop in revenue, but the market is expected to recover.
The global hotel and resort market is forecasted to hit $1.22 trillion in 2021, a slight increase from pre-Covid revenue of $1.21 trillion in 2019. Leisure travel was worth $2.37 trillion in 2020, with an increase expected in 2021. Moreover, the global food and beverage industry had a value of $5.94 billion in 2019 that’s expected to grow to $7.52 billion by 2023.
The market is picking back up and hospitality businesses are attempting to return to normal. As a result, hospitality jobs are opening up across the market. Hospitality places more importance on experience and less value on having a bachelor’s degree or other advanced education, so career development is more accessible. Here are a few hospitality jobs to kick off your career journey in the industry.
Bartender
Bartenders are members of the service industry that work in casinos, clubs, hotels, restaurants, taverns, and other places where food and beverages are served. They prepare and serve alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks to customers, either directly or through waiting staff. Depending on the type of establishment, bartenders might have other tasks such as taking food orders or keeping track of inventory.
Possible Career Paths: Long-term career goals for Bartenders can include bar owner, general manager, and food and beverage director at a hotel, catering service, or hospital.
Catering Assistant
The professional service of preparing and serving food at an event or gathering at a remote site is known as catering. These assistants typically prepare meal ingredients, load and unload food off of catering vehicles, set up food stations, clean work areas, and handle orders and billing. They also work on-site alongside catering managers and are often the first contact between potential customers and the company.
Possible Career Paths: A Catering Assistant acquires a combination of experience in food preparation, guest experience, and administrative work. They can also pursue more senior positions as a hospitality manager or a restaurant manager.
Concierge
A concierge works in a hotel and assists guests by providing recommendations for entertainment and organizing those accommodations. In addition, they make reservations for restaurants, travel arrangements, procure tickets for events, and set up sight-seeing tours. Because they are a client-facing position, a concierge needs to have exceptional customer service skills. A concierge may also work as a front desk attendant.
Possible Career Paths: After developing experience as a Concierge, you could pursue several management positions. Some jobs include front desk manager and hotel general manager.
Cruise Ship Lifeguard
A lifeguard on a cruise may sound like a niche hospitality job, but the cruise industry generated $6.6 billion in revenue in 2021 despite the impact of Covid-19. The market is expected to bounce back, with revenue projected to increase to $34.1 billion by 2025.
Cruise Ship Lifeguards patrol marine recreational areas to enforce safety protocols. They also rescue guests in danger of drowning, administer first aid and CPR, report and follow up with incidents, and open and close any marine recreational areas.
Possible Career Paths: A job as a Cruise Ship Lifeguard usually only requires a high school diploma and lifeguard certification. Hence, it’s a chance to gain a unique perspective of what it’s like to work at sea if you’re considering enrolling in maritime school or pursuing certification for a higher-level job with a cruise line.
Event Coordinator
Event management is one of the pillars of the hospitality industry. Types of events can include weddings, business meetings, celebration dinners, sporting events, and fundraisers. Event Coordinators work under event managers and assist in planning every aspect of the planning of the occasion. For example, they may help in venue selection, invoicing, arranging vendor services, and communicating with clients.
Possible Career Paths: An Event Coordinator with years of experience can successfully transition to a management career like an event manager or a senior event planner.
Host
A host is essentially the face of the restaurant. Because of this, they are the first impression the customer gets as they greet and welcome patrons into the restaurant. Hosts manage reservations, escort customers to dining or bar areas. They also coordinate with wait staff and ensure patrons have an enjoyable experience throughout their dining experience.
Possible Career Paths: Hosts gain valuable experience coordinating between the front of the house and the kitchen. As a result, they get in-depth knowledge of restaurant logistics and can apply those skills to a role in restaurant management.
Hotel Clerk
Clerks coordinate room reservations, greet hotel or lodging guests at arrival, and check them into their rooms. Hotel clerks must maintain knowledge of room rates and housekeeping schedules to coordinate room availability. They also provide customer service to guests during their stay and complete check out when they depart.
Possible Career Paths: Hotel Clerks interact and work with all members of the hotel staff. They can apply their experience and knowledge of the different facets of running a hotel to pursue a career as a front desk manager, housekeeping manager, hotel general manager.
For more information on the industry and about more hospitality jobs, check out our Hospitality Career Library.
