Careers in Hospitality
Imagine a warm day with a bright blue sky and you’re poolside with an ice tea in hand gazing at a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean while a gentle breeze fixes itself on your skin. Sometime later in the day, you glide past the pool to grab an icy margarita as well as some accompanying chips and guacamole. You are thinking that days like this are the epitome of relaxation, and then you remember one small detail, and that is, that you are work, and that ice tea that you have in hand is being served to someone else and so are the chips, as well as the margarita too. Some people in this position may be thinking it’s another day at the grind, while others think that are lucky to be paid working in a location so beautiful, while the guest is paying money to be there. If you are like me, and you find joy in creating an experience for another person to relax and escape from his everyday worries, while working in exciting places such as a beach poolside “office,” then the hospitality industry is the perfect match for you.
Every hotel, restaurant, resort, bed and breakfast and even youth hostels, provide their guests with hospitality. What each owner of these establishments strives for are positive guest reviews so that their businesses can thrive. It takes many players to provide a good experience for a guest. At a hotel, the valet greets each guest with a smile, while a door man opens the door and assists with guest luggage; a friendly face greets the guest at the front desk, while a bell hop assists the guest with getting him and his things into his room. All of these transactions must be perceived by the guest and smooth and effortless because even if the hospitality manager feels that the service provided was stellar, it is the guest who is the judge, and not every guest will agree that their experience was a positive one. The guest may have felt rushed from his car, and or felt that their room was not ready in time, or the guest didn’t like to have to wait to receive his room keys because or a line at the front desk. It is factors like these that can be a challenge to those working in the hospitality industry and accepting each guest’s perception of what they experienced is only one goal in to providing a positive experience.
I have had the fortune to have worked in the hospitality industry for the last 8 years. As a representative of one of the leading luxury resorts in the nation I have found that more importantly than providing pristine service is leaving a guest with the perception of doing so. Positive attitudes will get you far in the hospitality field. The most symbolic form of good attitude is a smile. Smiling is the most likely way to sway a guest into thinking that he is more satisfied than he originally thought he was with his experience. I was once interviewing for a job, and as I patiently waited outside of the Human Resources office for my turn to interview, out an employee passes me and stops to say to me "smile." After he examines me further, he lowers his voice and says; "I do not care if your mother has died yesterday, you must smile like your life is dependant on it if you want this job." Lucky for me, that rather sending me off running for the hills, this advice settled with me pretty quickly. As soon as a stepped into my interview with the Food and Beverage Director for a banquet position I interviewed for says to me, “tell me something, what can I do to get each of my employees smile like you?" It was a rhetorical question, but in this field, that manager knows that guests feel that they are getting better service if it is accompanied by a smile.
While having a great attitude and providing seamless service is characteristic traits of good players in the world of hospitality, it is also the type of person that leaves no detail overlooked that excels the furthest. Personally, I can enter into a beautifully decorated banquet room, set for a wedding, lets say, and if I notice that the table linens are not pressed, or perhaps there is a smudge or fingerprint on a knife on a dinner table, I am immediately turned off and begin to think that the place is a dive. I myself, like a guest, must enter into world of hospitality and feel taken away from the imperfections of the every day world. Because each guest is different, from the old to the young, the rich to the poor, the obsessively compulsive neat freak to the comfortably messy slacker, you just never know what personality a waits to be serviced upon. Strong attention to details can be addressed ranging in matters of cleanliness, setting uniform table or bed linens, or providing a lemon slice for a ice tea that is cut the same way, every time. Consistency and anticipation of guest expectations are a key component in focusing on details. If a guest hot, offer him water. If a guest is cold, offer her a blanket. If a guest asks for coffee, bring cream and sugar. A focused creative mindset that anticipates the smallest details and high standards will thrive in the hospitality world.
Careers in hospitality can be some of the most challenging, but rewarding as they get. Those who succeed understand that their guests appreciate that details are not over looked, and that people love to be assisted with positive attitudes and a smile. If you are able to smile your way up the proverbial latter of the hospitality world, you will find that the perks are endless and to some, the perks can be some of the most attractive that any job has to offer. They can range from complimentary rooms and discounts for hotel and travel, free meals, meeting wonderful and exciting people, learning about new wines and food, working in some of the most beautiful places in the worlds, to merely providing someone with a nice comfortable clean bed to sleep in at night. There is joy to be found in working in this industry without a doubt!
