Hospitality. An industry as diverse as the culinary delights that grace its establishments’ tables. A customer-oriented mindset is the guiding principle of the industry. Then there is management that stands for leadership and responsibility. Put the two together, and you get “hospitality management”.
But what is hospitality management? Where might it take you in terms of your professional career? How much might you earn in a hospitality management profession? And what would a Hospitality Management degree entail?
Hospitality management is a broad field that involves overseeing the day-to-day administrative, operational and commercial activities of businesses in the hospitality industry. As opposed to the more narrowly focused “hotel management”, hospitality management is an umbrella term that covers various industries such as food and beverage, travel and accommodation and event management. The departments under a hospitality manager’s stewardship may range from maintenance and housekeeping to spa services, concierge, reception and many more.
The responsibilities that fall to hospitality managers differ according to the setting in which they are employed. Chiefly, these can include the following:
Much like a degree in Business Management, a Hospitality Management degree offers comprehensive insights into the structure and functioning of companies and organizations. Students are taught the respective management skills, such as leadership and delegation, teamwork and communication, IT, analysis, critical thinking and problem-solving.
The Hospitality Management syllabus, however, is tailored to the hospitality sector, which epitomizes customer service. You'll learn the importance of customer centricity and how to deal with customers effectively, no matter what industry.
Hospitality Management courses are a breeding ground for entrepreneurs. Hospitality management offers aspiring entrepreneurs a rare opportunity to combine practical and theoretic education, known as a dual education model, which sets you up for entrepreneurial success by strengthening the essential hard and soft skills.
Hospitality management can be a challenging yet rewarding career but not everyone is cut out for it. Several types of employers offer career opportunities in hospitality management, for instance: hotel chains, conference and exhibition centers, events venues, bars and pubs, restaurants and fast-food outlets, airlines, as well as the public sector.
Alongside the roles listed above, hospitality management skills may open the door to a career in a wide range of different roles, including:
Salaries vary depending on your location, market of choice and the scale and status of the enterprise, among other factors. However, what is certain is that a Hospitality Management degree ensures a greater chance of obtaining a career in leadership positions which typically offer higher pay brackets than lower-level roles.
Other perks to a career in Hospitality Management include:
Whilst many sectors experienced mass layoffs in 2023, the hospitality sector keeps growing, representing a prosperous sector for job opportunities now and in the near future. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' current Occupational Outlook Handbook, job growth for hotel managers is expected to increase at the rate of 18% through 2031, which is much faster than average.
While secondary education suffices for some hospitality jobs, the leap into hospitality management’s higher pay bracket is best facilitated by a Hospitality Management degree. A Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management will equip you with the following skills:
Ideally, a Hospitality Management degree confers professional skills and management expertise on the one hand, and cultural awareness, language skills and real work experience on the other.
This is certainly the case at critically acclaimed EHL. Its Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management combines industry immersion with management theory and applied business projects, giving you all the input you need to become a well-rounded professional - as well as being the ideal stepping stone to a Graduate Management Program or Master’s degree.
Hospitality skills are known for their transferable nature into other industries due to the unique blend of business acumen a customer-facing skills acquired. Studying for a degree in a hospitality management opens up your career prospects to a large breadth of different industries, including:
Hospitality management: the go-to choice for those with a service mindset, aptitude for critical thinking and hunger for leadership looking to work in a diverse field.