Top Inns for lodging have been in existence since ancient times. Beginning in Europe, parts of Asia and Africa as modest sleeping quarters for travellers, they evolved to establishments which offered dining and bathing facilities in the late fifteen century. Rail passenger travel created a greater need for hotels in the nineteenth century, but only a few offered luxuries resembling those offered by resort hotels and inns today.
As air travel became commonplace, the number of lodging facilities increased dramatically in response to the need for services for business travellers and domestic and international tourism.
The lodging facilities of today may offer dining, shopping, laundering, babysitting, hair styling and other services.
Inns and hotels began as stop-over, resting places for travelers enroute to a destination; today, many resort hotels and inns have become the destination itself. Pools, nightclubs, fine restaurants and convention centers are some of the attractions.
But it isn't easy working in the hospitality industry - guests can be rude, the holiday rush is nightmarish, and employees work seven days a week.
Hotel employees must put the needs of their guests first and, at all times, maintain a sunny and accommodating demeanour - not easy when you have been working for 12 hours on New Year’s Day without a break. However, the perks in the business are good and hospitality workers put up with the minuses of the industry.
Manpower requirement for hotels is on the rise. Star hotels require specialised trained staff for their various departments: food and beverage, housekeeping, accounting, marketing, recreation and other services, computer applications, financial management, engineering, maintenance, security, fire fighting and public relations. These jobs have become increasingly challenging in recent times.
With sophisticated technology gaining prominence, automation will play a major role in the service sector but the compulsions of personalised attention in this service industry will continue.
Manpower projections in the hotel indistry by 2001 indicate that thenumber of core professionals required will total 300,000 approximately.
Top In the twentieth century the number of chain-operated hotels and the need to coordinate the complex aspects of running modern hotels created a lot of work in the hotel and hospitality industry.
The tempo of work varies in lodging facilities; residential hotels in suburbs or holiday spots operate at a slower pace than large commercial ones.
The job of hotel manager is both physically and mentally demanding. Problems arise constantly and managers must maintain smooth operation of the establishment while satisfying all of the clientele.
Hosts and hostesses work in a variety of different settings and environments, ranging from formal dining establishments to coffee shops. There is some pressure involved in the work, especially when hosts and hostesses must maintain a smooth running operation during hectic lunch and dinner rush periods.
Employers may provide uniforms; however, some hosts and hostesses are required to provide their own clothing. In some of the finer dining establishments, formal-wear is required. Many employers who use this occupation find it difficult to recruit new people when their hosts or hostesses leave.
Most restaurant workers are expected to work nights, weekends, and holidays. Some employees work split shifts by working a few hours at mid-day, taking time off during the afternoon, then returning to work the evening shift. The wide range of hours available to restaurant workers creates a good opportunity for part-time work and makes this line of work particularly suitable for students.
Most hotels are very comfortable to work in. Desk clerks work at a counter in the lobby. While the work is not physically hard, there's a lot of standing involved. You might have to do some reaching and bending. Desk clerks work under a head clerk, assistant manager or hotel manager.
Teamwork is a must for good front office work. Clerks must cooperate with other hotel workers to serve guests properly. During the busiest registration and checkout periods, desk clerks work under pressure to meet the different needs of the customers.
Hotels that make their front office staff wear uniforms provide them free of charge, along with cleaning.
Direct and coordinate activities in the day-to-day operation of their business establishments. This includes the activities of the front office, kitchen, and dining rooms, as well as the various departments such as housekeeping, accounting, purchasing, and the like.
They establish standards for personnel administration and performance, service to patrons, room rates, advertising, publicity, and audit.
Handling problems and coping with the unexpected on a daily basis is an important part of the job.
Hotel size and type determine the scope of the manager's duties.
In a large hotel where the job is primarily administrative (general manager), they coordinate the activities of the various department heads or delegate responsibilities to the appropriate managers. These include convention managers who organise and coordinate staff and convention personnel for meetings to be held in the hotel; food managers who coordinate menu planning, purchasing and preparing food; personnel managers in charge of hiring; front office managers who oversee room reservations and guest greeting; executive housekeepers who oversee the cleaning staff; hotel facilities recreational managers who take charge of making diversion activities available to guests; and sales managers who promote the maximum use of hotel facilities.
Some large hotel chains centralise activities such as purchasing and advertising so that individual branches may not need managers for these departments.
Managers of small or medium-sized hotels, who are often owner-operators, have more of a direct supervisory responsibility over all functions. Unlike managers in large hotels, they may take a direct role in the hiring process. They may also perform relief work in various activities such as inspecting rooms, setting up tables, and otherwise filling in wherever needed.
Restaurant hosts or hostesses
May be responsible for a variety of job duties.
Because they are the first employees whom most customers meet when they enter a restaurant, hosts and hostesses serve a major role in establishing the atmosphere for their guests.
They courteously greet patrons and direct them to their tables or accompany them to waiting areas until their tables are ready. Commonly, hosts or hostesses will take and schedule reservations, assign guests to tables suitable to the sise of each group, escort them to their seats, and provide menus.
They may assist customers in planning special events such as parties and banquets and supervise and coordinate the activities of the dining room staff.
Because they play such an important role in making meals enjoyable and the surroundings inviting and comfortable for their patrons, their job duties also include adjusting customer complaints and inspecting serving stations to insure that they are clean, neat, and contain the necessary dining room supplies.
Hosts and hostesses may also serve as cashiers. Their duties are not limited to the actual dining room operations. Other common duties may include the tasks of interviewing, hiring, and training new staff, as well as discharging unsatisfactory personnel.
They may be responsible for the scheduling of work hours and for keeping time records of the restaurant staff.
Some employers may ask them to prepare and make bank deposits. They may also be asked to help plan the restaurant's menu. Although the job duties of a host or hostess may be wide and diverse, the range and scope of their actual responsibilities are dependent on the establishment which employs them.
Hotel desk clerks
Are usually the first people to greet and welcome hotel guests.
They register guests and give them rooms, always trying to give the guests the sort of rooms they want. When giving out rooms, desk clerks have to make sure that the hotel makes as much money as possible while seeing to it that the hotel guests are happy. They answer questions about the price of rooms and hotel services, hand out keys, arrange for guests to switch rooms, and they tell the manager when important guests arrive.
Large hotels usually have several front office clerks who may specialise as key, reservation or information clerks. They may also operate the hotel's computer.
The work of hotel desk clerks Is different depending on the size of the hotel.
In small hotels they may process mail, collect payments, record accounts, handle reservations, operate the telephone switchboard and do simple bookkeeping. Desk clerks must know the hotel floor plan, fire escape routes, and the location of and sometimes the operation of the hotel's mechanical systems. Desk clerks must also know about local stores, restaurants, and tourist spots.
A reputation for serving good food is essential to any restaurant, whether it prides itself on hamburgers and French fries or exotic foreign cuisine. Chefs, cooks, and other kitchen workers are largely responsible for the reputation a restaurant acquires.
Some restaurants offer a varied menu featuring meals that are time consuming and difficult to prepare, requiring a highly skilled cook or chef. Other restaurants emphasise fast service, offering hamburgers and sandwiches that can be prepared in advance or in a few minutes by a fast-food or short-order cook with only limited cooking skills.
Chefs and cooks are responsible for preparing meals that are tasty and attractively presented. Chefs are the most highly skilled, trained, and experienced kitchen workers. Although the terms chef and cook are still sometimes used interchangeably, cooks generally have more limited skills. Many chefs have earned fame for both themselves and the restaurants, hotels, and institutions where they work because of their skill in artfully preparing the traditional favorites and in creating new dishes and improving familiar ones.
Institutional chefs and cooks
Work in the kitchens of schools, industrial cafeterias, hospitals, and other institutions. For each meal, they prepare a small selection of entrees, vegetables, and desserts, but in large quantities. Restaurant chefs and cooks generally prepare a wider selection of dishes for each meal, cooking most individual servings to order. Whether in institutions or restaurants, chefs and cooks measure, mix, and cook ingredients according to recipes.
In the course of their work they use a variety of pots, pans, cutlery, and equipment, including ovens, broilers, grills, slicers, grinders, and blenders. They are often responsible for directing the work of other kitchen workers, estimating food requirements, and ordering food supplies. Some chefs and cooks also help plan meals and develop menus.
Bread and pastry bakers
Called pastry chefs in some kitchens, produce baked goods for restaurants, institutions, and retail bakery shops. Unlike bakers who work at large, automated industrial bakeries, bread and pastry bakers need only supply the customers who visit their establishment. They bake smaller quanti