You have already a wonderful background and big
experience in the hospitality industry, especially
managing hotels’ restaurants. Could you please
tell us several points about the nuances of hotel’s
restaurant manager should strictly follow?
have a lot of acquaintances asking me what
motivated me to pursue a career in the hotel and
tourism industry. They would be better off asking me
to define the purpose of life or explain astrophysics
because there is no clear and certain answer to that
question. It all depends on what a person seeks
from choosing to work in hotels.
The reasons are just about as vast as the industry
and as deep as its roots in history. Historically, people
traveled around and just as today the basic needs such as a warm bed and healthy meals had to
be met. However, unlike ancient times, the industry has continuously evolved to its highest extents
– and with future technologies and resources, promises to innovate more and more with every
single client. Whether your corporation needs a 100 person conference room, you decide to go
on an exotic honeymoon, or finally take time off with your family at a summer resort, working in
hotels requires you – professionally – to ensure that your clients’ wants and needs are met and even
exceeded; and unlike past times, they are not limited to just a warm bed or healthy meals. Whoever
is involved with this industry needs to understand that keeping up with its current trends is a key
success factor.
Another reason is that hospitality requires you to work in a multi-cultural environment. Working
in a hotel does not mean that internationalism within the
establishment stops at your clients; for the people behind
the reception, in the kitchen and at the offices come from all
corners of the world and they bring along with them their own
language, cultural background, and ideas on how to efficiently
work within the industry.
In my 10 years of experience, I had the honor to work with
colleagues from Italy, Russia, Africa, France, England, America,
Argentina, Brazil. All these people had taught me how to
maximize my working capabilities based on their own personal
experience within their home-countries; which at the end of the
day not only enriched my practical skills – but my knowledge on
other countries as well. A key factor in this “job description” is to
be able to communicate and work with different people from
different backgrounds – as one big team.
The hospitality industry allows you to develop yourself – professionally and as a person. Not only
do you improve on the professional skills you already possess, but with time and commitment,
you learn others due to the variety of colleagues, clients, and situations that will put you to the
test. Various characteristics are required for working in a hotel. These range from soft-skills such
as organization, communicating or working in a team; to more
technical competencies such as serving, revenue management,
accounting and facilities management.
Also, probably the most important matter is that you – literally
– take care of people. This is debatable, but my experience tells
me it takes empathy and commitment to put another person’s
needs and desires ahead of your own – while keeping a smile
on your face.
Customers come to hotels for various reasons, but in short,
they want an experience. They want hotel employees and
representatives to accord their time, care and attention. And just
as people differ greatly, so does the care and commitment each
hotelier exhibits to his/her clients. Some may settle for meeting
the basics, such as checking-in a family or serving beverages
at the hotel’s bar, but others will take an extra step and not just
meet their client’s demands, but also exceed them.
With today’s fast-growing businesses, more and more focus is
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