Seven skills that you can learn from hospitality industry!

While working in the hotel industry you can learn so many skills that you couldn’t anywhere else. The same thing happened to me when I started my new job.

Hotels teach you how to prioritize one thing over the other, about having a positive attitude, about patience, about the human behaviour and how to be ecstatic regardless of what is going on the back of your head. Here are a few things which I have learned from the late night and early morning challenging shifts.

Be Pro-Active:

Know your guest before they know you.

Proactive means constantly moving forward, looking to the future and making things happen.

It is important for a hotelier to understand that the relationship with a guest starts long before the guest shows up at the front desk. The most important aspects for a front desk agent is to listen, care and connect in a way that enhances the relationship with the customer.  

For instance, we are expecting a group arrival by 6 in the evening; in this case, the front office team has to be prepared for receiving them. They should also make sure the requested rooms by the group are pre-blocked and ready for the guest and the keys should be ready by then.

These small things are done by the front desk staff not only create a marvellous experience for the guest but also lighten the workload of the employees.

Human bag of solution

As the hotel industry is a customer based industry, employees have to face various problems and queries daily. Problem-solving is a skill which you cannot learn from textbooks or from watching videos over the internet. First handed experience and guidance are required to get the ability to ‘think quickly on your feet’.

One Man Army

No, I am not telling you to be Rajnikant but as a hotelier, you must know multitasking.

You can call this one of the reasons why people quit the hospitality industry because it’s always hectic. There will be always one or the other thing which needs to be done. You should be able to manage your time effectively. Your head will become like a pressure cooker at some point of the day but you should also be able to handle that pressure, which can only be done if you know how to priorities your responsibility.

Being Accountable-

Own your mistake.

Nobody is perfect when you make a mistake take full responsibility for it.

Never hide a mistake be open about it and try to learn from your mistake, do your best to prevent it from happening again and always inform the management about the incident and the actions taken.

Can-Do-It Attitude

Accepting the challenges in the workplace no matter how difficult the task may appear. Resolving a difficult situation for the manager can result in a promotion or a rise in the pay. You always try to find the solution of the problem instead of running away from them.

Language skill

Language skill acts as a plus point in the hospitality industry. You can make any guest comfortable by forming a personal connect, speaking guest’s language enables one to establish more satisfaction and loyalty.

Make Every Day Count

Develop a learning attitude.

The hotel industry is unpredictable, with new technology and software hotels have unprecedented opportunities. Try to learn something new every day. Use every opportunity to sharpen your skills and talent. Don’t be scared to suggest to your hotel management team new innovative ways to improve the customer experience. Ask if you can assist management or team members in other departments. And always be prepared to coach and help others improve their skills and talent.

There are so many instances while working in the hotel where you just want to yell on someone or want to weep in the middle of the shift. But still, the hotel industry will magnify your character which no postgraduate degree can. Moreover, it teaches you real soft skills that you will carry your entire life.

By Gaurav Malhotra