Overview of the Hospitality Industry

Hospitality Industry Overview

• The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that provides services to customers.
• The word 'hospitality' is derived from the French word 'hospice', meaning taking care of travelers.

Primary Areas of Hospitality Industry

• Accommodations
• Food and Beverages
• Travel and Tourism

Customer-Centric Approach

• Customers are at the heart of the hospitality industry.
• Focusing on customer satisfaction gives a company the best chance at success.

Levels of Service

• Intangible: the experience and feeling of being welcomed, valued, and cared for.
• Perishable: services cannot be stored or reused.
• Inseparable: customers must interact with the hospitality provider to receive benefits.
• Simultaneous: customers experience the benefits of the service at the same time.

Characteristics of Hospitality Industry

• Shift work: hospitality businesses operate 24/7, requiring employees to work longer hours.
• Guest satisfaction: a measurement of how happy customers are with the service provided.

Management in Hospitality Industry

• Management: coordinating and overseeing the activities of others to achieve efficiency and effectiveness.
• Effectiveness: doing the right thing.
• Efficiency: getting the most done with the fewest inputs.

Hotel Management

• Hotel management involves overseeing the operations of a hotel business.
• Managers: professionals who take a leadership role and manage a team of employees.

Levels of Classification

• Top Managers: responsible for making medium- to long-range plans and establishing goals and strategies.
• Middle Managers: responsible for short- to medium-range plans and leading their divisions.
• Frontline Managers: responsible for specific business functions.

Key Hotel Management Functions

• Planning: setting objectives and determining a course of action.
• Organizing: deciding what needs to be done and prioritizing tasks.
• Decision making: making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information, and assessing alternative resolutions.
• Communicating: creating and sharing ideas, information, and views.
• Human Resources and Motivating: attracting and retaining the best employees and keeping morale high.
• Controlling: setting standards and comparing actual results with these standards.

Manager's Changing Role

• Figurehead Role: managers have social, ceremonial, and legal responsibilities.
• Leader Role: managers manage people, situations, and items effectively and ethically.
• Liaison Role: managers make contacts with people within and outside the company.
• Spokesperson Role: managers represent and speak for their organization.
• Negotiator Role: managers communicate and share ideas to achieve the best interest of the company and its stakeholders.

Explore the primary areas of the Hospitality Industry - Accommodations, Food and Beverages, and Travel and Tourism. Understand the importance of customer satisfaction and creating unique experiences for travelers.