Hospitality people are a special breed. They are the face of your hotel or restaurant, your living business card. Your staff is in continuous contact with your customers and as such, they are the go-to people when something isn’t exactly as your demanding guests expected. Heritage Institute of Hotel & Tourism teaches you a skill set to be a successful Hotelier.
Needless to say, the ideal hospitality employee has an impressive skill set. We’ve done extensive research into what makes a good candidate.
Listening:
Someone once said ‘We’ve got two ears and only one mouth, which means we should listen twice as much as we speak.’ This is true for a lot of things, but even more so in the hospitality industry. Listening to your guests is vital, especially if they don’t speak the same language. Good hospitality staff knows how to listen, not just with their ears, but with their entire body. Because it’s not only about what the guest tells them, it’s also about their non-verbal communication; are they nervous, stressed, do they seem a little lost? And what does the guest tell them between the lines?
In short: it is crucial for a hospitality employee to be a terrific listener, whether they work at an upscale establishment, a quick-service restaurant, a bar, or a hotel.
Oral Communication:
After the listening comes to the talking. This hospitality characteristic is just as important as the previous one. In particular, when your guests speak a different language, you want to make sure your staff is confident about their English or whatever other languages they are required to speak.
And it’s not just about the way they talk. Again, it’s about the employee’s general attitude; they need to look the guests in the eye, have a friendly face, speak clearly, etc. Obviously, clear communication isn’t for everyone, nor is talking to (foreign) strangers. But it is a vital part of a hospitality employee’s job and therefore an essential skill for candidates to have.
Attention to Detail:
When customers make special requests and ask for personal attention, they expect their requests to be fulfilled without any hassle. Bartenders and waiters must get all the details of an order correct while many other customers compete for their attention. Paying careful attention to detail ensures that customers remain happy and spread positive reviews of their experience to their friends and family.
The hospitality industry is always growing and evolving, and employees with the right qualities for this industry have many opportunities for advancement.
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Good Memory:
Excellent short-term memory is essential for hotel and restaurant workers who need to keep track of a long list of tasks with time limits. While it’s important to write down as many tasks as possible, keeping track of them in memory is a good way to stay focused and organized throughout a shift. Staying focused and organized during a shift is an ability associated with conscientiousness.
Tolerance for Stress:
High tolerance for stress is a trait associated with conscientiousness and low neuroticism. Being able to handle stress in the hospitality industry requires excellent focus and calm nerves. When hundreds of people arrive at a hotel or a restaurant all at the same time, the stress on employees can be very intense. Staying organized by taking notes and handling tasks in order of priority can help hospitality workers keep the stress at a manageable level.
Career in Hospitality Industry is always growing and evolving, and employees with the right qualities for this industry have many opportunities for advancement. The top five personality traits required for the hospitality industry are essential qualities related to hard work, strong focus, and physical stamina.
All these skill sets are accordingly taught at HIHT
About the Author
DK. SINGH
President
Heritage Institute of Hotel & Tourism
Agra & Shimla
