Hospitality Management Schools, Programs and Training

Turn Your Love of Leisure into a Hospitality Management Career

The hospitality industry offers rewarding careers involving everything relating to lodging, restaurants, and vacation activities. To work in hospitality, you need to be a helpful, courteous individual who is passionate about exemplary customer service. Professionals need a well-rounded, general understanding of the hospitality business, while also having specialized training in key areas such as food and beverage, travel, hotel management, and event services. Formal training in one of these areas can improve your job opportunities. Employers also look for candidates with versatile leadership skills, communication skills, and the ability to deliver high standards of customer service while managing a diverse team. Hospitality management education programs offer certificates, diplomas, or degrees that provide the foundation needed to enter the industry with general industry knowledge, as well as the specialized training focused on a particular hospitality niche. In addition to obtaining a degree in hospitality management, you can advance your career by completing a certification program offered by various hotel and lodging associations. These programs usually require a combination of course work, examinations, and experience.

Hospitality Management Degrees Open Doors

In 2008, the most recent year for which the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has figures, lodging managers earned a median annual wage of $45,800. Those working in high-end hotels or managing large properties may make significantly more--the top ten percent of earners in the field took over over $62,880. Job growth is expected to be about five percent between 2008 and 2018, and job opportunities are expected to be best at larger properties that continue to provide a range of services for customers. Because competition may be stiff for the best job openings, hospitality management training may be what you need to set yourself apart from the rest.