6.5 Careers
Hotel Organizational Structures
A hotel’s organizational chart provides a visual representation of the property’s staffing hierarchy and division of operational responsibilities. Examining typical hotel organizational structures grants hotel professionals foundational knowledge of the complex interplay of departments, managers, and line-level staff required to deliver exceptional guest experiences.
In a full-service hotel’s organizational chart, the general manager sits at the top, overseeing all operations and departments. Directly below and reporting to the General Manager (GM) are heads of major divisions like rooms, food and beverage, sales/marketing, human resources, finance/accounting, security, maintenance, and housekeeping. These department heads manage teams of supervisors, who in turn manage frontline staff executing day-to-day activities.
Within the rooms division, the front office is headed by the front office manager, who supervises front desk agents, concierges, bell staff, and valet staff. The executive housekeeper oversees housekeeping and laundry. Food and beverage consists of multiple outlets like restaurants, banquet/catering, and room service headed by outlet managers or executive chef. Sales and marketing has sub-teams for corporate sales, events, and public relations.
Leadership hierarchies allow effective delegation, accountability, and decision-making authority across the hotel. However, communication, teamwork and customer-centric service must bridge any silos between departments and levels. Adaptable matrix management brings cross-functional collaboration for projects like new hotel openings.
Staffing models vary by hotel size, amenities, location, and service level. But the core divisions remain consistent. Analyzing org charts grants valuable perspective on the intricately coordinated efforts required to deliver exceptional guest experiences and financial returns.
Building Your Career Pathway
The multifaceted operations of a hotel offer a wide array of career pathways for young professionals pursuing hospitality management. By understanding the scope of departmental roles and advancement opportunities, we can chart rewarding long-term career trajectories within hotel organizations.
Front office and guest services provide critical first impressions and customer care. Positions like front desk agent, concierge, and bell/valet attendant offer entry points to learn guest relations skills. With experience, promotions to supervisor, duty manager, and eventually front office manager become possible.
Within housekeeping, room attendants can advance to floor supervisors then executive housekeeper. Housekeeping departments traditionally have more than 50% of a hotel’s team members (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023). This is changing as many properties no longer offer daily housekeeping for their guests. Yet, the importance of housekeeping remains paramount to a property’s operations and career positions are plentiful.
The food and beverage industry encompasses a wide range of roles, starting from positions like servers and bartenders and progressing to more advanced roles like outlet managers. For those interested in event coordination, roles such as banquet and events coordinators can lead to exciting opportunities as catering sales directors. Similarly, culinary careers offer a clear trajectory, with individuals starting as prep cooks and advancing their way up to prestigious positions like chef de cuisine. The industry provides ample room for growth and specialization, catering to a diverse array of career aspirations.
Finance and accounting provide essential analytical support. Entry-level roles in accounts payable, accounts payable, payroll, and night audit prepare employees for controller and finance director positions. The finance and accounting department offers critical support through financial analysis, reporting, budgeting, and asset management. Entry points include accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, purchasing, and night audit/reconciliation roles. The analytical, detail-oriented nature of finance functions equips professionals with skills transferable across industries. But the hospitality sector provides opportunities to not only manage finances, but enable remarkable guest experiences.
Sales and marketing offers opportunities in conference services coordination, account management, marketing, and communications. The sales and marketing department in a hotel is typically segmented to focus on key markets. For example, the director of sales may oversee sales managers focused on corporate accounts, SMERF (social, military, educational, religious, and fraternal), government, associations, and other business/group accounts. Leisure sales managers concentrate on promoting to tour operators, Online Travel Agents (OTAs), and consumers directly. Marketing managers handle areas like branding, advertising, digital marketing, social media, promotions, partnerships, and public relations. Segmenting sales efforts and marketing strategies based on primary target markets allows hotels to tailor outreach and maximize results.
Passion for hospitality and leadership potential can propel careers to the general manager level and beyond. Regional director roles overseeing multiple properties provide advancement opportunities. Some leverage operational expertise to transition into hotel development, franchising, and consultancy.
By gaining well-rounded experience through hotel internships, mentorships, and on-the-job training, anyone reading this textbook can build the capabilities needed at higher levels of management. Willingness to relocate also aids advancement prospects. With dedication and continuous learning, the possibilities are unlimited in hotel management.
Attributions
- Figure 6.11: Advertisement: The best wines, liquors, ales & lager beer, we are selling here by L.N. Rosenthal in the Public Domain; This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1929.
- Figure 6.12: Daegu welcomes interns by Weekly Calm Weekly Newspaper is released under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
The hierarchy, roles, and relationships within hotel management and staff, including departments such as front office, housekeeping, food and beverage, sales and marketing, and finance.
The senior executive responsible for overseeing the overall operations, management, and performance of a hotel or lodging establishment, ensuring guest satisfaction, profitability, and compliance with standards.
The department or function responsible for managing and processing payments to vendors, suppliers, and creditors for goods and services received by the hotel or hospitality establishment.
The accounting process conducted during the overnight shift at hotels, reconciling daily transactions, balancing accounts, and preparing financial reports for the next business day.
The financial executive responsible for managing accounting, financial reporting, and budgeting functions within a hotel or hospitality establishment, ensuring compliance with regulations and financial integrity.
A market segmentation framework used in the hospitality industry to categorize groups and events based on their social, military, educational, religious, or fraternal affiliations, targeting niche markets for group bookings and events.
