Career choice: Hospitality management

PImagine you are on an exotic beach front location all the year round (and not on the occasional vacation), getting to enjoy all the natural beauties, meeting many exciting people, and getting paid to be there for all of that. That is exactly the type of perks you can expect in the career path we call 'Hospitality Management'. It is not just about the beach and fun, this line of business covers a wide variety of fields to work which allows interested people to choose the right track. Let us explore the possibilities in a brief manner.
Food and Beverage in Hotel Industries: Food and beverage service related professionals work in catering companies, hotels, restaurants, and anywhere else where food is served professionally. According to the hospitality industry norms, it is the duty of a food and beverage manager to oversee operations of restaurants and on-property food services. This can include human resources, supply chain, customer service managementand financial tracking.
Food and beverage managers will also spend much of their time in training and evaluating employees to attain top quality customer service. They may also be responsible for the discipline and conflict resolution of subordinates. A food and beverage manager can expect to make between Tk. 30,000-Tk. 50,000 per month, with the higher end of the salary range reserved for managers working in large resort hotels and exclusive properties.
Human Resources: Degrees in hospitality management may also give you the skills to work in human resources management for a variety of lines of business in the hospitality field including restaurants, hotels and resorts. A human resource manager is responsible for all the duties revolving around employees. This can include paychecks, benefits, insurance, hiring, firing, and conflict resolution. A human resources manager can expect to make between Tk. 50,000-Tk. 100,000 per month, with the higher end of the salary range reserved for managers working in large resort hotels and exclusive properties. Human resource managers can also expect to make more by working in hotel chain corporate offices.
Accommodation Management (House­keeping Management): Hospitality management students may also want to consider a career path from Housekeeping Management Department. Housekeeping management includes hotels, motels, resorts, and any other property that provides accommodation services to travelers. Managers in this area of hospitality are in charge of the daily operations of the property,  this position is called Executive House Keeper.
These can include marketing, employee relations, customer relations, budget, sales, and facilitating the smooth operation of the property. An Executive House Keeper in hotel industry can expect to make between Tk. 30,000-Tk. 100,000 per month.
Front Office Management: Front Office Management is the reception or lobby area of hospitality management that graduates may want to consider. Front office management jobs are limited to areas of hotel and hospitality industries where you meet guests or customers just in front of you. This can expose the jobs in your area for employment. However, front office management can be one of the most lucrative positions in the hospitality field.
Front Office Managers are responsible for the smooth room reservation; check in and check out operation of the hospitality industries. They are also in charge of customer relations, facility management, employee relations, and the added responsibility of security. Since front office receives large amount of cash money as well as payment made by major credit cards, to avoid the credit cards forgery managers have the added responsibility of security over the cards and cash of check in guests.
A front office manager can expect to make between Tk. 40,000 and Tk. 100,000 each month. Front office managers usually work their way up from hotel lobby to all floors  and corridors. They oversee corporate operations as well. Each business has its own set of standards for education and experience needed to become a front office manager.
Travel and Tourism Management: Hospitality management students may also want to consider career paths in travel and tourism management. Jobs in this field include travel agents, cruise directors, sales managers, tour managers, and tour guides. These professionals are in challenges of all factors that revolve around tours and traveling in resorts and sightseeing area and our famous mangrove forest. This can include booking travel, overseeing guest entertainment, managing staff, budgets, sales, marketing and touring.
In many cases travel and tourism managers travel throughout Bangladesh and the globally, or get substantial discounts on travel from airliners, and other business service providers. Travel and tourism managers can expect to make between Tk. 30,000 and Tk. 100,000 per month with the higher end of the salary range being reserved for government authorised travel agents and in-house corporate travel agents.
Do you enjoy interacting with exciting new people on a daily basis? Do you want to work in a thriving service industry that offers ample career advancement opportunity? If so, then a career in hospitality is probably right down your alley.
The writer is a veteran in the hospitality management industry for the last 32 years, he is currently serving as the General Manager, The Cox Today Hotel, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh;
shahab44@gmail.com