Hospitality Jobs, Descriptions and Career Paths

Hospitality management career opportunities are broken down into two buckets: the front office (front of house), which has direct contact with the public, and the back office (back of house), which includes support roles with less frequent frontline contact. For larger brands, and franchises, many back office roles are centralized off-property and have purview over multiple properties.  While we focus on the hotel segment many of these roles are similar across cruise ship, restaurants and all facets of the industry.

Here we break down the various hospitality roles and responsibilities, along with key skills that you need to thrive in each of these roles, as well as the potential career path. Many corporate roles, such as marketing, finance and sales, earn more responsibility by moving from a single property to a cluster, where the role oversees that function across several properties.  In order to get into higher paying corporate roles you'll need at least a high school diploma and likely a bachelor's degree (ideally from a hospitality school).  Having said that, even some of the most advanced roles and management positions can be achieved without fancy degrees through proper job training and determination.

Also, larger properties will see more atomization of these roles. A hotel in Times Square with 2,000 rooms will need more housekeeping shift supervisors whereas a smaller hotel with only 50 rooms may have just one housekeeping manager overseeing the department.

As far as skills required, we've added some specific to each row. These are in addition to the essential traits of any hospitality employee: problem-solving, customer service, effective use of technology and time management, among others.

There are dozens of wonderful career paths so skip to the category that's most relevant for you.

Front of House Hospitality Jobs

Front Desk Agent/Clerk

The front desk agent is responsible for checking guests in and out, keeping the front desk area tidy in the lobby clean and fielding guest requests on the phone and in-person. They also contribute around the hotel as needed. 

This is often an entry-level role and doesn't require any specific skills, beyond authentic customer service, a desire to learn and a lack of tardiness.

Career-minded front desk agents could eventually become shift supervisors and then assistant managers, front-of-house managers, and other management roles within the property.

[Explore job data for Front Desk Agents on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

 

Reservations Agent

Reservations Agents handle everything related to guest reservations, so just handling phone calls for new reservations, updating existing reservations, and answering guest communications via email, phone and other channels. 

This may be an entry-level role but still requires emotional intelligence, as well as patience, customer service, follow-through and the ability to focus and stay on task with limited oversight. A Reservations Agent could cross-train on the front desk and then move onto the management track.

[Explore job data for Reservations Agents on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

F&B Director

The Food and Beverage Director is responsible for managing the frontline staff and mid-level managers of the food and beverage outlets on-site. Depending on the size of the property, the F&B Director can manage anywhere from a few to dozens of employees. This person can do anything from running interviews with potential new employees, developing new menus with kitchen and bar staff, working with marketing on promotions, doing performance evaluations and handling customer service issues. The F&B Director is the primary liaison to upper management and attends regular management meetings.

Often, the Food and Beverage Director has worked her way up from frontline roles at restaurants and bars. As a career, the Director can transition into a larger property with more responsibilities and staff, open a new hotel’s outlets or seek out a GM role. 

[Explore job data for F&B Directors on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Assistant F&B Director

As the assistant to the F&B Director, this person contributes to the day-to-day operations of food and beverage outlets. This can mean working supervisor shifts and generally supplementing the work of their boss.

This role is often promoted up through frontline staff and has aspirations to become a director and move into managing larger food and beverage outlets either at a hotel or elsewhere.

[Explore job data for Assistant F&B Directors on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Outlet Manager

This role manages the daily operations of an on-property outlet. Do this could be a spa manager, bar manager or restaurant manager. These roles are most often found on larger properties with more amenities. Responsibilities vary depending on the outlet; this person will be responsible for hiring and firing, scheduling staff, handling customer service and monitoring overall performance.

An outlet manager usually has three to five years of experience in a related service sector, with some management experience prior to arriving at the hotel.  And all that manager may aspire to become a Director of Operations, Director Of Food And Beverage, or another director-level role.

[Browse open Outlet Managers roles on Hcareers]

Executive Chef

The Executive Chef is responsible for all food that is served on site. This can include banquets, meetings, food and beverage outlets, room service and even external catering. Most often found in larger properties with bigger budgets (and greater operational need), the Executive Chef leads a team that may include multiple Sous Chefs, a Banquets/Events Chef, and a Pastry Chef, with each of those people responsible for different areas of food and beverage operations.

As the head of the kitchen, the Executive Chef may also be asked to participate in pitches for large conferences and events, and have a much more public-facing role than other kitchen managers.

The Executive Chef may move on from a single property to a hotel group as an Area Executive Chef, or even to a restaurant group or corporate entity.  

[Explore job data for Executive Chefs on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Back of House Hospitality Jobs

Accountant

The hotel accountant manages all aspects of a hotel’s finances, from processing payroll to reconciling income and expenses, paying taxes and creating reports for management. This person will also spend time presenting these reports and working with management to understand the drivers behind the numbers.

 Accountants need a specialized college degree and will need different levels of experience, depending on the hotel’s size and revenue.  for an accountant just out of college, a smaller property would be the best place to start, while a more experienced accountant will look for a larger hotel group. Accounting principles generally translate well across industries, although specialized industry knowledge enhances competitiveness in the labor market.

In addition to strong financial management and sound judgment, a great hotel accountant has forensic skills to track down discrepancies and investigate the story behind the numbers.  A successful accountant also needs the ability to communicate about numbers in an understandable way to others.

An accountant could become a Director of Finance or an accountant role elsewhere, such as moving up to a larger property with more responsibilities or in another industry entirely as a VP of Accounting. 

[Explore job data for Accountants on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

 

Night Auditor

A hotel's Night Auditor audits each day’s financial transactions, such as reconciling and settling credit card transactions and verifying cashiers’ work for any outlets that take cash. As you can guess from the name, this work generally takes place at night once the hotel has completed the majority of its business. This person is also often in charge of the front desks turn the overnight hours

While some aptitude with finances is desirable, this is often an hourly position that is less experienced than an accountant. The Night Auditor must be comfortable working overnight hours and also managing the customer service element, in addition to supporting the property’s financial management.

A night auditor could become a shift supervisor and move their way up the management ladder. 

[Explore job data for Night Auditors on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Director of Finance

The Director of Finance manages all accounting functions and financial controls of a hotel. This person ensures that all financial reports, budgets, forecasts and other financial data are compiled accurately and that all legal and tax documentation is maintained and secured according to accepted accounting practices. This person also makes recommendations based on financial data and helps hotel management achieve its financial goals.

The Director of Finance is a senior role, which requires an accounting/finance degree and at least 8 to 10 years of experience in hospitality. A Director of Finance pursues progressively more senior roles, such as VP of Finance or potentially moving into new hotel development and launching larger properties.

[Explore job data for Directors of Finance on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Human Resource Manager

At a certain point, a hotel’s headcount merits full-time Human Resources support. This role advises management and helps everyone adhere to the strict legal guidelines around hiring, firing, and monitoring performance. This person will also be responsible for much of the paperwork around staff and supporting the on-boarding process for each employee. 

A human resource manager could be fresh out of college, or with multiple years of experience. The essential skill here is balancing empathy and humanity with laws and business. On one hand, a human resource manager must protect business;  on the other, there must be some level of humanity involved and what is often an emotional area of hotel operations. 

 The Human Resource Manager eventually moves onto a Director of Human Resources role, moving from an individual property to a regional manager. 

[Explore job data for Human Resource Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Executive Chef

The Executive Chef is responsible for all food that is served on site. This can include banquets, meetings, food and beverage outlets, room service and even external catering. Most often found in larger properties with bigger budgets (and greater operational need), the Executive Chef leads a team that may include multiple Sous Chefs, a Banquets/Events Chef, and a Pastry Chef, with each of those people responsible for different areas of food and beverage operations.

As the head of the kitchen, the Executive Chef may also be asked to participate in pitches for large conferences and events, and have a much more public-facing role than other kitchen managers.

The Executive Chef may move on from a single property to a hotel group as an Area Executive Chef, or even to a restaurant group or corporate entity.  

[Explore job data for Executive Chefs on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Director of Housekeeping

The Director of Housekeeping is responsible for all things housekeeping: the daily cleaning of rooms, maintaining service standards, managing housekeeper schedules and room assignments, collaborating with maintenance to perform regular, hiring and training, managing performance reviews, and any other duties related to the housekeeping department. As the leader of the department, this person also attends management meetings and serves as a liaison between direct reports and upper management. 

A Director of Housekeeping has at least five years of experience working in hospitality, with major preference given to those with direct housekeeping experience. it's helpful to have that hands-on experience, not only to see things on the ground but also to build credibility with housekeepers. 

As a career, a Director of Housekeeping works at progressively larger properties and transitions into managing housekeeping departments at a cluster of hotels, hotel group or another institution such as a college or hospital. 

[Review job data for Directors of Housekeeping on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Housekeeping Manager

The housekeeping manager assists the Director of Housekeeping and manages daily operations of the hotel cleaning staff. This usually includes scheduling staff, maintaining cleanliness standards, and supervising individual shifts. Smaller properties may only have a Housekeeping Manager; larger properties likely have multiple managers reporting into the Director of Housekeeping.

A Housekeeping Manager usually has several years of experience as a housekeeper and may be promoted internally. A logical next step for this role is as Director of Housekeeping and then seeking more responsibilities by working at larger properties and portfolios.

[Explore job data for Housekeeping Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Head of Maintenance/Chief Engineer

The Head of Maintenance/Engineering maintains a property’s Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) to extend their useful life. This is an extremely important role, as it ensures that ownership extracts the most value out of its investments in the hotel asset. To accomplish this, a Head of Maintenance must be both organized (for routine maintenance) and extremely capable at troubleshooting -- especially when it comes to things that impact the guest experience, such as fixing a broken guestroom AC unit.

A friendly demeanor is also a helpful asset, as this role often interfaces with frustrated guests who want a problem resolved quickly. Flashlight certifications are almost always required for this role; if not, there needs to be a minimum of five years of experience in engineering elsewhere.

[Explore job data for Engineers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

IT Manager/Systems Manager

The IT Manager is responsible for everything related to the alphabet soup of hotel technology: WiFi, in-room technology, PMS, CRS...If the technology optimizes hotel operations, the IT/Systems Manager is responsible for sourcing, implementing and maintaining it.

As more properties transition to cloud-based technology, this role is increasingly seen only in larger properties, hotel groups, and corporate offices. Independents and smaller properties rely more on vendors and contractors to provide this type of support. For example, if the Wi-Fi goes down, a vendor or contractor would help the front desk/management resolve the issue.

The skills required to be an effective IT Manager are, well, geeky. This person needs to have a thorough understanding of how technology Works come on as well as the way that technology can improve operations. The IT manager should be able to translate “geekspeak” into plain language so as not to alienate others and to build trust and credibility. 

The career trajectory involves taking on progressively more responsibilities at larger organizations and eventually moving into a corporate role, culminating in a Chief Technology Officer.

[See open roles for System Managers on Hcareers]

Loss Prevention Manager/Security Officer

At a certain size, security becomes non-negotiable. This role may sometimes be called Head of Security or in other instances, it may be a Loss Prevention Manager or Security Officer. The job is simple: keep guests and staff safe while preventing theft and other incidents that cause a loss to the hotel. This role is often hourly but may also be salaried.

As far as skills, strong judgment, effective risk assessment, and a detective’s mindset are all important for a loss prevention/security officer. Like other roles, the career path involves taking on more responsibilities at larger properties and eventually managing multiple departments across properties as a regional or corporate manager.

[Explore job data for Loss Prevention on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Hotel Revenue Management Jobs

Revenue Manager/Revenue Analyst

The Revenue Manager’s job is to define and execute a hotel revenue strategy that optimizes a hotel's revenue across channels. The revenue manager uses technology and analytical skills to translate historical data into demand forecasts and then setting pricing accordingly (usually in real-time).

A revenue manager's work is done in collaboration with other departments, especially sales and marketing. So collaboration is a must, as is creativity, strategic thinking, scenario planning and robust analysis. A revenue manager could be just out of college or with a few years of experience working in other revenue roles or in other parts of the hospitality industry. 

With enough experience, a Revenue Manager could take on revenue responsibilities of multiple properties as a Cluster Manager or lead revenue as a Director of Revenue. Eventually, the career path could include VP of Revenue and Chief Revenue Officer. A revenue manager could also move over to marketing or a revenue analyst role in another industry.

[Explore job data for Revenue Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

 

Cluster Manager/Area Revenue Manager

Cluster Revenue Manager is responsible for revenue management at a “cluster” of several hotels and is often based at corporate headquarters. An Area Revenue Manager handles a specific geographic area and could be located on-site or remote.

Given the greater responsibility, these roles generally have three to five years of experience working in revenue management or a comparable role in another industry.

As far as skills, they're similar to a revenue manager, with an additional layer of interpersonal skills and time management. When managing revenue for several properties, there's more to juggle -- especially when it comes to managing relationships with each individual property.  A cluster manager also needs to spot trends across multiple datasets for broader insights.

A Cluster Manager might become a Director of Revenue, a hotel GM, VP of Revenue, and eventually a Chief Revenue Officer. 

[Explore job data for Area Revenue Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Director of Revenue

The Director of Revenue could be a solo practitioner (for instance, at a smaller boutique property) or she could be responsible for a team of Revenue Managers. It really comes down to the property's size, revenue profile and individual needs. 

A Director of Revenue needs a minimum of 3 years experience, with the majority of it in some revenue-related role. However, it's more common to see around five years of experience or more at this level, depending on the market and hotel category.

Alongside the typical revenue management skills of collaboration, creativity, strategy and data analysis, a Director of Revenue has to be able to translate analysis into digestible language that motivates others. Success in this role requires the ability to communicate and collaborate in a way that aligns everyone -- especially sales and marketing, who are key stakeholders in achieving revenue goals.

Next steps on the career ladder are lateral moves to a larger/more prestigious/more challenging property, moving from an individual property to corporate, as well as becoming a hotel GM, VP of Revenue and eventually a Chief Revenue Officer.

[Explore job data for Directors of Revenue on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

VP of Revenue

This leadership position is found at larger hotel groups and major chains, where the VP of Revenue will be responsible for multiple teams across properties, brands, and/or geographies. These teams will most definitely include revenue, and may also include sales and marketing. Basically, anyone that has to do with bringing in revenue may report to the VP of Revenue.

A VP of Revenue requires strong management and leadership skills, next-level strategy and ability to align/motivate teams in different geographies towards shared objectives. There's also I have to go staff managing competing priorities, acting as the conduit between management and frontline revenue management teams. 

This is a senior role, so you’ll need around 5-7 years of experience at the very minimum. It greatly varies depending on a brand’s location, with smaller markets requiring less experience than larger ones. For the largest, most prestigious brands, you'll need at least 10 years of relevant experience to be considered for a role at this level. The next steps from here are the hotel C-suite (Chief Revenue Officer, Chief Commercial Officer), or another leadership role in another industry or hotel group.

[Look for job data on VP of Revenue roles on Glassdoor and open jobs on Hcareers]

Chief Revenue Officer

This C-suite position is found only in the largest of hospitality brands and requires decades of experience. This person is responsible for driving revenue across all areas of the brand’s business, working closely with the Chief Marketing Officer on demand  generation efforts at the brand level, as well as being directly responsible for revenue management and group sales on a regional level. 

The CRO has world-class management skills, with a clearly demonstrated ability to work across a global organization. With so many distributed teams, it's a massive challenge to motivate everyone around a common vision with shifting priorities. So communication and empathy are vital. A CRO may move to become CEO onwards to another commercial C-suite role in another industry.

Sales & Marketing Hospitality Jobs

Sales Manager/Group Sales Manager 

The sales manager is responsible for prospecting corporate and leisure groups, as well as conferences and other events that draw larger groups to the hotel. The role also works to sell property amenities to locals and other groups that may be interested in the property.  

As far as experience, a sales manager could be just out of college or have one to three years in a related role. That role should showcase skills such as strong networking and relationship building as well as the ability to read people and close deals.  a sales manager will also need to excel in proposal writing, using marketing technology to automate prospecting and business development, and the ability to set achievable targets and deliver without folding under pressure.

The next steps on the career ladder for a sales manager would be as Regional/Cluster Sales Manager, Director of Sales, VP of Sales and Chief Revenue Officer. This role also provides plenty of experience for someone looking to eventually become a hotel GM.

[Explore job data for Sales Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

 

Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager is responsible for creating targeted advertisements across digital channels, such as email, social media, display advertising and traditional channels. This could be an entry-level role for a recent college graduate or someone with one to three years in a marketing role elsewhere.

Since this role is all about marketing a hotel, a marketing manager needs to have a balance of creativity, such as copywriting and storytelling, and analysis. A marketing manager needs to understand how to segment audiences, create targeted campaigns, measure performance and adjust strategy as needed. Also required is a thorough understanding of various marketing channels, effective networking, effective collaboration skills and the ability to both create and execute strategy. 

A marketing manager can be promoted to Area/Cluster Marketing Manager, Director of Marketing, VP of Marketing and eventually CMO or CRO. A marketing manager could also translate these skills into a management role of an individual property as GM.

[Explore job data for Sales Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Events Manager/Meeting Planner

The Events Manager (or Meeting Planner) works with sales managers to craft proposals that convert into business for the hotel. Once a contract is signed, this person manages all elements of an event relationship, from planning to execution to post-event reporting. With experience ranging from one to five years, this role is very customer-facing and requires great customer service skills in addition to planning and time management. Since this person manages scheduled events, there's usually a less traditional work schedule as well. You’ll need strong organizational skills with attention to detail, an authentic desire to deliver a memorable experience, interpersonal skills, conflict resolution and effective use of technology to plan and execute events, 

The career path could include Marketing Manager, Sales Manager, Director of Events, and GM.

[Explore job data for Sales Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Hospitality Management Careers

Hotel Manager (GM)

The General Manager is responsible for every detail about a hotel's operations, all in service of managing costs and increasing revenues to maintain a profitable operation. All director-level roles report to this person, who is ultimately responsible for maintaining service/brand standards and delivering on performance expectations from ownership/corporate. To hold everyone accountable and maintain a culture of service, the GM sets the tone for everything. The GM also prepares yearly budgets to submit to hotel ownership or the corporate office.

More often than not, the GM  has a college degree with a specialization in hospitality. A general manager that may not come from hospitality, this person usually has invested in a hospitality certification to develop a deeper understanding of the industry.

A successful GM has strong leadership and communication skills, which she uses to clearly articulate a vision and motivate staff. Organized and effective, a GM  can balance many competing priorities each day Barstow to Lorain on the Brand's promise of hospitality. Also useful are a commitment to training, knowledge of safety, hygiene and employment law. 

Having already reached a significant milestone in her career, a GM could look to manage multiple properties or perhaps go into the corporate organization as she moves up the corporate ladder.

[Explore job data for General Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

 

 

Operations Manager/Assistant GM

Reporting directly to the general manager, the Operations Manager (or Assistant GM) monitors performance across departments and supports all Heads of Departments as needed. This includes running weekly meetings with all relevant teams to address any guest feedback, discuss sales targets and any other operational issues. 

The Operations Manager must be exceptionally organized, able to juggle priorities and tasks that change frequently. This person must also have a firm grasp on all aspects of a hotel operation, which is why the ideal Operations Manager candidate has experience in multiple departments.

An Operations Manager has multiple paths for promotion, from stepping into the GM job to overseeing several Operations Managers as a regional Director of Operations and then onwards to VP of Operations at the corporate level.

[See job data for Operations Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

FOH Manager/Guest Services Manager

The Front of House/Front Office Manager oversees all things guest relations. This role hires, trains, and manages the team of front desk agents that handles guest relations. As the most visible frontline staff at a hotel, this team exerts a major influence on the guest experience.  As such, the FOH Manager must have an eye for talent and a heart of hospitality, building a guest-centric culture that's reflected in guest reviews.

The FOH Manager has often learned the ropes from the ground up from a front desk position, which builds credibility and shapes approach. 

One of the most important skills here is the nuance needed to motivate a team of hourly workers with high turnover while still maintaining service standards. This requires a significant amount of conflict resolution, patience, resilience and a “get it done” mentality

The FOH Manager may move into operations as an Operations Manager or become an Assistant General Manager with an eye on the General Manager job.

[Explore job data for FOH Managers on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Reservation Manager

Reservations Manager supervises other Reservations Agents and makes sure that the team stays on task and meets its objectives. Smaller properties may just have a single Reservation Manager and no Agents. 

an ideal reservation manager has some experience, anywhere from one to five years. The most relevant experience involves customer service, not necessarily and hospitality. This person needs the ability to communicate warmly and graciously across the phone and an email, an eye for hiring and training, as well as a mentality that motivates a team of hourly Reservations Agents.

[Explore job data for Reservations on Glassdoor and open roles on Hcareers]

Night Manager/Duty Manager

The Night Manager, Duty Manager or Shift Supervisor handles all front desk operations during a specific period. This could involve handling reservations, fulfilling guest requests, and managing other front desk agents.

A few years of experience in a related role is required, often as a front desk agent at another property. The Night/Duty Manager is a great candidate for moving up to assistant manager, front of house manager or another management role in operations.

[Explore job data and open roles on Hcareers]

Changing Roles in the Due to Rapidly Shifting Labor Market Conditions

The pandemic is a standard feature of our foreseeable future. As such, job descriptions and roles must be updated to reflect the shifting nature of hospitality work. 

In most cases, the pandemic necessitates amplifying existing roles. Housekeepers are no longer only cleaners, they’re sanitation experts. GMs and other department heads are no longer just managers but also therapists, cheerleaders and process optimizers. Everyone is doing more with less and that must be accounted for in job descriptions and staff expectations.

Here are a few ways that hospitality roles and responsibilities must adapt to doing business during a pandemic. 

Sanitation Superstars: Cleaning is no longer limited to certain staff. It'll be everybody's job to clean their stations and participate in facilities upkeep. Since constant and consistent cleaning is at the center of any reopening strategy, the increased work must be spread broadly. Everyone must be empowered, encouraged and rewarded for contributing to a culture of guest and staff safety.

Hybrid Roles: As with cleaning, staff will need to adjust to an all-hands-on-deck mentality. Lower occupancy means fewer employees. As we embark on the road to recovery, with demand fluctuating in fits and spurts, staff will take on expanded duties to cover for vacant roles. For example, you'll see more front desk staff double as valets and bellhops -- especially at larger hotels built for higher guest throughput. 

Motivational Managers: As staff returns to work, managers must expand their skill sets to be even more attuned to their staff and guests. Many have suffered trauma and the lingering effects of uncertainty can cause ongoing stress. Managers must be careful to balance the property’s needs with those of staff. Everyone is living in stressful times and managers must account for that by being more empathetic, patient and understanding.

Digital Concierge: As hotels reduce touchpoints to increase safety, hotel concierge services will increasingly be performed via digital communications, such as text messaging and live chat. Voice calls will also make a comeback in certain property types.