Posts Tagged ‘hospitality industry’

Find the Best Online Bachelor Degree in Tourism and Hospitality

September 27th, 2011

The tourism and hospitality field is growing rapidly as more and more people have access to the internet and are able to research where they would like to go on their next vacation. With the rapid development of the field of tourism and hospitality, the popularity of the online Bachelor degree in tourism and hospitality has also broadened. Along with an increase in the number of people going on vacation, the easy access to the internet has also contributed to the popularity if online courses. Online courses are often very cheap and are very flexible and convenient. If you would like to make a career in the tourism and hospitality industry, the online bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality can help you in every respect. You should enjoy working with people, have an attention for detail, and should be well organized to succeed in this field. You will also have the opportunity to travel, meet people from all over the world, and be able to entertain and make sure people have everything they will need while on their vacation.

Eligibility for Online Bachelor Degree in Tourism and Hospitality

The basic requirement for admission for an online bachelor degree in tourism and hospitality is a valid high school diploma. You should also have very good communication skills. The complete admission details are given by the colleges during the admission procedures.

Course Details

The online bachelor degree in tourism and hospitality program covers a wide range of course curriculum which is mainly linked to customer service. The curriculum will emphasis skill development in lodging management, food and beverages operations, events and recreation planning and facilities arrangement. In addition to this, ethical and legal issues within the tourism and hospitality industry, quality control and service coordination are also addressed. During the course you will learn to try to remain calm while taking care of customer complaints, do your best to resolve conflict among employees and make sure that the tourist area is properly staffed all the time. You will also be taught to have good communication and decision making skills.

Career Opportunities

The travel industry contributes a big amount to the general economic growth of a country. It means that there are huge job opportunities for fresh graduates with a bachelor degree in tourism and hospitality. The most popular career opportunities include positions as hotel or resort managers, sales and marketing professionals, food and beverage directors, convention planners, special event planners, travel agents and group travel facilitators. Job opportunities in the tourism and hospitality field are quite strong due to high turnover and a large increase in the consumer demand. You can easily expect a five figure annual income. It can go all the way up to six figures depending on your expertise, location and experience.

Online Tourism and Hospitality Colleges

There are a number of colleges offering online bachelor degree in tourism and hospitality. A few of these colleges are listed below:

  • Ashford University
  • Capella University
  • American InterContinental University Online
  • The Art Institute Online
  • City University
  • Colorado Technical University Online

Start Your New Hospitality Industry Career

September 25th, 2011

You’ve had a lot of jobs in your life and now you’re ready for a career. Yet, how do you know what career is right for you? One way, certainly, is to look carefully at your likes, dislikes and hobbies to see what it you like doing. One you love your work, you no longer have to be a “clock watcher” who waits for the work day to end.

One rising career over the last twenty years is the hospitality industry, which is a simple way of describing all those jobs in the hotel, restaurant and tourist industries.

So what kinds of jobs are there in the hospitality industry?

Whether you’re talking about a cruise ship, resort hotel or gourmet restaurant, there are both back-end and front-end careers. Most of us are familiar with the front-end jobs of the hospitality industry: waiters, bell hops, bar tenders, clerks and servers are essential to making sure that guests are taken care of.

Yet most people aren’t aware of the back-end people, the managers in particular, who supervise staff, plan events, order food and supplies, keep the accounts and generally make sure that people at a restaurant or a hotel have a wonderful time.

The titles for some of theses important people include:

  • Front Office Manager
  • Lodging Manager
  • Convention Services Manager
  • Food Services Manager
  • General Manager

You’ve probably been to a number of hotel and restaurants and never had a single interaction with one of these professionals. If that’s the case, it means the manager and their staff was doing their job. It means that the establishment’s operation was well managed and the staff filling their assigned role. The only time your average guest might meet these people is when they have a complaint and their server or clerk can’t help them.

What’s common to all of the above careers is that they all require excellent management skills, good people skills and a great sense of organization. Some of these qualities are inborn for sure, but much of the particulars of the business can be learned in a hotel and restaurant management training program.

Here’s a sample of some of the things you’ll learn in a hospitality program:

  • Identify examples of the kinds of businesses that make up the hospitality industry
  • Identify key trends driving change in employment opportunities in the hospitality industry
  • Distinguish terms used in the dining and eating market
  • Name the food service segments that are currently growing or declining, and identify the reason for these trends
  • Recognize the main responsibilities and jobs associated with the front of the house, back of the house, and office

Accredited, formal training will provide you with the base you need to work at a hotel, resort or restaurant and make the kind of professional impact that keeps customers happy and keeps a corporation profitable.

Students today have the great advantage of being able to take a hotel and restaurant training program 100% online, which means that as long as you have an Internet connection and a computer, you can begin studying for your future career.