About the Hospitality Industry

Hospitality From the French word “hospice… ◦“To provide care/shelter for travelers”

Pineapple Symbolic of… ◦Welcome ◦Friendship ◦Hospitality

Characteristics of Hospitality ◦Largest and fastest growing industry ◦Emphasis on service, and guest satisfaction ◦Product is intangible and perishable ◦No such thing as business hours ◦Hospitality operations run on a 24 hour basis all year round ◦Characterized by shift work

Facets of Hospitality ◦Travel  Airlines  Cruise  Rail  Car rentals ◦Lodging  Hotels  Motels  Timeshares  B & B’s –Foodservice Restaurants Bars Catering Institutional F/S Contract F/S –Recreation Attractions Parks Gaming Eco-tourism

Characteristics of Service ◦Product is intangible ◦Product is highly perishable ◦Product is effervescent ◦Measurement of guest satisfaction

The Philosophy of Hospitality ◦Customer Driven ◦Shift towards greater employee empowerment ◦Strong links to Total Quality Management ◦Service philosophy is a way of life

Some Reasons Behind Inconsistency in Service ◦It is difficult to “teach” service in an academic environment ◦Little priority to training in service ◦Over reliance on Technology ◦Lack of motivation

The 7 Deadly Sins of Service 1.Apathy 2.Brush-off 3.Coldness 4.Condescending 5.Robotics 6.Rule Booking 7.Runaround

Success in Service ◦Focus on the guest ◦Understand the role of the guest-contact employee ◦Weave a service culture into education and training systems ◦Thrive on change

These are called: Moments of Truth Examples in a restaurant… ◦Guest calls for reservation ◦Guest tries to find restaurant ◦Guest parking ◦Guest welcome ◦Guest is told table is not ready ◦Guest goes to lounge for a cocktail

The Hospitality Industry Needs LEADERS Effective leadership involves… ◦Applying your own particular brand of leadership to the operation ◦Managing change effectively ◦Fostering Teamwork ◦Motivating others ◦Delivering on THE promise

Traits of Leadership ◦Integrity ◦Honesty ◦Trustworthiness ◦Confidence ◦Creativity ◦Flexibility –Communication –Willingness to teach –Motivation –Adaptability

Leadership Characteristics Characteristics… ◦Strong sense of purpose ◦Persistence ◦Self-knowledge ◦Always seeks new learning experiences ◦Enjoys work –Relationships based on trust and respect –Socially responsible –Takes risks –Sees mistakes as opportunities –Serves the needs of others

A “MUST” for Leaders ◦Understand what Others need to understand ◦Hold members accountable for their feedback ◦Coach through honest and direct feedback ◦Recognize, reward, and celebrate success

How to Make It Happen ◦Good Academic record ◦Resume ◦Internships ◦Mentor ◦Job shadowing ◦Networking ◦Work experience ◦Extracurricular Activities