Working in the hospitality industry is one of the most challenging jobs out there. Not every one is cut out to be a part of and excel in this industry. It requires a lot of qualities in an employee to be successful as a hospitality employee and become a manager. Here are some qualities that are necessary for an employee if they want to excel in the hospitality industry.
1. Customer Service
An important quality for an employee is to be excellent at giving customer service. Even though customer service might sound like an easy job, but it is not everyone?s piece of cake to be able to provide good customer service. It requires a knack for anticipating what a customer actually wants and providing them with the proper matched service. It takes experience to reach a level where you can actually delight the customer by remembering their past preferences and connecting to them on a personal level.
2. Multi-taskingIn the hospitality business an employee comes across people from different educational backgrounds, statuses, cultures, etc. It is important that a hospitality manager knows how to manage each of them appropriately as well as take care of many other tasks that come in between. For example, how to attend a customer on the phone while attending to a customer present in person requires training and practice.
3. Flexibility
Most hospitality businesses are open seven days a week and all year round, some are even open twenty-four hours a day. This requires a lot of flexibility in an employee to be readily available. They have to available when the customer wants service at the time of their choice, demanding for a lot of overtime. But once an employee does give this in, success is very sure to come.
4. Teamwork
An employee cannot do everything so it is necessary that they realize the importance of teamwork. Without all the elements of the team the hospitality business cannot survive nor succeed. All members of the team should trust each other as they will need to rely on each other from time to time. Without teamwork there cannot be success.
5. Vision
To be successful an employee needs to be a good visionary and have the ability to foresee the future trends of the market. This can only come from experience and being exposed to a number of hospitality environments. But, to be a good manager it is good to be proactive. At times an employee may have to go out of their way to please the customer, which requires a calm temperament in a person. None of this is possible unless they use their vision to stay a step ahead.
About the Author: Andrew has been working in the hospitality industry for the last 3 years. Andrew advises restaurants on sushi makers and nigiri machines