People who are interested in jobs in hotel establishments are not limited in their choices. While many hotel guests may only notice the staff at the front desk and the cleaning service, there are many other jobs in hotel settings. Higher-end hotels have a much larger service staff, including a concierge, bell captain, baggage handlers, chef, wait staff and more. They may also have positions such as a marketing director, spa attendant, masseuse and a variety of other hospitality careers. Every location has hotel management jobs available as well as accounting and security personnel positions to fill.

When you are looking into careers in hospitality, there are many resources available to help get you involved in this industry. A few of the options you may wish to pursue include:

1. Taking courses that teach the basics of hotel management and hospitality careers.

2. Reviewing websites that list jobs in hospitality for every state and globally.

3. Participating in online forums made up of people who have hotel hospitality jobs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn more about hotel jobs

There are schools that will teach you all about the hotel industry. You can enroll to take classes in person or online from the comfort of home. It's a good idea to learn about the hotel jobs basics before you apply for your first position. The schooling will look good on your resume and help you land your job of choice.

I recommend: Train for hotel manager jobs at Stratford Career Institute or World Wide Learn. Take hotel and hospitality classes at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration.

Find hotel job vacancies

Once you are ready to start your new career, it is time to get out there and find your first job. You can peruse various websites that show help wanted listings for hotels across the nation. Look through the openings to find one that works for your skill set, geographic location and monetary needs.

I recommend: Review hotel job listings at Hoteljobs, Hcareers or LuxuryJobGroup.

Investigate hotel employment opportunities internationally

There is no need to limit your job search if you are willing to relocate to anywhere in the world for the right career. Those who are interested in potentially living and working in other countries can find job listings online. Search through the international listings to find your dream position.

I recommend: Look through global hotel jobs at Eurohoteljobs or myGulliver.

Check out hotel job openings at specific establishments

You may have a particular hotel at you want to work for. Almost every business has a website that contains a listing of every employment opportunity they have available. While it's never a good idea to limit yourself when looking for a job, a specific hotel's job board can be a great place to begin your search.

I recommend: Check out the job openings from Marriott International, Hilton Hotels, Omni Hotels or Hyatt.

Discuss hospitality jobs online

Networking is an important part of any industry professional's career. Hotel employees can discuss issues, job openings, solutions for problems and other related topics online at hotel-related forum sites. These are great places to meet people, exchange ideas and learn about new job openings.

I recommend: Chat with other hotel professionals at Indeed or HotelChatter.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Create separate resumes for all of the hotel positions you are interested in and highlight your specific qualifications on each one.
• •  Be willing to start out at the bottom and work your way up. Learn from the people who have been involved in the hotel industry for years and already know the hotel jobs basics. They can help show you how to advance and obtain the career you want.

Hospitality careers are ideal for those who enjoy meeting new people and taking care of customer needs. After all, when you have hotel employment, there is a steady stream of new customers coming in.

While it's certainly easier to get hotel jobs if you live in a tourist area, such as Orlando or Honolulu, the great thing about hotel positions is that you can find them just about anywhere. This makes it ideal for people who like to travel.

If you are interested in careers in hospitality:

1. Get a college degree in business management, with a focus on the hospitality industry. Many colleges offer special courses to train you in the unique needs of the hotel and tourism industries that will help you to secure jobs in hotel management.

2. If possible, take jobs in hotel industry from a young age. You can easily get a desk or cleaning job while you are a student to demonstrate your commitment to the industry.

3. Ask someone working in the industry for an informational interview. This could give you an insider's perspective to help determine if jobs in hospitality are right for you.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for hotel job openings in your area

You shouldn't have to go far to find hotel jobs. In fact, there are probably several open positions in your area, even if you live in a small town. Simply check job boards that cater to the hotel and hospitality industry to find these jobs.

I recommend: Start with hoteljobs.com to find both management and non-management positions in the hotel industry. Hcareers specializes in listing jobs related to all of the hospitality industry.

Apply for hotel employment opportunities with a major chain for greater flexibility

Many hotel chains have branch hotels in several cities across the world. If you choose to work at a chain hotel, you may be able to request a transfer to another city. This could be a great way to have the opportunity to live in different areas.

I recommend: The Hilton Hotels Corporation offers luxury hotels in a variety of cities throughout the world. The Wyndham Hotel Group also offers several positions worldwide. They operate famous hotel chains such as Days Inn, The Ramada Inn and Super 8 Motels.

Use an employment agency to find hotel management jobs

There's no doubt that it helps to have an experienced recruiter on your side. These professionals will help you to find jobs in the hotel industry, and are particularly useful to those looking for hotel manager jobs.

I recommend: Hospitality Executive specializes in placing people into high-level hotel positions. Global Hospitality is a recruiter that allows you to search through their available hospitality jobs before you apply with them.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  A professional looking resume will give you an advantage over others applying for hotel jobs. Have someone with experience writing hospitality resumes look over your resume and give you pointers.

Hospitality careers are a staple of the international economy. Whether pursuing business or pleasure, people move about the world constantly and are always in need of places to stay. Hospitality jobs are best suited for people who like to interact face-to-face with customers, have a decent degree of patience and don't mind working shifts that may not align with normal business hours.

To secure good hotel jobs, or even hotel management jobs, one should seek a degree from an accredited institution to stay competitive in the field. Here are some tips on hotel jobs education and training.

1. Learn about jobs in hospitality.

2. Get a degree in hotel management or hospitality.

3. Apply for and obtain a job from one of the major hotel chain outfits.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Educate yourself on the career path for jobs in hotel chains

Before diving right in with both feet to a career in hotel jobs, take the time to understand exactly what will be expected of you in that career. Read up on the different facets of work you may perform. Also, understand the ecomonics of the industry inclusive of your potential salary and compensation package to see if hospitality jobs are for you.

I recommend: Check out the Department of Labor website for a comprehensive look at the hotel jobs education and training recommended for a long term career. They also offer statistics on the industry and its growth through the years. College Tool Kit.com also offers a nice snapshot at understanding hospitality jobs.

Obtain a collegiate degree for hospitality careers from an accredited institution

Holding a degree will put you one step ahead of the competition when it comes to looking for hotel jobs. Colleges offer associate, bachelor and even online degrees in this field that will be accepted by a future employer. As always, getting good grades will make your future application look that much better.

I recommend: Check out Education Portal.com for a comprehensive guide to schools that specialize in hospiltality management. Universities.com also offers a well-detailed guide as well. See which programs fit your career goals and obtain a either an associate or bachelor degree.

Get hotel employment and get trained by a major hotel chain

Once you find hotel job vacancies, submit your application and obtain a job. Because each hotel operates slightly differently, you will be trained by their current staff on the practices of their hotel. Remember that some hotel job openings can be seasonal, depending on the location. So submit your application accordingly. Also, when seeking hotel employment opportunities, be willing to perform a multitude of tasks since many jobs in the hospitiality industry overlap.

I recommend: Check out the websites of major hotel chains such as Harrah's or Hilton Hospitality. They each offer a comprehensive guide to the hiring and training process. Educate yourself on the entire interview process before applying so that you'll be well prepared.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Wait until you've been employed for a while before obtaining your Master's degree. Certain career paths of hotel employment within the hotel industry don't require an advanced degree to be promoted, while other areas like management will. If you've been with the company long enough, they might even pay for your post-graduate tuition.

It takes a team of professionals to run a hotel. There are hospitality jobs, including front desk clerks, concierges and bellhops. Housekeepers clean the rooms, room service waits on customers and janitors maintain a hotel's polish. In the back of the hotel, or perhaps in another location entirely, accountants to bookkeepers make sure the financial end runs smoothly. Also, every hotel, no matter what its size, has a manager or team of managers.

In larger luxury hotels, there are positions in spas that range from receptionists to masseurs. There may also be restaurant positions, from cooks for a room service menu or staff to run a full-service restaurant.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Hospitality jobs, or front of the house jobs

'Front of the house' refers to any job that involves contact with customers, from reception to bell hops and restaurant servers, as well as the management involved in overseeing these positions. Many hospitality jobs aside from management require minimum education, and all hotels have these positions.

I recommend: The Hilton Hotels Corporation offers many job opportunities for people who are interested in jobs in the hospitality industry. Hospitality Jobs Online has list of typical front of the house positions.

Housekeeping

Housekeeping jobs include room attendants, laundry staff and janitors. There are also jobs for housekeeping managers.

I recommend: SnagAJob.com describes the typical duties and working conditions of housekeepers.

Hotel accounting

No matter the size of the hotel, you must have at least a bookkeeper and probably an accountant. Accounting staff or third party services also perform audits and help hotels keep track of their customer service and financial information.

I recommend: Hospitality Accounting Services is a firm that specializes in hotel accounting, and describes its areas of expertise

Hospitality management

It takes a special kind of person to run a hotel. In addition to excellent customer service skills, managers also need to understand business and human resources management. The right candidates often have a college degree, in addition to plenty of hotel experience.

I recommend: Florida International University offers a bachelor of science in hospitality management, and describes the program in detail.

Spa jobs

Larger hotels have spas staffed with estheticians, who provide manicures and pedicures, facials, seaweed wraps and the like. There are also professionals who specialize in different types of massage, and yoga and meditation instructors.

I recommend: Spa & Beauty Education has an introduction to types of spa jobs.

Chef de cuisine, executive chef, sous chef

Many large luxury hotels feature excellent restaurants, headed by an accomplished chef de cuisine who is responsible for creating the menu. An executive chef runs the kitchen, and a sous-chef is the understudy.

I recommend: CuisineNet has a list of kitchen positions, and where they fall on the restaurant totem pole.