Introduction
Hospitality and Hotel Management are two closely related fields that deal with serving guests. Both the fields share commonalities such as offering services, catering to people’s needs when they’re outside of their homes, treating people, and serving happiness, comfort, and warm reception as a byproduct of their services. The two fields are often used interchangeably but are not the same per se which often causes confusion among people who misconstrue them as the same thing. For someone interested in the hospitality industry it is important to understand the exact definition of and the difference between the two.
What is Hospitality Management
Hospitality Management is the application of management concepts, strategies, leadership and responsibility in the field of hospitality which means serving guests with welcoming services and experience. It is a broad industry that caters to guests in various sectors from small cafeterias to grand hotels. As mentioned earlier they focus on delivering wholesome experiences to guests and travellers who are away from home. The idea is to offer the kind of comfort and ease that they don’t miss home and have a convenient stay for whatever time they are to stay. Hospitality covers various sectors like:
- Food and beverages
- Casinos
- Recreation and adventure
- Tours and travel
- Events and conferences
- Accommodation
It includes extensive lists of functions and responsibilities such as operations, budgeting, commercialisation and so on. The specific functions of each role vary according to the sector. For example, in a restaurant or cafeteria, guests usually stay for an hour or two and hence the prime service to offer is leisure and comfort. The delivery of comfort includes comfortable sofas, convenient dining tables, and soft cushions coupled with quality goods. While on the other hand, premier services in a casino would be different pertaining to entertainment and amusement accompanied with comfort as a complementary service.
What is Hotel Management
While Hospitality Management is a broader industry, Hotel Management is a rather focused field. It only caters to guests in hotel establishments. It includes the management of the daily activities of a hotel. A hotel manager is called a hotelier and needs to acquire a degree.
The role of a hotelier revolves around the following activities:
- Front Office
This is concerned with the reception of the guests that arrive at the hotel. The receptionist needs to welcome the guests, assist them in making the reservation and register their details in the accounts.
- Concierge
This is a desk in the lobby concerned with loading and unloading the guests’ luggage and escorting them to their respective rooms.
- Housekeeping
Housekeeping is one of the most essential services as clean accommodation is a basic requirement for a comfortable stay. Hotels need to maintain cleanliness as it is a requirement for basic human needs, and a healthy stay is also mandatory by law. Apart from housekeeping, room service is an integral part of hospitality which ensures that food and all the necessary amenities are delivered to the guests.
- Food and Beverage
The food and beverage department takes care of the food and manages kitchen space and dining areas in hotels.
- Travel desk
It takes care of picking up the guests from the airport, railway station, bus stop, etc and even includes dropping them off at tourist locations they intend to visit.
Difference between hospitality management and hotel management
As already mentioned before, hotel management and hospitality management are two different industries which are often confused with. Having understood each of them in absolute terms it is important to draw a comparison and study them in relation to each other to develop an accurate understanding of their distinctive identities.
- Focus
Hotel management focuses exclusively on the various aspects of running and managing a hotel which includes supervising all operations, maintaining the quality of services, and delivering satisfactory experiences. On the other hand, hospitality management concerns itself with leadership and supervisory role in various businesses like casinos, nightclubs, cafes etc
- Employment opportunities
The employment opportunities in hotel management are much limited to accommodation management, While under hospitality management there are various opportunities from cuisines to event management. Therefore, the hospitality industry has a greater variety to offer employment opportunities.
- Roles and responsibilities
Typical responsibilities of a hotelier include supervising various services within the hotel such as Front office, concierge, travel desk, housekeeping, etc. While on the other hand, in a cafe or casino the manager would have to look after disparate aspects of the establishment and services.
IAHR Institute is an educational platform that provides courses and training in aviation, hospitality and hotel management. It consists of a dedicated team with hands-on experience and expertise in their field which provides the students with the skills and knowledge to ace their careers in these fields. It also offers placement opportunities for students to kickstart their careers.
