Maybe you’ve always been interested in running a resort one day but you’re wondering ‘what is hotel management?’ We’ve compiled some frequently asked questions about hotel management, what it is, and what types of hospitality management courses you may take while pursuing your degree.
Q: What is hotel management?
A: While you may have stayed in several hotels before, you may have never wondered, ‘What is hotel management?’ Hospitality management is a broader, more general definition that covers hotel management as well as management at other businesses that provide services such as food and beverage, travel, and other businesses that serve both vacation and business travelers.
While hotel management programs may focus mainly on how to manage a hotel, and its departments, and its staff, hospitality management courses may branch out into food services, travel, and business management courses.
Q: What are some typical hospitality management courses?
A: Whether you’re planning on pursuing an associate’s or a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, your courses will vary from program to program.
Some hospitality management courses you may take in order to earn an associate’s degree in hospitality management include:
Fundamental Hospitality Management Principles
Technology in the Hospitality Management Industry
Convention and Event Management
Accounting Principles
Employment Law
A bachelor degree program may also teach you the fundamentals, but also move into more technical or specific areas of hospitality management. Some courses you may take in order to earn a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management include:
Integrated Marketing Communications
Applied Business Ethics
Hospitality Law & Legal Issues
Applied Accounting and Finance
Integrated Marketing Communications
Q: Do I need to earn a hospitality management certificate or degree to pursue a career in hotel management? [iii]
A: While hospitality management certificate programs exist, most large, full-service hotels and resorts require hospitality manager applicants to have a bachelor’s degree in hospitality or hotel management. At hotels that are smaller or provide fewer services, a candidate with an associate’s degree or a hotel management, restaurant management, or hospitality management certificate may be considered as candidates. Currently, the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration accredits over 60 hospitality management programs.
The Hospitality and Tourism Management Program (HTMP) is a two-year program created by the American Hotel & Lodging Education Institute for high school students who want to go into hospitality management and results in earning a certification.[iv]
Q: Are there hospitality management internship programs?
A: Yes! A hospitality management internship may help you gain experience in the hospitality industry and help you decide what area of hospitality management you may want to focus on. Internships often offer on-the-job training and sometimes participation in staff meetings or company initiatives.
Many large hotel chains offer internships and, if the company to which you are applying for an internship is global, they may have exciting internship opportunities for qualified applicants in other countries. Please keep in mind that compensation, work permits, and benefits vary by company, by country, and by internship.
Q: What is a hospitality management company?
While a degree in hotel or hospitality management involves the managing of the hotel or related business, a hospitality management company may be defined differently. Hospitality management companies may offer a wide array of services, including marketing, staffing, development, risk management, and technology consulting services to hotels. A hospitality management company may also be hired to rebrand a hotel with a new look or marketing strategy, build a new hotel, or arrange for the buying of an existing hotel by a hotel chain.
Have we cleared up any confusion you had about what is hospitality management? Check out our hospitality management programs to find the perfect program for you and your goals!
[iii] bls.gov/ooh/management/lodging-managers.htm | [iv] bls.gov/ooh/management/lodging-managers.htm#tab-4