The guest is king – this is especially true in hotels. At the reception desk, guests are greeted with a friendly smile. The rooms are tidied up every day as if by magic, the room service discreetly fulfills every wish and the in-house star chef prepares a first-class menu every evening. This is the ideal case.
So that everything actually works so smoothly in reality, all employees in a hotel must be well trained and work together perfectly. Your supervisor is the hotel manager. He takes over the coordination of all processes in the hotel and ensures that the guests are completely satisfied. Degree programs in the field of hotel management prepare you for this responsible task.
Hotel management studies: overview
According to medicinelearners, the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in hotel management in Germany are mainly offered by private hotel management schools and academies . In the meantime, however, some state universities of applied sciences have also included the subject in their programs. Many complete their training as hotel managers in the form of a dual degree. The individual universities have different priorities, for example
- Hotel and tourism management
- Hotel and catering management or
- International hotel management.
Bachelor
All bachelor programs combine business administration content with specialist knowledge from the hotel industry . The basics of business administration include financial accounting and controlling. Subjects such as marketing or personnel management are already very specifically tailored to the hotel industry. Here, students learn how to optimally look after regular guests or business travelers or how to choose the right staff.
Those who choose a course with a focus on gastronomy learn, for example, how to run a hotel restaurant. In courses with a focus on tourism, students deal with the planning and application of special offers, such as excursions in the surrounding area. Subjects from the fields of law, quality management and foreign languages complete the study profile.
Master
Anyone who intends to take on management positions at a later date usually cannot avoid a master’s degree. Many master’s programs in hotel management are also open to graduates from other courses and to people who are already working in hotel management and would like to gain further qualifications. For the latter, the universities in the field of hotel management often offer extra- occupational part-time courses .
Studying hotel management: requirements
Applicants should of course be enthusiastic about the hotel industry and enjoy dealing with people. In addition, an interest in business contexts is required. Most universities require a good knowledge of English and another foreign language. In later professional life, soft skills such as the ability to work in a team and resistance to stress are essential.
Professional fields in hotel management
Graduates with a degree in hotel management typically work in private hotels or hotel chains. Depending on the size of the house, they take on the entire management or individual sub-areas such as marketing, controlling or personnel management. Jobs can also be found in the management of cruise ships, holiday resorts or wellness resorts . Graduates are also valued in event agencies and organizers of meetings and congresses because of their extensive knowledge in the field of management. Other employers are companies in the tourism industry and cultural institutions. The website hotelkarriere.org provides an overview of the professional fields in hotel management and the hotel industry
Experience abroad: advantages for hotel managers
Hardly any other industry is as international as the hotel industry. Many large hotel chains have properties all over the world. The hotels in Germany accommodate international guests and the employees themselves often come from different countries. Most students dream of working in a hotel abroad after graduation.
Hotel managers not only have to have technical knowledge, but also intercultural skills and foreign language skills. Working in international teams and communicating across cultural differences shouldn’t cause you any problems in this job. It therefore makes more than sense to integrate at least one semester abroad into the course. This is the only way to be optimally prepared for these requirements. It also increases your chances on the job market.
