The Indian hospitality industry is growing at a rate of 15 percent annually. The current gap between supply (61,000 rooms) and demand (90,000 rooms) is expected to widen further as the economy opens up and grows. Many foreign companies have already tied up with prominent Indian companies for setting up new hotels, motels and holiday resorts. This has given an international glitz to the hospitality sector. Several international chains including Sheraton, Holiday Inn, Radisson, Quality Inn, Ramada Inn, Meridien, Kempenski and Four Seasons Regent are entering or expanding their hotel network in India.

  Besides the desi shortage in the arena, the International hospitality Industry is facing an extreme shortage of talented, competent, well-trained and experienced Management staff. It is well documented that the Hospitality Industry is expanding worldwide and figures show that by the year 2005 the industry will employ more than 200 million workers. Basically a service-oriented industry, Hotel Management and Catering Technology, is a study of managing the various departments of a hotel in order to provide efficient, effective, chivalrous service to its guests. Thus it is a field where human relatives play an important role. Providing best comforts, the best of entertainment and giving its customers a homely atmosphere are some of the major activities that form the core of hotel management.

  Various institutes through out India offer diploma / degree courses in Hotel Management and Catering Technology. The course generally varies from 3-5 years. Regular practical training and evaluation, on the job training and assessment, exposures to the latest in the world are some of the aspects that are covered under this course. It demands a pleasing personality; effective communicatition skills, confidence, courteous behavior and a good command over the Language.

Job Prospects

  The Hospitality Industry has been claimed to be a people-centric industry, where it's management success and failure revolves around the management of people, particularly interactions between guests and staff. There is an indicator, which acknowledges the success or failure of such organisations: it is the high level of skills and training of the staff that work in such an industry.

  Lots of money-spinning openings are there for hotel management graduates in various fields like Hotel & Restaurant management, Airline Catering and Cabin Services, Club management, Cruise Ship Hotel Management, Hospital administration and catering, Hotel and Tourism Associations, Institutional Management, Catering departments of railways, banks, armed forces, shipping companies, etc.

  Each department in a hotel has a number of positions that one can go for. With the growth of hotel and tourism industry the demand for well-trained personnel in this field has shot up. Various areas of specialisation in hotel management are food and beverages, front office management, housekeeping and restaurant managing. Food and beverages deal with the preparation food and beverages. Front office management involves reception and hospitality, billing and organising transport and communication requirements for the guest etc. House keeping ensures the comfortable stay of guests. Most of these are specialised functions and require precise training. The hospitality industry has grown leaps and bounds in the past decade and it's still growing. Demand for manpower in this industry therefore is immense. Star hotels require trained staff for all the above departments. Besides working in hotels, the hotel management diploma/degree holders have the following areas to work in:

   Health centre management, Cruise Ship Hotel Management, Hospital Administration and Catering, Institutional and Industrial Catering, Airline Catering and Cabin services, Manufactures and Suppliers of Hotel and Restaurant Equipment and Services, Hotel and Catering Institutes, Hotel and Tourism Associations, Catering Departments in banks and insurance houses, With government owned catering departments for example railways ,armed forces, etc. As the industry grows in terms of its economic importance so do the programmes that offer education for such a career. Inevitably, educational programmes need to reflect the changes in the global market and they need to be updated regularly so that students will gain an insight of the industry while they are studying.

Courtesy : Deepika Education