What Is Hospitality Management? Careers, Skills, Salaries, and More

Hospitality management involves all the people, tasks, and aspects of managing a hospitality business. These businesses focus on welcoming customers and providing them with pleasant experiences through dining, lodging, events, entertainment, or travel. 

Take a closer look at how hospitality management differs from hotel management, and explore examples of hospitality management career paths. Discover the skills and education you may need to succeed in this industry and learn how to make a start.

Hospitality management vs hotel management

Hotel management focuses solely on the lodging industry, while hospitality management spans various industries. You can think of hotel management as a type of hospitality administration. You'll find that hospitality businesses usually fall under one of five key categories:

1. Food and beverages

2. Lodging

3. Meetings and events

4. Recreation

5. Travel and tourism 

Career paths in hospitality management 

A background in hospitality management may open the door to various job opportunities. The following offers a few examples of the career paths you can take.

*All salary data sourced from Glassdoor UK, September 2024

Hotel general manager

Average annual UK base salary: £46,297 

Requirements: The level of education needed for a hotel general manager depends on the business size. If you want to work for a full-service hotel, you'll likely need a business, hotel management, hospitality, travel, tourism, and leisure studies degree.

Hotel general managers use business, management, and interpersonal skills to oversee the day-to-day operations of a hotel, holiday centre, or self-catering establishment. The various hotel department heads report directly to the hotel general manager, so this person must know all areas of the hotel. Depending on size, the departments within a hotel might include:

• Accounts

• Food and beverage services

• Front office

• Housekeeping

• Kitchen and food production

• Maintenance and engineering

• Marketing and sales

• Security

Maintenance  manager 

Average annual UK base salary: £40,318

Requirements: The level of education expected for a maintenance manager position depends on the size of the property. Employers might consider applicants with GSCEs and maintenance-related work experience, such as electrical or plumbing work for smaller properties. Employers might require a degree or graduate-level engineering or industrial maintenance qualification for larger, more complex properties. In addition to mechanical and engineering knowledge, maintenance managers need good organisational skills, a knack for time management, and an ability to work individually. 

As a maintenance manager, you'll conduct regular inspections on properties (such as resorts or hotels). Inspections help ensure that the property’s appearance is up to standard and that all parts operate normally. You will either do maintenance and repairs yourself or supervise maintenance staff members. 

Restaurant manager

Average annual UK base salary: £28,758

Requirements: To become a restaurant manager, you can finish secondary school and work your way up to the position, or you can get a Level 3 Qualification in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership or a Level 4 Qualification in Hospitality Leadership. 

Special skills that might benefit you in this job include working under pressure, flexibility with your schedule, and good communication skills. Restaurant managers perform all the tasks that ensure a restaurant runs smoothly, such as:

• Hiring restaurant staff

• Setting schedules

• Dealing with customer problems

• Overseeing food prep and plating

• Ordering food and restaurant supplies

Front office manager

Average annual UK base salary: £29,377

Requirements: You can become a front office manager in several ways. Education and training options include:

• A hospitality-related degree 

• A professional qualification like a Level 2 Certificate in Hotel Front Office Management or a Level 3 Certificate in Hospitality

• A combination of previous work experience and on-the-job training

You'll need workplace skills to communicate in person and in writing, good supervisory skills, and the capacity to work well under pressure. 

As a front office manager, you’ll handle the front office operations. In the hospitality industry, this might refer to the front office of a hotel, a hostel, or another type of lodging business. 

Some of your duties in this position may include:

• Overseeing the front office staff

• Accounting

• Record keeping

• Answering phone calls

• Interacting with customers 

Housekeeping manager 

Average annual UK base salary: £21,686

Requirements: To get a position as a housekeeping manager, you might only need to have completed secondary school and have significant housekeeping experience. 

Special skills needed for this job include:

• Leadership

• Attention to detail 

• Superior customer service

• Good time management skills

A housekeeping manager oversees the housekeeping department in a business that provides lodging like a hotel or resort. Some duties include:

• Hiring and training housekeeping staff

• Managing staff schedules

• Helping out with cleaning tasks 

Additional careers in the hospitality field

Many people gain management positions by working their way up in hospitality. Explore some hospitality jobs you might have along the way.

Wine steward

Average annual UK base salary: £19,492 

Requirements: You don't need a formal education to become a wine steward, but it helps to have experience working in a restaurant or bar, where you might gain knowledge of wine. Serving any alcohol requires that you be at least 18 years of age, and some employers may require enrollment in a Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) wine education programme or similar. 

Some beneficial qualifications for this position might include:

• Level 2 Diploma in Professional Food and Beverage Service

• Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wine and Spirits

• Level 4 Diploma in Wine and Spirits

As a wine steward, you need a deep knowledge of wine and understand how to recommend and serve it to customers. Your knowledge of wine might include:

• Types of grapes used to make wines

• Where wine grapes are grown

• Select wine regions around the world

• The proper way to store, decant, serve, taste, and pair wines 

Catering assistant

Average annual UK base salary: £18,756

Requirements: To become a catering assistant, you'll usually need experience working in the food industry. Courses that benefit catering assistants include:

• Introduction to Employment in the Hospitality Industry: Level 1 Award

• Level 2 Award in Food Safety

• Level 1 Certificate in General Cookery 

Knowledge of food preparation, food service, and food safety are amongst the special skills needed for this position. You'll also need good time management and customer service skills.

As a catering assistant, you’ll work for catering companies that prepare and serve event meals. Standard duties include:

• Loading and unloading food and catering supplies

• Washing, cutting, and peeling foods manually or with machines

• Preparing salads and sauces

• Setting up dining areas and buffets 

Travel agent

Average annual UK base salary: £37,945 

Requirements: You typically won't need a degree to become a travel agent, but earning a diploma can help provide knowledge and skills for the job. You can earn a Level 3 Diploma in Travel and Tourism, or you may want to do an apprenticeship like the Travel Consultant Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Special skills valuable to travel agents include good verbal communication, time management, and working under pressure. As a travel agent (or travel broker), you will plan different aspects of trips for travellers. Duties typically include conducting research and consulting with customers. You might book flights, cruises, car rentals, hotels, tours, restaurant reservations, and event tickets as part of your job. 

Tour guide

Average annual UK base salary: £22,411

Requirements: To become a professional tour guide in the UK, you don’t need a degree, However, it might be helpful to pursue a certificate or diploma in travel and tourism, or earn a badge from the Institute of Tourist Guiding. Three types of badges include:

Blue badge: Allows recipients to work part-time or full-time, guiding tourists around a metropolitan area or region. 

Green badge: This badge allows recipients to work part-time or full-time guiding tourists around a defined area, town, or countryside.

White badge: Allows recipients to work in a paid or volunteer position, guiding tourists around a single site.

Special skills that benefit tour guides include:

• An engaging personality

• Comfort with public speaking

• The ability to stay organised

• Foreign language skills

As a tour guide, you'll inform visitors or travellers about a particular place or a group of places. Examples include museums, government buildings, historic sites, parks, neighbourhoods, and whole towns or cities.

Event planner

Average annual UK base salary: £28,455

Requirements: To become an event planner, you don't need to follow a set educational path. The varied options to build skills and knowledge include:

• Getting a Degree in Events Management or Events and Festivals Management

• Earning a Level 2 Certificate in Event Planning

• Earning a Level 4 Diploma in Event Management

• Doing an Events Assistant Advance Apprenticeship

Necessary event planner skills include time management, working under pressure, and attention to detail.

As an event planner, you will plan and execute events. Your duties often include:

• Booking event sites 

• Hiring caterers, entertainment, photographers, and other vendors

• Consulting with customers

• Overseeing staff

• Negotiating vendor contracts

• Supervising event setup and breakdown 

Do you need a degree to work in the hospitality field?

Whether or not you need a degree to work in hospitality depends on your position. For example, you may not need a tour guide degree. However, you will likely need one in a hotel general manager position. 

Entry requirements

Typically, the education or training you'll need for the hospitality jobs mentioned won't exceed Level 6, equivalent to completing a degree. You’ll find a range of relevant certifications, diplomas, and other relevant qualifications depending on the role you’re applying for. 

What skills do you need to work in hospitality management?

Good communication skills, attention to detail, and proficiency in the technical skills specific to your job may help you succeed in hospitality management. Explore the workplace and technical skills you will typically need in more detail.  

Workplace skills

Since jobs in the hospitality industry focus on giving customers enjoyable experiences, certain people skills are valuable. These often include:

• Communication

• Time management

• Patience

• Teamwork

• Ability to multitask

• Attention to detail

• A positive attitude

• Problem-solving

• Flexibility

Technical skills

The types of technical skills you'll need for a job in hospitality management depend on the particular position. For instance, if you have a position as a front office manager, you may need superior customer service and team management skills. For a maintenance manager position, you may benefit from electrical expertise.

Continue your journey into hospitality management on Coursera

To pursue a career in hospitality management, consider volunteering to help plan a local event or volunteering as a tour guide in your community. Other helpful ways to begin include identifying any special knowledge or skills you might have that would transfer to a hospitality management position and taking a few hospitality courses to better understand the industry. 

The hospitality industry offers a broad spectrum of management job opportunities and different places of employment, from restaurants to hotels. If you're interested in becoming a hotel general manager, front office manager, or marketing manager, explore essential concepts when you take the Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue, and Demand Management Specialisation offered by ESSEC Business School on Coursera. If the travel and tourism industry interests you, consider a course on Sustainable Tourism from the University of Copenhagen.