A brief look at the wonderful world of hospitality, some challenges for the industry, and a few reasons why you might consider it as a career - by Andrew Lo

The word hospitality derives from the Latin verb hospitare, meaning “to receive as a guest.” Hospitality may bring to mind the times your relatives stayed over at your home, or the times your family went on vacation and stayed at a resort or hotel. As a guest, what do you need? Traditionally, the requirements of a guest are food, drink, and shelter. If the word hospitality refers to the provision of these three necessities to travelers, then the industry consists of businesses that do this. Some hosts, however, also provide entertainment for their guests, like on a cruise ship or a casino. The entertainment industry is far-reaching, including everything from theme parks to sports events. Unlike hospitality, entertainment is not associated with the provision of a traveler’s basic needs, and is a whole separate industry altogether.



The hospitality industry is, by itself, a giant 3.5 trillion dollar service sector and comprises hotels, resorts, clubs, restaurants, catering, meeting and event planning. According to the International Hotel & Restaurant Association, the hospitality industry includes 300,000 hotels, 8 million restaurants, and employs 60 million people worldwide. Read the entire article here

Recession got you down? Hunting for a job? Then these tips should be just what the doctor ordered. The YoungHotelier.com and Hot Hoteliers team sit down with Craig Cochran and Alex Rawson from Movenpick for a healthy dose of real-world wisdom.

The first video offers some great advice on hunting for a job during the current economic downturn – some basic pointers that we may tend to forget when times get tough!

There is considerable coverage globally about the pressures that the global recession is placing upon (hospitality) organisations generally, but what is the impact of this downturn specifically upon the hospitality job seeker at this moment in time? The obvious observation is that times are tough. That is to say competition from other job seekers is now considerably stiffer, and of course there are currently fewer jobs on the market. Matters are unlikely to improve significantly over the next couple of months realistically.

Certain employers are already taking the opportunity to capitalize upon this status quo. A leading Swiss hotel school contacted me this week to ask if I felt it was fair that certain employers had changed their employment agreements for their student placements, and that they were now only willing to accept candidates who work on a voluntary (i.e. zero remuneration) basis. I agreed that I did not think this was ethical! Another example was evident at a more senior level where a candidate had been offered a position in December (2008) in the Emirates, and was then offered the same position again in January (2009) with 60% of the salary for the same role and contract! It is sad to see such practices, and let us hope that certain destinations do not use the opportunity to devalue their (already low) salary scales across the board.

October 2008 has been a historic month for the global economy. Dramatic terminology that was previously alien to most hoteliers – sub-prime, toxic debts, dead cat bounce, bear market – is now being flaunted as if we are all market experts.

There is no doubt that tough times are here and ahead, and one important question is whether the global hotel players will allow this to immediately impact upon their organisational Human Resources (HR) strategies. It can be all too easy to utilise a (potential) recession as a reason to reduce headcount and cut costs. This is in the short-term may seem like sound business practice, but the long-term recovery impact must be seriously considered before embarking on such negative measures.

A video with the Top 10 tips from Craig Cochran, Director of Human Resources for Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, Middle East & Asia for hoteliers considering a move to Dubai (or the Middle East in general) to take up a job. The video explores some basics you need to keep in mind and also touches on some key considerations for employment in the region.

Long version:

A great new comedic spoof called "Hotelier Idol", that aims to further awareness about the Hotel Industry Jobs, Training and Retention crisis. Hotel recruitment is already a hot topic for debate in the industry, with traditional job markets coming into their own, rising living costs and new destinations cropping up. So is finding skill and training fresh hands to cope with demand...the site presents its first 'Season' called 'So you want to be a hotel general manager' with panelists and some rather unique and entertaining candidates. Enjoy! Visit www.hotelieridol.com

Another set of great videos - this time with General Manager, Francisco Giles of the Renaissance Dubai Hotel. Francisco runs through some of the key management tips he keeps in mind when on the job - true words of wisdom from a dynamic individual who was declared GM of the Year at the Hotelier ME Awards in 2007.

A contact recently invited me to a Beta of a new online tool / site called NotchUp.com. The title had me intrigued: "Get Paid to Interview For Jobs: Companies save time & money. You get paid. Everyone wins."

After a little investigation, I discovered this may be primarity targeted at residents of the U.S. at present, however it DOES present an interesting solution to the recruiting problem...and perhaps a few problems? I'm curious to see how this tool will develop and how they'll manage to keep out those trying to make a quick buck. The Notchup site claims that this method will work as unfilled positions cost a company every day that they remain so (therefore companies would pay and enjoy savings from 66-75% versus using a job board or recruiter!)... and fraud can be prevented by obtaining feedback from companies that interview applicants (i.e. how seriously they took the interview, etc). There are still some glitches to iron out but an interesting feature is the ability to import your profile from LinkedIN, though not everything imports correctly, especially education and notes, with other elements like recommendations left out completely.

The new upcoming Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina is currently on the lookout for an experienced Sommelier! If you fit the profile or know someone who does, please visit the official site to apply directly online! http://www.minacareers.com/careers/mina/VacancyDetail.aspx?CompanyID=35&VacancyID=6655

A list of the latest jobs from the Middle East and Gulf countries, including UAE (United Arab Emirates), Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Pakistan, Bahrian, Algeria, Lebanon, Oman, USA, Syria, South Africa, Nigeria, Morocco, India and more. This is a rolling update so please refresh your page each time you visit for the latest list of vacancies to be correctly populated...



Can't find what you're looking for above? Click on the country or job sector below that interests you...(click 'Read More' first if you're on the main page)

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina is set to open it’s doors in early 2008. This flagship Westin property will be located on Jumeirah Beach Dubai, on the Mina Seyahi Complex, adjacent to the Le Meridien Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina and the Dubai International Marine Club. The Westin Dubai is still looking to fill the following 50 positions (Hotel Operations and Hotel Management Jobs in various departments - click on the Apply Now link for each position to go to the application page directly) - MORE

“Why do hospitality employers not respond to job applications?” – This is a question that I often get asked by young hospitality students and alumni. A fair question if this is indeed the case, and seemingly it is. Just this month I visited 3 hotel schools in Switzerland and during the question and answer session at the end of my presentation, I asked if anyone had directly experienced this scenario. Approximately 70% of the students indicated that they had submitted job applications in response to an advertisement, and they had never received a response from the prospective employer.

By Jeff N Ross: Developing and implementing an effective hotel recruitment strategy is all very well, but how many organisations actually seriously focus upon employee retention, which is arguably the most important component of a resourcing strategy?

There are obvious benefits of managing effectively employee retention, and these are well documented academically. Reduced recruitment costs, reduced labour turnover percentages, higher workforce efficiency and competency, reduced training costs, higher customer satisfaction… all common sense really. For hospitality graduate recruitment, the issues and benefits of managing employee retention are magnified. Generally speaking, it is likely that a higher level of training and time investment have gone into both the recruitment and induction of a graduate. Perhaps more importantly though, the benefits that can be gained by retaining and developing a graduate within a business, far outweigh the argument of cost.

HVS Executive Search ranks Starwood at the top of their Hotel Industry Board list for the second year in a row. 2nd Place goes to the Walt Disney Company, followed by Highland Hospitality, DiamondRock Hospitality, Priceline.com and Maui Land.

The InterContinental Hotels (InterContinental, Crowne Plaza) in Dubai Festival City are set to open soon, and are looking to recruit qualified hotel professionals in various supervisory and managerial roles. If you know anyone who’d be interested, please feel free to pass on this information. While many more positions are still open, the main key positions include:

1) Front Office Manager - Crowne Plaza - Arabic speakers preferred, must have Crowne Plaza experience
2) Assistant Chief Engineer - InterContinental / Crowne Plaza/ICRS
3) Food & Beverage Manager InterContinental / Crowne Plaza / Arabic speakers preferred
4) Front Desk Managers - Crowne Plaza
5) Reception Supervisor - Crowne Plaza