5 Transferable Skills Perfect for Working at a Hotel

Over the last three years, many Americans have been looking to change careers or transfer into different industries. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the need for lodging will always exist. If you want to work in hospitality, below are the top 5 transferable skills.

Communication is a transferable skill that is important in any job, primarily when you work in hospitality. Hospitality is the business of serving others; to do so, you must be able to communicate effectively. Hotel workers must share with guests from the time of booking through check-out. Details about the type of room, amenities, billing, etc., must be thoroughly and accurately relayed at booking and during check-in. Once a guest is on the property, they may have questions about the facility and the surrounding area or even ask for recommendations for meals and entertainment.

Being able to communicate effectively with co-workers is equally important. Many departments have a “pass-down” book or a means of communicating important information about things that occurred during a shift. These items may require further follow-up or may have important guest information the next shift needs to know. Sharing best practices and open communication helps support a positive and friendly work environment.

Communication is key to hotel housekeeping jobs because they must share information about facility issues with the maintenance team. They also coordinate with the front desk about available rooms, late check-outs, and early arrivals.

Whether you work a full-time or part-time hotel job, the one guarantee is that no day will be the same! This rings true for all departments within a hotel. There is always something new to learn and experience every day. Adaptability is one of the most valuable transferable skills one can possess.

Adaptable people don’t always have to know or have the most on-the-job experience. Simply changing focus to deal with challenges is an admirable and desired skill. People who can quickly shift gears have great potential for hotel management jobs. Hotel managers must always think on their toes and be ready to handle any situation.

No matter what industry you are in, you will always need to be able to solve problems. Someone who can identify the problem, research how to fix it, and implement a solution is a highly-valuable employee. When you work in hospitality, you must always focus on creating a positive guest experience. If a guest is facing a problem, it can be a direct reflection of the hotel. When an associate takes the time to fix the problem, it can still result in a positive interaction.

Let’s face it, problems will always arise, and that fact is inevitable. A natural problem solver can take a bad situation and give it a positive outcome. When hotel guests see a staff member take the initiative to right the wrong, it often leaves them with an overall positive experience.

Critical thinking and problem-solving skills go hand in hand, but they are different skill sets. A problem solver can find a problem and offer a solution. Critical thinkers realize they may have to go off script to handle an issue. When you work in hospitality, we can provide scripts and manuals for handling any number of tasks, but rest assured; there will always be exceptions!

Critical thinkers realize that there isn’t a cookie-cutter answer for the situation they are facing. Thinking outside the box to analyze the situation and come up with a solution is an efficient skill. If you work in hospitality, your skills will continue to develop with each new experience. Critical thinking skills are highly transferable in most industries and, most certainly, for hotel management jobs.

Leadership skills combine the ability to communicate, adapt, problem-solve, and think critically. If someone possesses all the capabilities, they will be a top candidate for a hotel management job. Learning the ins and outs of a hotel take time and effort, but for someone transferring from another industry who already has these skills, the path into hotel management jobs can be much shorter.

Leaders take the initiative and inspire others. Being able to self-motivate and motivate others to join you on projects or initiatives is an exceptional job skill. There is a high demand for these employees in the hotel management field.

The list of beneficial transferable skills can go on, but these are the top 5 skills that would benefit someone looking to work in hospitality.

There are many perks to working in hospitality, such as flexible work hours and hotel discounts for personal travel. If you are considering making a career change, check out the list of open positions at Landmark Hotel Group.