A hospitality team member can work in a range of establishments, for example bars, restaurants, cafés, conference centres, banqueting venues, hotels or contract caterers. The role is very varied and although hospitality team members tend to specialise in an area, they have to be adaptable and ready to support team members across the business, for example during busy periods. Specialist areas in hospitality include food and beverage service, serving alcoholic beverages, barista, food preparation, housekeeping, concierge and guest services, reception, reservations and conference and banqueting. The most important part of the role is developing fantastic ‘hospitality’ skills and knowledge such as recognising customer needs, knowing how to match them to the products and services of the business and working as part of a team to ensure that every customer, whether they are eating in a restaurant, drinking cocktails in a bar, ordering room service in a hotel or attending a business conference feels welcomed and looked after.
All hospitality team members must have the following introductory knowledge
● Understand what hospitality means; the culture of the industry and why delivering a customer experience to meet and exceed customer’s expectations is so important to hospitality businesses.
● Appreciate the importance of hospitality behaviours such as personal conduct, being adaptable, using initiative and communicating with a diverse range of people.
● Know the range of businesses and establishments that make up the hospitality industry, their differences and similarities and the variety of job roles and progression opportunities that are available.