The 10 Most Important Strengths for Hospitality Industry Success

The hospitality industry is well-known for its high standards. If you work in hotel management, a restaurant or bar, a cruise ship, or a travel agency, there are a few key skills you'll need to master in order to rise to the top. These qualities have little to do with a particular physical activity or craft; rather, they are the "soft skills" that will be required for your advancement in any field.

In the hospitality industry, the job you do and how you present yourself are instantly visible to customers. The ability to leave a positive impression on customers is critical to the success of your company or industry. Consider this: A smile, a little extra care, and a knack for anticipating the unexpected can make or break the whole experience. Your consumers are eating, adventuring, and vacationing because they want to escape the tension and anxiety of everyday life. You're there to create the perfect moment of escape in a way that's both unique and imaginative.

Developing a customer-centric attitude is a good place to start, but improving your smile is just the start. The top ten most valuable skills we've discovered to be vital determinants of success in the hospitality industry are mentioned below.

Continue reading to learn more about why these skills are so important and how you can work to develop them in your everyday life.

a lady, a smile, a job in the hospitality industry, a drive, an iPhone, and a professional woman

a lady, a smile, a job in the hospitality industry, a drive, an iPhone, and a professional woman

10. A optimistic outlook

Positivity not only makes you enjoy your everyday life and improve your success at work, but it also helps you make a great first impression with customers. Yes, it's easy to say things like "just be optimistic" and "put a smile on your face," but you'll undoubtedly have days when doing so is the last thing on your mind. It takes a lot of mental toughness to get through a rude encounter or a string of bad luck; it takes even more focus (think meditative zen) to transform the negativity into positivity. However, it's critical to remember to do so: a negative attitude can foster fear and increase stress hormone output, creating a vicious cycle. On the other hand, positivity encourages longevity.

Do the following to help you develop a good attitude: Surround yourself with positive people, remember to be grateful, establish a daily routine, and feed your mind with positive information. Customers will note the difference, and that will reflect negatively on you. Finally, remember to take breaks and prioritize your own needs; it's difficult to be optimistic when you're tired and running on fumes.

9. Aesthetic sensibility

Although not everyone is born an artist, developing a sense of design and aesthetics is not difficult. In the hospitality industry, this will easily set you apart. You'll be able to reinvent and reimagine the entire setup and make it even more appealing to the consumer if you know what looks nice. Aesthetics don't have to be expensive: knowing how to drape a throw blanket across a lawn chair or garnish a cocktail with a sprig of rosemary can be as easy as knowing how to drape a throw blanket across a lawn chair. Little details can make a big difference, particularly when you can build an environment that appears to be costly and is genuinely photogenic (your customers will Instagram away).

To focus on your eye, you don't need to go back to college and get an art degree. Simply use it more often (literally). Pick up a few books or magazines about fashion, architecture, food, or interior design and set aside some time each day to flip through them and take notes about what you want. Then inquire as to why. It's also a good idea to shadow a friend who works in a creative field and learn some firsthand tips and tricks.

meat, salmon Executive Chef, Line Cook, Cook, Culinary, Culinary skills, Presentation, Recipe, Fish, Salmon, Food Executive Chef, Line Cook, Cook, Culinary, Culinary skills, Presentation, Recipe, Fish

8. Commitment to your art

Malcolm Gladwell popularized the notion that being an expert at something takes 10,000 hours of practice, and he has yet to be proved incorrect. Your role demands a specific set of skills that can only be improved over time, regardless of which sector of the hospitality industry you work in. Your work, whether you're a housekeeper, line chef, boss, or concierge, necessitates the use of 'hard skills' (like perfectly making a bed, searing a steak to medium-rare, effectively communicating with employees, or developing a relationship with customers). These 'hard skills' necessitate focus and repetition. You won't feel the dedication and desire to continually develop if you don't like or care for your work, which may indicate that it's time for a career change.

Dedication to your art will come easily once you've discovered a course that you really enjoy. Just remember to set aside time in your day to practice and refine what you already know how to do (as well as focus on improving some of the things that don't come naturally to you). With hard work and a little patience, you'll be able to get any job you want in no time.

7. Organisation and time management

Since every day on the job is different, time management can be one of the most challenging skills to learn while employed in the hospitality industry. You're continually confronted with new problems and situations to which you must adapt on the fly. These obstacles will sometimes throw your schedule off. But just because things change all the time doesn't mean you can't keep a schedule.

Learning how to prioritize your day and making an attempt to do it ahead of time is what time management entails. Begin by making a rough plan for your day the night before, prioritizing the most important tasks. Take mental notes as you go about your day, and be aware of ways to improve your productivity. Is there a job that requires “latent time” (such as waiting for a piece of equipment to complete a cycle) that you might use to focus on something else? Make the most of it. Finally, don't forget to set any personal boundaries. Yes, you may need to deviate from your planned schedule to deal with an emergency, but make sure you have a good definition of what constitutes a "emergency." When dealing with difficult customers, it's difficult to draw a line, but it's often necessary.

6. Be proactive

In the hospitality industry, you must always be two steps ahead of the competition. Don't just respond to a customer's request when they make it known; instead, plan ahead and anticipate their needs so you can complete the job ahead of time (and save time for more important things). Proactivity refers to the desire to plan ahead.

We can learn a lot just by looking up the meaning of a term. The Oxford English Dictionary defines constructive as "creating or managing a situation by causing something to happen rather than reacting to it after it has occurred." The terms 'make' and 'power' are important in this context. Being cautious entails learning how to behave or build ahead of time rather than reacting. Working proactively allows you to keep control of your day and prevent schedule lags, which ties into skill #7. (time management).

Make a list of popular "interruptions" that you find irritating or disruptive in your daily environment to improve your proactivity. Then, devise ideas to avoid them (or carry your list to your boss if necessary), and try to put one or two of them into action each day.

5. Capacity to operate under duress

There's no doubt that hospitality is difficult. There will be times when your team is short-staffed and customers are more challenging than normal, and you'll need to develop coping mechanisms for such stressful situations. Most people aren't born with the ability to work well under pressure, but there are several ways to practice and become more comfortable doing so. Proactivity, our #6 power, is a great place to start: Predict those times during the week when your workload can unexpectedly increase, whether due to an increase in customers or an external factor, when planning out your week (such as a holiday or long weekend). Consider if you can plan ahead of time for these days, and allow yourself plenty of time to do so.

Keep the mind on the moment while you're in the thick of things. Don't get distracted by everything that happened just a few minutes ago or the ten things you have to do in the next hour. Keep your mind "in the zone" and focused solely on the mission at hand; this will help you avoid costly errors that require time to correct. Additionally, strive to alter your perspective on stress and pressure. Instead of thinking about a near-miss or realizing the tension your body is experiencing, consider pressure as a fun challenge, similar to running a marathon, that you are confident in taking on. You'll reap the rewards of your hard work and feel a great sense of satisfaction as soon as you reach the "finish line."

4. A fresh perspective on problem-solving

The hospitality industry will throw you plenty of curveballs, and they'll come at you hard, so you'll need to be ready to react quickly. Although almost any job in any sector necessitates some level of problem solving, in the hospitality industry, you'll need to develop a particularly realistic approach to the mission. Many of the issues you'll encounter won't have an easy or straightforward solution, so you'll have to work outside the box to quickly resolve any issues until your customer or client forms a negative opinion.

It's similar to being a scientist to become a professional problem solver. You'll need to learn to look at problems from a different perspective, analyzing data quantitatively and qualitatively. Finding new ways to expand your brain will help you develop your problem-solving abilities. Working on logic puzzles and games in your spare time (such as crossword puzzles or sudoku) and holding an idea journal will help improve your neuronal synapses. Don't limit yourself to tried-and-true solutions; instead, consider novel approaches to a dilemma, even if they seem to be difficult at first. Last but not least, have a good night's sleep: Nothing is worse for creativity than sleep deprivation, so don't forget to leave time in your weekly schedule for your own well-being.

3. the ability to lead

In the hospitality industry, whether you're a manager, owner, or junior employee, you'll need to exercise leadership skills on a regular basis. In a service-based industry, there are thousands of "moving parts" to keep track of, and if any one of them fails, the whole effort could be jeopardized. There will inevitably be moments when you must step up and take command. - a coworker has been hospitalized or is dealing with a family emergency, and you are the only one who can fill in for them. Leadership entails not just volunteering yourself in these situations, but also learning how to efficiently and logically delegate and guide the rest of your team.

You must first believe in yourself and your abilities before you can become a good leader. Know your strengths: Maybe you have a talent for repairing faulty equipment, or you have the ability to de-escalate customer disputes. When these circumstances occur, show up and take over, or try to assist a coworker who is struggling. Then take things a step further by recognizing (and mentally cataloging) the strengths of your teammates. If something comes up that you know someone else could handle perfectly, consider their abilities first, then ask for their help.

To be a leader, you must be a role model, so behave as though a younger family member or sibling is watching your every move. When things get rough, keep your head up and always offer to step in and help out if someone else is struggling.

2. Communication is important.

Communication is critical. Since the hospitality industry is so fast-paced, excellent communication skills are essential for success. Since you are regularly communicating with customers (and, more than likely, ten or twenty other team members), you must be able to communicate information in a straightforward, informative, and constructive manner regardless of external factors. You'll need to learn skills to deal with this and handle difficult discussions if the information you're giving isn't exactly what your subject wants to hear.

Start with this to strengthen your communication skills: Always set goals. When you know anything won't be practical, don't overpromise. Although it's never nice to tell a consumer that their experience won't be a ten out of ten, it's often necessary to do so in order to prevent an escalated situation later. Keep your tone of voice optimistic and respectful when delivering what could appear to be "bad news," and be sure to apologize if expectations are promised but not met. On the other hand, be wary of over-apologizing when a customer is upset for reasons outside your control (we don't have superpowers over the weather, unfortunately).

A shared understanding of language and social signals is also needed for effective communication. Customers from various cultures and nationalities will most likely be encountered in the hospitality industry. Recognize that different cultures have different standards and expectations, and strive to match your voice, demeanor, and behavior to those of your customer. The same is true for the rest of your squad. Communication is a two-way street, and in order to produce the best outcomes, all parties must be capable of some degree of flexibility. If you're straightforward about what you want and what you can achieve in a certain amount of time, everybody will be able to function in unison.

1. Pay close attention to the details.

Developing a keen eye for detail is perhaps the most critical aspect of success in the hospitality industry. Although it may not seem to be the most obvious key to success, it is the one trait that really distinguishes an outstanding worker from the rest. Although it's easy to use the word in a cover letter or during an interview, paying attention to detail in practice is much more difficult. It takes patience and consideration, and it's not a talent that everybody is born with.

Simply put, attention to detail is the ability to complete a task with thoroughness and precision. So, while you're working on a job, keep a checklist (physical or mental) of the following three items to develop this ability in your everyday life:

Check for accuracy first. Setting up for a wedding or a private dinner party for a customer? Make a point of double-checking the number of guests in attendance to ensure that the number of place settings, tables, food and drink, and so on correspond to the number of guests in attendance. Second, make sure everything is in order. In this case, this means inspecting each table to ensure that it is as similar to identical as possible to the others, as well as ensuring that your overall venue is decorated and prepared to the same level as other events you've hosted in the past. Finally, double-check for accuracy. Make a to-do list (which can be physical or mental) and double-check that all of the boxes are checked. Along the way, you could find yourself adding a few more things to your to-do list, which is a good thing! If you believe that something else, even a minor detail, is required to complete a job, put forward every effort and cost to complete it. This will be the distinguishing feature that sets you apart and earns you respect from clients, bosses, and coworkers alike.