Hospitality: A touch of glamour in service

We can also find its presence in the earliest Vedas and religious epics. Hospitality is deep-rooted in our traditions and comes as an integral part of our heritage. In very simple terms, hospitality is the art of being warm to strangers and has been derived from the Latin word hospitalitem, which means "friendliness to guests".

 

The hospitality industry covers a diverse range of establishments in the form of accommodation, food and drinks. It includes hotels, motels, restaurants, bars, ships, airlines and railways. The concept of hospitality business started when people started traveling away on business and they needed a place away from home which could cater to all their needs.

 

Today hospitality has evolved from the basic food and accommodation industry and taken a very important position in almost all businesses. In fact, it has become a huge industry and drives economies across the globe.  

 

THE SCOPE

 

The scope of hospitality/ service industry today is far more than one could have ever imagined a few years back. Earlier people who graduated from a Hotel School could get employed either in Hotels, Cruises or Airlines.

 

But service is the BUZZ word for all businesses today. Be it the Retail Sector, Banking Industry, BPO, Telecom world, Real Estate or any other sector having direct customer contact, a person with hospitality background has an edge above the rest, because of their sheer capability of understanding the needs of a customer better and handling  difficult customers/ situations efficiently.

 

THE PERSON

 

I strongly believe, hospitality is more of an attitude than a skill-set that can be acquired by going to a business school. An ideal person who perfectly fits the bill would be the one who possesses these traits:
• Warmth and Pleasantness
• Empathy and humanity
• Good Listening skills
• Confidence