Some of the ups and downs of the Hospitality Industry

I've worked in the Hospitality Industry for the last 6-7 years.  These are a few of the ups and downs in the Industry.

Ups

• You get hotel discounts.  With taking vacations, lodging can be one of the biggest costs.  As an employee you get discounts at hotels.  It will depend on availability and the rate depends on the hotel you are trying to book.  Typically you can get $39 room nights.
• You get free food at lunch.  The kitchen prepares food for all employees.  This saves money on lunch for the associates.
• Depending on the location and events in town, you get to meet a lot of different people or learn about a lot of different businesses.  You may also see a celebrity.
• You can start off with a really good job title.  For me with little to no experience but a lot of schooling, I was able to start as the HR Director.
• Although it helps, you do not need any education to be successful in the Hospitality field.  At one of my previous jobs, I was one of the most educated managers.  A lot of my peers, at that time, had worked their way up into their positions.

Downs.

• You will have to work weekends, holidays, and nights.  The hospitality industry is always going and can be busier at times which a normal 9-5 job would not be working.
• You get less holidays and vacation.  I've seen/worked for companies that give very little vacation time off and very little holidays.  It's difficult seeing my wife get a lot of time off due to her teaching schedule and yet I have to be at work.  I also used to work in banking and the amount of time they had off compared to the hospitality industry is huge amount.
• You get really low salaries.  This is especially true if you are starting off in the industry.  The highest paid position is the General Manager.  After the General Manager there is a very large salary gap between the General Manager and the next level of employees.  this gap is typically $40 to $60 K.  In General, the GM makes around $120K, and depending on the emphasis of the company, the next line of managers will make between $70k to $80K (This will be the Sales Director and Controller).  The next level of employees will make around $60K (This is the Chief Engineer, the F&B managers, HR, Front Office Manager, etc.).  Finally all starting managers will make between $36K and $45K.  Again this varies by company and by their emphasis.

I see hospitality as a great field to work in and can be very rewarding.  It can also be a great starting point for a career.  I believe that after you survive hospitality, you can move into a lot of different industries or stay in the hospitality field and succeed.