7 answers
David
Student
Santa Ana, California
1
Question
Asked
3102 views
Experiences in the hospitality field
I am planning to pursue a career in the hospitality field (likely some sort of business administration but I would like to work in tourism or as a flight attendant.) What has the experience working in this field been like for you? What are the pros and cons I should know about, and tell me as many stories as you'd like!
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7 answers
Rafael Diaz Montelongo
Consultant
394
Answers
Raleigh, North Carolina
Updated
Rafael’s Answer
Hi David,
Working in hospitality can be highly rewarding if you enjoy interacting with diverse individuals and thrive in dynamic environments. It offers opportunities to engage with people from around the world, access travel benefits, and explore numerous career paths. While the hours can be demanding and handling challenging customers may require patience, the unique stories and experiences make it worthwhile. Instances such as a flight attendant calming a nervous flyer or a hotel manager resolving a guest's issue highlight the fulfilling aspects of this industry. Best of luck!
Working in hospitality can be highly rewarding if you enjoy interacting with diverse individuals and thrive in dynamic environments. It offers opportunities to engage with people from around the world, access travel benefits, and explore numerous career paths. While the hours can be demanding and handling challenging customers may require patience, the unique stories and experiences make it worthwhile. Instances such as a flight attendant calming a nervous flyer or a hotel manager resolving a guest's issue highlight the fulfilling aspects of this industry. Best of luck!
Thank you so much!
David
Donald Dias
Chef de Partie
15
Answers
Sacramento, California
Updated
Donald’s Answer
For cons, sometimes, Co-workers, Managers, can come off prideful, manipulative, and domineering. The best way to handle those situation is to never let them walk over you. And, always set clear boundaries without offending or attacking their character. And, that's the name of the game.
Wasem Hasan
Deployment Consultant
4
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Wasem’s Answer
As an ex-FA, I can tell you that patience is your best friend. You will face sleep issues, but you will visit places you have never visited! The training is not easy but it is fun!
Narina Mamedova
Guest Relations Agent
11
Answers
Astana, Kazakhstan
Updated
Narina’s Answer
Hi David!
First of all hospitality industry is all about customer service most of time so there is love of interaction and cooperation with people while helping them is a must. No matter if you are a flight attendant or guest service agent in a hotel, you are the “first row” of a company so please make sure you are trained and ready to serve any time you needed. From grooming standards, courtesy English to being able to react in most of cases independently when no one is around to help. Be sure to develop your soft skills like social or networking because you never know who you might meet next time like someone from Forbes or a passing by guest or passenger who you have to deal with along your hospitality journey. For me personally, hospitality industry is one of the most interesting parts of Education if you choose it but please remember you are an Octopus and geography is your strongest side. You will meet lot’s of amazing people with their stories or cases and see the life differently.
Your main task is giving them sense of comfort while traveling.
Please feel free to ask more questions.
I hope it helped you to define something and catch the reply to the question.
First of all hospitality industry is all about customer service most of time so there is love of interaction and cooperation with people while helping them is a must. No matter if you are a flight attendant or guest service agent in a hotel, you are the “first row” of a company so please make sure you are trained and ready to serve any time you needed. From grooming standards, courtesy English to being able to react in most of cases independently when no one is around to help. Be sure to develop your soft skills like social or networking because you never know who you might meet next time like someone from Forbes or a passing by guest or passenger who you have to deal with along your hospitality journey. For me personally, hospitality industry is one of the most interesting parts of Education if you choose it but please remember you are an Octopus and geography is your strongest side. You will meet lot’s of amazing people with their stories or cases and see the life differently.
Your main task is giving them sense of comfort while traveling.
Please feel free to ask more questions.
I hope it helped you to define something and catch the reply to the question.
Pat Golden-Romero
Teach Hospitality/ Culinary Arts, College Admissions
24
Answers
Santa Cruz, California
Updated
Pat’s Answer
Hi David, I have degrees in Hosp. Tsm., 20 years teaching exp erience in same & worked often in the hospitality industry while teaching. This is a great career if you love to travel & what to explore while earning a decent income ( flight attendant, hotel sales & marketing, tourism destination or tour company promotion ) for the last 3 careers you'll attend a lot of public/ industry travel shows to market the resort , service, or destination .
For a young adult open to working irregular hours and holidays this is an attractive benefit. Most major hotel companies offer educational reimbursement to attend college while working. good luck
For a young adult open to working irregular hours and holidays this is an attractive benefit. Most major hotel companies offer educational reimbursement to attend college while working. good luck
Dr Fisch
Flight Attendant
79
Answers
Denver, Colorado
Updated
Dr’s Answer
Hi David. No one chimed in yet about flight attending. As a seasoned flight attendant myself, I can speak from experience, but still I would recommend that you engage in a conversation with a flight attendant during your next flight. This is what sparked my interest and led me to pursue this career path. After discussing the role with various flight attendants, I felt compelled to give it a shot, and I couldn't be happier with my decision!
However, I'd like to share a couple of thoughts. Firstly, becoming a flight attendant doesn't require a significant investment, unlike professions such as piloting or medicine. There's no need for a degree. Airlines provide the necessary training, which typically lasts about a month. Therefore, if you try it out and realize it's not for you, you haven't wasted much time. Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you gave it a try and no longer have to ponder over it.
Secondly, I'd like to emphasize that being a flight attendant doesn't restrict you from exploring other careers or hobbies. It's entirely possible to juggle this job with other pursuits. So, if you're torn between this and something else, why not consider doing both? In fact, besides the free or super-cheap travel, the flexibility of this job is amazing. You can work as little or as much as you want. You have no boss or supervisor to constantly report to or have meetings with, you don't take the work home with you, the pay & healthcare is good and the benefits go on and on. Personally, I absolutely adore my job as a flight attendant!
Although there are many benefits and the upside definitely outweighs the downside of this job, I'll focus the rest of my answer on the issues and hardships of the job, because if you can live with the downside, you're good to go!
First and foremost, it really depends on the type of personality you have. If you're a go-with-the-flow kind of person, then you can pretty much just roll with it and not have any major issues. If you're the kind of person that needs lots of stability and planning throughout your day, you'll have a difficult time inflight. Although the airline crew schedule is planned, for the most part, there is a lot of flexibility because of factors out of our control (e.g., weather). You basically just need to be where you need to be at the right time with your crew and then see where the day takes you. It's everyone's responsibility to show up on time and be prepared. Most days go roughly as planned but some days go wildly off course with cancelled flights and re-routing. At times it will seem like you're literally living out of a suitcase. There's a definite distinction of "being" when comparing work days to days off. It's like living 2 different lives. You're either completely off work or completely at work.
Sometimes you may feel on your own when you get separated from your crew or get reassigned, bouncing between many different crews. Just remember to be where you need to be at the right time and you'll be fine. This can sometimes be confusing when hopping across many different timezones but just be mindful of that and double-check (or triple, or quadruple-check) your schedule to make sure you got it right. I've been flying for almost 20 years and still often triple-check my schedule and set multiple alarms, etc, to make sure I'm on top of that.
You will definitely have to separate from your "normal" friends and family when you start flying but you'll quickly make new friends with all the crews you'll be working with. Also, you'll likely remain friends with many from your training cohort.
It will also be tough to memorize many new things, especially during training. There's a quick learning curve. You have to learn about different types of aircraft, safety and security procedures, public announcements and slew of other need-to-know procedures and facts. It's a lot in a short time, but it's doable. Training usually lasts about a month and then there's an annual one-day refresher class.
After initial training, you'll earn your wings and will start learning your actual routines (onboard and hotel overnights). Experienced flight attendants will whip through all the tasks quickly and make you seem like you're moving in slow motion compared to them. I'm referring to doing your security and equipment checks, doing "service" on the plane, making your public announcements and even getting ready for your day in the hotel room. At first it's all new and takes time, but as with everything if you do it enough times it becomes 2nd nature and you become really proficient at it.
The passengers are a mixed bag. Most are great. There are a few however that could be... challenging. Most of the time they don't even know that they're being... challenging. But think of it like this. If you're a dentist or dental hygenist and you spend most of your days in a dental office, you'll know the place very well. But most people like us (assuming you're not a dental specialist) come in as patients or customers and we don't have a clue about where to stand, what to do exactly at each point, etc. It's a foreign place to us. And this is what it seems like to some passengers on airplanes that may rarely fly or only fly a few times in their lives. And, also like the dentist office, there may be people that enter the environment fearful of the unknown and scared something bad might happen to them in this foreign environment. So....you got to deal with that and help those people. Those passengers on planes that are being the most difficult and often those who need the most help. Just remember they're generally not trying to be difficult, they just need help because "on the plane" is simply not their world.
Unfortunately, the FAA (in the US) thinks it's totally fine for people to consume alcohol on the plane. It also is a revenue stream for airlines. However, I don't think flying and alcohol are a good mix. That's just my humble opinion. Even if someone is not getting intoxicated, it's still dehydrating them. Keep in mind, though, that if someone appears to be intoxicated when entering the plane, they are not allowed to fly and should be escorted off the plane before it takes off. We can't fly drunk people. This is not just an airline policy, it's a federal law. Likewise, flight attendants must gauge how well people are handling their alcohol and not give anyone too much during the flight. This can be tricky but the general rule is that people can usually handle one drink per hour. It's not unusual for a flight attendant to deny a passenger's request for more alcohol when they appear to be getting tipsy. Of course, this can lead to conflict as for people who are enjoying adult beverages that don't like to be cut off, but that's part of the job. You need to be able to give people "tough love" during those moments, through humor or whatever. If you're someone who can't handle that situation, this job could be difficult at those times.
Through any hardships at this job, however, just remember that your crew members are there for you. Don't be reluctant to rely on them. We're all here for each other as well and are often experiencing the same things. We're a team. There is a very strong sense of togetherness with members on the same crews, that we're all in this together and are there for each other. Yes, like in any job, there are colleagues who are also difficult to deal with or who are simply not on your same wavelength, but in general there is a real camaraderie within a flight crew and that's a great resource.
Well, those are some things to consider before jumping in. As mentioned above though, it's well worth the payoff.
However, I'd like to share a couple of thoughts. Firstly, becoming a flight attendant doesn't require a significant investment, unlike professions such as piloting or medicine. There's no need for a degree. Airlines provide the necessary training, which typically lasts about a month. Therefore, if you try it out and realize it's not for you, you haven't wasted much time. Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you gave it a try and no longer have to ponder over it.
Secondly, I'd like to emphasize that being a flight attendant doesn't restrict you from exploring other careers or hobbies. It's entirely possible to juggle this job with other pursuits. So, if you're torn between this and something else, why not consider doing both? In fact, besides the free or super-cheap travel, the flexibility of this job is amazing. You can work as little or as much as you want. You have no boss or supervisor to constantly report to or have meetings with, you don't take the work home with you, the pay & healthcare is good and the benefits go on and on. Personally, I absolutely adore my job as a flight attendant!
Although there are many benefits and the upside definitely outweighs the downside of this job, I'll focus the rest of my answer on the issues and hardships of the job, because if you can live with the downside, you're good to go!
First and foremost, it really depends on the type of personality you have. If you're a go-with-the-flow kind of person, then you can pretty much just roll with it and not have any major issues. If you're the kind of person that needs lots of stability and planning throughout your day, you'll have a difficult time inflight. Although the airline crew schedule is planned, for the most part, there is a lot of flexibility because of factors out of our control (e.g., weather). You basically just need to be where you need to be at the right time with your crew and then see where the day takes you. It's everyone's responsibility to show up on time and be prepared. Most days go roughly as planned but some days go wildly off course with cancelled flights and re-routing. At times it will seem like you're literally living out of a suitcase. There's a definite distinction of "being" when comparing work days to days off. It's like living 2 different lives. You're either completely off work or completely at work.
Sometimes you may feel on your own when you get separated from your crew or get reassigned, bouncing between many different crews. Just remember to be where you need to be at the right time and you'll be fine. This can sometimes be confusing when hopping across many different timezones but just be mindful of that and double-check (or triple, or quadruple-check) your schedule to make sure you got it right. I've been flying for almost 20 years and still often triple-check my schedule and set multiple alarms, etc, to make sure I'm on top of that.
You will definitely have to separate from your "normal" friends and family when you start flying but you'll quickly make new friends with all the crews you'll be working with. Also, you'll likely remain friends with many from your training cohort.
It will also be tough to memorize many new things, especially during training. There's a quick learning curve. You have to learn about different types of aircraft, safety and security procedures, public announcements and slew of other need-to-know procedures and facts. It's a lot in a short time, but it's doable. Training usually lasts about a month and then there's an annual one-day refresher class.
After initial training, you'll earn your wings and will start learning your actual routines (onboard and hotel overnights). Experienced flight attendants will whip through all the tasks quickly and make you seem like you're moving in slow motion compared to them. I'm referring to doing your security and equipment checks, doing "service" on the plane, making your public announcements and even getting ready for your day in the hotel room. At first it's all new and takes time, but as with everything if you do it enough times it becomes 2nd nature and you become really proficient at it.
The passengers are a mixed bag. Most are great. There are a few however that could be... challenging. Most of the time they don't even know that they're being... challenging. But think of it like this. If you're a dentist or dental hygenist and you spend most of your days in a dental office, you'll know the place very well. But most people like us (assuming you're not a dental specialist) come in as patients or customers and we don't have a clue about where to stand, what to do exactly at each point, etc. It's a foreign place to us. And this is what it seems like to some passengers on airplanes that may rarely fly or only fly a few times in their lives. And, also like the dentist office, there may be people that enter the environment fearful of the unknown and scared something bad might happen to them in this foreign environment. So....you got to deal with that and help those people. Those passengers on planes that are being the most difficult and often those who need the most help. Just remember they're generally not trying to be difficult, they just need help because "on the plane" is simply not their world.
Unfortunately, the FAA (in the US) thinks it's totally fine for people to consume alcohol on the plane. It also is a revenue stream for airlines. However, I don't think flying and alcohol are a good mix. That's just my humble opinion. Even if someone is not getting intoxicated, it's still dehydrating them. Keep in mind, though, that if someone appears to be intoxicated when entering the plane, they are not allowed to fly and should be escorted off the plane before it takes off. We can't fly drunk people. This is not just an airline policy, it's a federal law. Likewise, flight attendants must gauge how well people are handling their alcohol and not give anyone too much during the flight. This can be tricky but the general rule is that people can usually handle one drink per hour. It's not unusual for a flight attendant to deny a passenger's request for more alcohol when they appear to be getting tipsy. Of course, this can lead to conflict as for people who are enjoying adult beverages that don't like to be cut off, but that's part of the job. You need to be able to give people "tough love" during those moments, through humor or whatever. If you're someone who can't handle that situation, this job could be difficult at those times.
Through any hardships at this job, however, just remember that your crew members are there for you. Don't be reluctant to rely on them. We're all here for each other as well and are often experiencing the same things. We're a team. There is a very strong sense of togetherness with members on the same crews, that we're all in this together and are there for each other. Yes, like in any job, there are colleagues who are also difficult to deal with or who are simply not on your same wavelength, but in general there is a real camaraderie within a flight crew and that's a great resource.
Well, those are some things to consider before jumping in. As mentioned above though, it's well worth the payoff.
Smart One Tech
2
Answers
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Updated
Smart One’s Answer
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