The Best Job YNHO - How to Break Into the Hotel Biz

Best Job You Never Heard of Podcast - How to Break Into the Hotel Biz_S1_Ep3

[00:00:00] Welcome back to the Best Job you never heard of. I'm Grace. And today we're diving into something crucial to your becoming a hotel sales manager, how to break into the hotel business. Maybe you're listening to this because you're looking for a career change, or maybe you're just curious about how people actually land jobs in hospitality, especially hotel sales.

Whatever brought you here. I am so glad you are here. I'll be honest, when I got started. I had no idea this kind of job even existed. I wasn't looking for a glamorous sales career in hotels. I fell into it and once I was in, I realized what a hidden gem this world is, and particularly the hotel sales manager [00:01:00] job.

I just couldn't believe a job like that. Existed and was it within my grasp? So anyway, if you're wondering where to begin, you're not alone. Let's break it down together. Now here's the truth. You do not need a hospitality degree or years of hotel experience to get started in this field. What you do need.

Is the right mindset, transferable skills? They may be minimal, but. Whatever you've got, bring it. And a willingness to learn. That's key. Think about your past jobs. Have you worked in restaurants, retail administration or customer service? Those skills you developed working in those [00:02:00] jobs, communicating, organizing, solving problems.

They're gold. In the hotel industry, I've seen amazing hotel sales managers who came from teaching hairstylist, even a flight attendant. It's about people. It's always about people. If you've ever managed chaos, smoothed out a tense situation. Or help someone feel taken care of, you already have a foundation.

For me, the confidence that I had came from being an Army wife and a mother of four little boys because I had to learn to be organized. We moved around a lot and I had to have [00:03:00] access. Quickly to a variety of important papers at a moment's notice, sometimes managing the medical, the school details, and everything else with regard to the army and housing and all of that, it was quite the juggling act.

Working in a hotel, honestly seemed like it would be easy compared to all of that. Okay, let's talk about the real ways in the easiest entry points, front desk reservations and convention services. These roles let you learn the rhythm of hotel life. Get familiar with the systems. Front of the house, like the front desk, the bell desk. [00:04:00] Reservations, which is not front of the house and any administrative position. If you have those skills, these roles let you learn the rhythm of hotel life. Get familiar with the systems. Every hotel company has basically a service philosophy and they value your.

Learning and incorporating that. They value that really highly. So if you can have that as part of your style in your hotel persona and. I, it's also so important to understand what guests and clients really want and need. [00:05:00] So if you can get those things under your belt, it's really a mindset.

From there, you'll naturally begin working. With the sales team, and that's one of the steps in getting to this hotel sales manager job. You'll see how they book group business, work with clients, and make things happen behind the scenes. You'd be surprised how many people get discovered while working the front desk, and this is absolutely true.

I've seen it a number of times because. You are catching people's attention. You're upfront and center, and if you're good with guests, people notice that a good attitude, strong people skills are like a magnet. They're like a spotlight. If you're reliable, [00:06:00] curious, and friendly, someone. We'll notice, and that someone just might be the director of sales.

I've known several top managers who have that exact story. Okay, next up, it's networking. This industry is all about who you know and more importantly, who knows you get involved. At a certain point, you can attend hospitality events in your area. Now, as a line employee, before you become a manager, this may not be exactly comfortable and the hotel is likely not going to pay for it.

But if you've worked at your job for a while and this is something you think you'd like to do, ask your manager. [00:07:00] Even if they say no, they'll admire you for asking the question, and I think there's a chance they might say, yes, you can expense it also. Create a great LinkedIn profile or if you have one, spruce yours up, make it up to date.

Go to chat GPT and put your profile copy in there and see if it can improve it a little bit. You need it to sparkle also, you could join LinkedIn groups for hotel professionals. Follow hotel companies and recruiters. You better still walk into some hotels. Do it the old fashioned way. Talk to people, ask questions, even if they don't have openings.

Make a connection. Let them know you are in interest. You'd be amazed. How often [00:08:00] jobs are filled before they're ever posted publicly. And it's just because someone remembered a great conversation with a motivated person. And I would advise it's very old fashioned in these times we live in. But for this specific purpose, I would get yourself some business cards if you're not provided them at.

The job that you're in. That way you can leave your name with people very easily and sometimes it's not appropriate to leave a full resume when it's not. You could just hand someone your business card in a very, friendly manner if you wanna stand out.

Also, if you want to stand out, take the time to learn the lingo. There are a lot of hotel [00:09:00] terms that the average person in the public doesn't know if you've been working in your hotel job for a while, you may have picked some up already. Understand what a group booking is. Learn about the A DR.

That's the average daily rate. What occupancy means, RevPAR banquet event orders, and what a site inspection means when you speak the language and are knowledgeable about these things, people will take you more seriously. There are tons of free resources online. But if you wanna fast track, you could check out my Course H School, where I teach everything you need to know to walk into an interview sounding like a pro.

I created it for people like you [00:10:00] and for me, the person that I was when I was looking to move up in the hotel business. Were curious, motivated. And you know, ready to go. Your resume, it's your calling card. And like I said, you need to have an actual calling card. 'cause sometimes the resume's a bit much, but.

You need to have a great resume ready, and if it doesn't scream, I understand hotels, it may not get you very far. Tailor your resume to highlight your people skills, your organizational abilities and your sales potential if you will. If you're outgoing, mention that if you're persistent, [00:11:00] that's important.

Now, I just wanna stop right here and say, you don't have to be, I am not outgoing, so you don't have to be outgoing. And I've seen people who are shyer than I am, meek even become. Hotel sales managers and work, you know before they are hotel sales managers. Successfully perform their jobs in the hotel.

So nobody has to be outgoing. If you are, that can come in handy but us, quiet or shyer people, there's a place for us too. Use hospitality buzz words because you've made it your business to learn them. Show how your past roles in your previous jobs can align with the hotel environment and always include a short, [00:12:00] enthusiastic cover letter that says why you're excited about the specific hotel and the career path, not just any job available.

That your mindset really does matter the most. Breaking into a new industry can be intimidating, but don't let Imposter syndrome stop you. You bring something valuable. To the table, your unique story, your personality, your perspective, confidence and curiosity go a long way. Ask questions, shadow others.

Volunteer to help with projects. Stay engaged. And remember, the hospitality industry values, hustle, warmth, and creativity. If you've got those, you're [00:13:00] already halfway there. And I just wanna say that in my path when you notice the sales manager job and you want the sales manager job and you're already working in the hotel, although in your case you may not be, you know, you can really.

Do that job like a superstar, but it takes a while to position yourself to where you can step into that role. And part of what I teach is how to break in and then position yourself. Because a lot of it is. The managers in the hotel who've known you since you started, they're gonna see you in a certain way and you have to shift [00:14:00] that now in hotels.

They like to promote from within because you've learned their way, so to speak. You've learned their values, their service philosophy, and that's really important. But still this little obstacle exists where they have to think of you. As, oh, this is someone, this is a rising star. This is someone who's going to be a sales manager.

They've made up their mind. They're going to be a sales manager, and that can help a lot. So as we go on, I'll be reminding you that after you get in there and after you start performing whatever job you get. From the get go. You need to have this in mind. It's really [00:15:00] branding.

You need to brand yourself, and especially once you become skilled at the job you're in, people don't really take you seriously at first because you don't even know what you're doing. That's how you break into the hotel business. Start with what you've got. Show up with enthusiasm. Do your homework and take the first step. Whether that's applying for an entry level hotel job, reaching out to a hiring manager or taking a course to learn the ropes. In our next episode, we're gonna step back in time and explore the history of the hotel industry and the five companies you absolutely need to know if you're serious about this career.

Until then, [00:16:00] stay curious. Stay open. And if you think this job might be for you, lean in. You might be surprised by what happens next. This industry changed my life. I'll tell you more about that as we go. Thanks for listening to the best job you never heard of. I'm Grace, and I'll see you next time. Oh, and if you like the show, please rate us wherever you get your podcasts, but maybe Apple Podcasts is best.

And if you have a friend who might be interested in, you know, the hotel business as a occupation, share it. They'll Thank you.