Jobs in the Hotel and Hospitality Industry

The hotel and associated industries provide employment for a large number of people.  In Queensland, more than 40,000 people are employed in the hotel industry including permanent, full-time, part-time and casual employees.  Numerous individual and industry contractors also provide on-site labour to hotel businesses.  Jobs in the hotel sector are generally categories into:

• Managers – people with suitable qualifications and experience to manage venues or parts of venues, and provide leadership and direction to the staff and the business;

• Administration staff – typically clerical and office staff involved in accounting, ordering, information technology, or money and process management;

• Front of House staff – involved with customer interface including meet & greet, concierge, reception, switchboard and marketing;

• Back of House staff – involved in providing support functions for general hotel operations and include housekeeping, laundry, parking, valet, room service and ground maintenance and repair;

• Food and beverage staff – wait and preparation staff directly involved in preparing food and beverage for customers and working in venues in which food and beverage are served.  This can include bar work and other mechanical work such as collecting glasses and washing down tables;

• Kitchen staff – chefs, sous-chefs, chefs-de-partie, cooks, apprentices, food preparation staff, kitchen hands, dishwashers and hygiene workers;

• Door hosts, crowd controllers and security staff – responsible for providing a safe and secure environment for patrons and visitors.  

Many of these jobs require specific qualifications and/or experience to obtain a job in a hotel.  However, the hotel industry is one of the leading industries in providing introductory training for new employees, and in progressing those with aptitude and talent ‘through the ranks’ to meaningful, qualified career streams – it is not uncommon to find that the General Manager of a large sophisticated hotel started work as a doorman or valet parker.

As a general rule, many lower skilled jobs are available in trading hotels and the best way to get a job is to apply directly to a venue, or to respond to an Internet or newspaper advertisement.  Most venues will insist on a face-to-face interview supported by documentation, and will conduct a check of referees before offering employment.  A probationary period will normally apply to initial employment.  Major hotels and resorts often have a straightforward system for considering job applications, and the front desk will generally have an ‘employment application pack’ available for job applicants.