Travel and tourism is the one of the fastest growing industries in the world with a potential of generating tremendous job opportunities. It offers more employment opportunities than many other industries.

The Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition at Hyderabad is one such institute that is offering value-based education that matches the global standards. The Institute’s goal is to produce quality and well-groomed graduates for employment in hotel, tourism and services management positions at national as well as global level. Students get to hone their skills and techniques on all fronts, with special emphasis on hotel management skills.

A career in the exciting hospitality and tourism industry can be built with the Institute of Hotel Management, Hyderabad. The Career Guide brings complete details of the courses available as well as institution’s activities.

In a tête-à-tête with Mr K A Madhava, Principal, IHM, the Career Guide  tried to throw more light on the courses offered and the employment potential in the industry across the globe.

The Career Guide: What are the courses being offered by IHM for aspiring students?

Mr Madhava: Realising the growing need for aspiring candidates, the IHM is offering as many as five courses at under-graduate level, post-graduation level and many other certificate courses.

TCG: What is the procedure to be followed to get admission into the courses?

A: The IHM offers B.Sc. in Hospitality & Hotel Administration, which is  a three-year duration course with an intake of 150 students. The eligibility is successful completion of 10+2 examination or its equivalent. Candidates, who are appearing for the qualifying examination at the time of entrance test are also eligible to apply provisionally subject to the condition that they should produce the proof of passing the qualifying examination at the time of admission. The candidates selected provisionally will not be allowed to join/continue in case they fail in 10+2 examination.

TCG: What are the subjects and when the notification will be released for this course?

A. The IHM centre in Hyderabad separately releases its notification every year in May for the B.Sc. programme in Hospitality & Hotel Administration.  The subjects for the course comprises four core subjects: Food Production; Food & Beverage Service; Accommodation Operation; Front Office and other ancillary subjects: Accounting; Communication; Hotel Maintenance; Nutrition; Food Science; Computers; Law; Marketing Management; Principles of Management; Financial Management; Facility Planning; Business Policy; Managerial Economics and Project Work.

TCG: Can you provide more details about the post-graduate level courses?

A: The IHM offers Post-Graduate Diploma in Accommodation Operations & Management. Duration of the course is one-and-half years. Graduates, both boys and girls in any stream from a recognized university are eligible for this course. However, the candidates should appear for an entrance test, which would be conducted by the National Council for Hotel Management, Catering Technology, New Delhi, an apex body set up by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India. Admissions are done by the Institute itself as per the norms of the Council, based on the qualifying marks and interview. The subjects are Front Office; Accommodation Operations; Accommodation Management; Interior Decoration; Hotel Engineering; Hotel Accounts; Supervisory Management; Application of Computers.

Every year approximately 20,000 aspirants would appear for the entrance test while 4,500 students will get admission into PG courses across the nation.

Besides, we offer a few more courses like Craftsmanship course in Food Production and Pastries, Craftsmanship Course in Food and Beverage Service and M.Sc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration.

TCG: What is the fee structure for these courses?

A. Rs 42,000 annual fee for B.Sc. programme in Hospitality & Hotel Administration, Rs 18,000 full-time for Post-Graduate Diploma in Accommodation Operations & Management, Rs 20,000 full-time fee for Craftsmanship course in Food Production and Pastries, Rs 10,000 full-time fee for Craftsmanship Course in Food and Beverage Service and approximately Rs. 1 lakh for full-time fee for M.Sc in Hospitality and Hotel Administration.

TCG: You have mentioned that the IHM conducts national-level test for admission into PG courses. What is the response from the candidates from Andhra Pradesh?

A. There is a huge response from candidates from North India. But,   a very few candidates from Andhra Pradesh are evincing interest in Hotel Management courses. However, the IHM has launched a special drive to create awareness about the Hotel Management courses as well as placement chances among the AP students. We got a positive response even from rural areas as good number of candidates showed their eagerness to get admission into hotel management courses.

TCG: Is there a boom for Hotel management sector as it is offering a lot of job opportunities in recent times?

A. Sure, there are plenty of opportunities right now. Soon after students complete their courses in Hotel managements, many employers are making a beeline to hire the students into their respective institutions as employees with good package.

TCG: Can you name a few hotels/organizations that are offering jobs to the IHM students?

A. The IHM has a placement cell, which takes care of training and placement of students for all the courses. Taj Group of Hotels, The Oberoi Hotels, TC Hotels, The Park Hotels, The Leela, Mumbai, Mc. Donald’s India, Viceroy Hotel, Hyderabad are some of the prominent orgnisations that are offering placements to the students of the IHM.  A number of hotels, restaurants, MNCs, and other corporate organizations etc have been conducting campus placement tests. Besides, a few software companies like  Wipro, Satyam, Wills Life Style are also conducting placement tests at IHM regularly. 

TCG: Does the IHM provide any additional training for students while pursuing these courses?

A. The IHM has talented and very experienced faculty to teach the respective subjects at all levels. Additionally, the faculty is conducting special training for students in language improvement and personality development skills. Especially, the faculty concentrates on imparting communication skills in English and other regional languages.

CAREER IN HOTEL MANAGEMENT

Atithi Devo Bhava (guest is god) is the most important ruling of the Indian hospitality. Since ancient times, attending the guests with a pleasing smile, offering food to them, ensuring their comfortable stay, are the salient features of this rich tradition This concept of giving utmost importance and respect to the guest remained took a new form . with the span of time,; it gradually got commercialised with the emergence of restaurants and hotels. The restaurants and hotels appeared as the milestones in this long journey of the Indian hospitality form ancient to modern times not only because of commercialising the concept of ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ but also because of expanding the horizon of the Indian hospitality.

Today hotels are the major service providers of the hospitality sector. Hotels are basically a big pool of professions and management related techniques related to the care of (paid) guests right from their entry and comfortable stay to a pleasant exit. This task of taking care of the guests requires high level of professional expertise involving an amalgam of various professions and activities. That is why; there is a big army of personnel employed in hotels especially in star (five and seven stars) hotels.
 
India has a great calibre for the prosperity of the hotel industry mainly because of the presence of a developed tourism sector. Growth of the hotel sector is directly related to revenue and a big pool of employment opportunities. There is a growing demand of diversified human resources in this industry ranging from Manager and Engineer to sweeper. Big hotels are usually multi-departmental encompassing the following departments:

• Food and beverage (F&B)
• Housekeeping
• Financial management
• Marketing
• Recreation
• Computer Application
• Engineering
• Maintenance
• Security
• Fire fighting
• Public Relations

Major activities of the hotels are:

Catering: The catering department headed by F&B Manager provides food to he guests. The Manager strategies and controls the different works of this department. The Manager and Asst. Managers decide the price of the menu items; ensure consistent quality food preparation and service. The Executive Chef is in-charge of the operation of the kitchen while the Restaurant and Food Managers meet with the sales representatives of the restaurant suppliers to place orders to replenish stocks of tableware, linens and cooking utensils etc.

The catering section consists of culinary section, the steward section and the food service section. The culinary section plays a vital role in hotel and the steward is at the head of the restaurant arrangements. Food and beverage services workers deal with the customers in all kinds of dinning establishments while the waiters and waitresses take care of customer orders and serve food.

Housekeeping department: A hotel is also maintained just like a house but on a large scale and with a professional touch. The housekeeping department is responsible for the cleanliness and other types of maintenance in the rooms, lobby, lounges, parks, etc. The department is headed by the Executive Housekeeper who ensures that guest rooms, banquet rooms are tidy and well maintained. Shift duties are assigned in this section especially because of the nature of the work that goes on round the clock. There are floor Supervisors in-charge of rooms on a floor who instruct and direct the room boys, linen maids and sweepers etc.

Front Office Department: people of this department are the first ones to welcome the guests in the hotel premises. The Front Office Manager who is the in-charge of this section supervises the reservations and room assignment scenario while the reservations etc. are done by the front desk staff. Reservation clerk, bellboy, receptionist, information clerk are some of the personnel of this section. A courteous and pleasing dealing of the customer is their main task.

A large chunk of employees is easily absorbed in the hotels because of the magnitude and diversification of the activities performed. This field is rapidly growing in our country and emerging as a potential employer offering multi-faceted employment opportunities.

Requirements for a career in hotels: A good personality, a desire of meeting and attending people, confidence and an extrovert attitude are the most desired requirements for this field. A lot of hard work is expected because working in a hotel is never an eight-hour job and goes way beyond.

Hotel management, the art and technique of managing the hotels is today’s one of the most sought after careers in our country. Hotel management ensures a cosy and glamorous job because of the luxurious and automated office system providing the best job conditions.

There are four areas in which training is imparted. Front Office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage and Kitchen. Students of Hotel management are also taught law, economics, accounts, management and a foreign language and are thus fully equipped to manage all the aspects of a hotel. A course in hotel management is a package combining practical learning with theoretical sessions. Practical training of the kitchen is given in the fully equipped kitchens of the institute or in reputed restaurants. A 22 weeks’ internship/ practical training in a hotel is also one of the important aspects of the hotel management course. This prepares the students to relate their classroom sessions to the practical side of working in a hotel and to gain an insight as to which area they would like to work in after completing their course.

Growth avenues exist in all the areas of hotel management, be it Front Office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage or the Kitchen. Housekeeping is an area that does not demand odd hours and is ideal for girls. One may go on to become a manager in this section. In the kitchen, one can expect to be a chef, which is a managerial position after 10-12 years. Similarly, in food and beverage section, a managerial position can be achieved depending on performance.

The employment scenario: The industry is expected to flourish further with the expansion of the tourism sector. With hotels coming up in record numbers to cater to the ever growing domestic and international travellers, the demand for trained professional has multiplied and will further increase in the days to come. That is why, the hotel industry has a bright future and so have the hotel management professionals. After completing a course in hotel management, a graduate is usually taken as a trainee. During this period the trainees are required to understand the practical aspects of the system of their employer hotel. They are given a good amount as stipend during the training period. After the successful training in the hotel, the sky is the limit for growth and development. Depending on the performance, one can expect promotions. This industry is known for providing a handsome package to its professional staff like Chef, Managers, and Public Relations Officer etc. Senior managers in a private hotel are paid like Corporate Managers.

Salaries: Starting salaries or say stipends during training range between Rs. 5,000 to 7,000. After successful completion of the training, they are absorbed in positions with salaries range between Rs. 9,000 to Rs.15, 000 plus perks. Salaries would, of course, vary from chain to chain.

Major employers of Hotel Management professionals:

• Five star and other big hotels
• Airlines
• Travel and tour agencies
• Hotel management training institutes
• Clubs
• Catering departments of corporates
• Cruise ship hotels
• Reputed restaurants