Hotels Offer More Than Jobs
By Woody Woodward,
Chief Growth Officer, HVMG
One of the best-kept secrets in business is that the hotel industry offers limitless career paths. The challenge is that not enough people outside the industry are aware of it. Too often, hospitality is viewed as a temporary stop, something you do between college classes or while you figure out your "real" career. That perception couldn't be further from the truth.
Inside our industry, we love to tell stories about people
who started as dishwashers or bell attendants and are now running
multi-million-dollar hotels. Those of us who live and breathe hospitality know
the opportunities are real. However, we haven't always done a good job of
marketing that message to people just starting out. And that's a problem,
especially when we're competing with options that may seem appealing in the
short term, such as gig work that offers fast pay and flexible hours.
Driving for a rideshare company can put decent money in your pocket. But here's the reality: there's no vice president of Uber driving. You can't build equity in it. At some point, the ceiling hits hard.
Hospitality, on the other hand, doesn't have a ceiling.
You can start at the front desk, earning an hourly wage, and within a few
years, become a general manager leading a team. From there, the options
multiply: regional manager, corporate brand roles, asset management, and even
hotel ownership. Along the way, you may discover entirely new career paths you
didn't know existed, everything from franchise development to investment
partnerships.
I remember early in my career at Wyndham, when I was
selling franchises, people would ask me what I did. Most were surprised to
learn that Wyndham didn't own thousands of hotels. They, like all of the big
brands, franchise them, and my job was to help grow that network. That kind of
surprise tells me we haven't told our story well enough.
And here's another part of the story we rarely tell:
sometimes, when your hotel changes management companies, it can feel like the
ground is shifting beneath you. But what many employees discover is that change
can bring opportunity. New
management companies often introduce improved training programs, expanded
career pathways, and fresh leadership perspectives. They may bring new
energy, advanced technology, or a culture that better suits you. These
transitions can be an opportunity to stand out, demonstrate resilience, and
step into roles you might not have otherwise considered.
We need to get on the offensive about sharing the breadth of opportunities in our industry. Yes, you might start in an entry-level role, but that's just the beginning. For those who fall in love with hospitality, and many do, the work becomes more than a job. It becomes a path, a family, and a future.
The hotel industry doesn't just need people; it needs to
inspire them. We need to show young professionals that hospitality isn't a side
gig. It's a place where you can grow, thrive, and achieve more than you ever
imagined.
