Become a hospitality manager

In hospitality, a manager is the person who manages and coordinates all the different departments in an establishment in the hospitality or restaurant sector. Their role is to define the commercial and management strategy of the establishment in line with profit targets, the quality charter and hygiene and safety norms. It is a profession which requires a constant presence and the tasks involved can vary depending on the type of establishment managed (chain, independent, etc).

Career and specialisation

Having finished their training programme, a future manager can choose to enter the accommodation or the restaurant sector. They can choose to start working in a hotel (independent hotel, hotel chain, apartment hotel, etc.), a restaurant (themed, gastronomic, etc.) or even to open their own establishment. Before embarking on the latter, it is advisable to gain a number of years experience in this role. Then, with a few years of hotel management experience and a good track record, a manager can move on to a management role in a top hotel and/or become manager of a very high-end establishment.

The tasks of a hotel manager

A hotel manager is, first and foremost, a good administrator and manager. Here are a few of the tasks for which they will be responsible:

• Being an exceptional administrator

A hotel manager defines the commercial strategy of the establishment in which they work. They prepare budgets, monitor operating profits or losses, are responsible for the hotel’s accounting and administrative management and set the objectives that must be reached in order to maintain and increase the establishment’s turnover. They create promotional plans to ensure that the hotel is at full capacity. They coordinate and control all the establishment’s departments and make sure that quality, hygiene and safety procedures are respected. They are also responsible for recruitment.

• Being a good manager

The managerial side is just as important in this profession. A manager recruits and trains the personnel who work in their establishment. They must also organize the work of the different departments. A good manager must delegate and supervise the work of their teams.

• Knowing how to satisfy customers and gain their loyalty

This is a job that a manager carries out on a daily basis. They can also take part in professional trade fairs or work with travel agencies, local authorities and tour operators in order to bring in new customers and maintain the best possible relationship with key players in the hospitality field. They must know how to gain their customers’ loyalty through the quality of what they have to offer in their establishment and the necessary goodwill gestures. They must also welcome some customers (VIP) in person.

What career opportunities exist after graduating with a Culinary Arts Management Bachelor?

Opportunities include opening a restaurant, managing a restaurant in a hotel chain, or becoming a culinary journalist.

What profession can be embarked upon with the International Hospitality Management Bachelor?

The hospitality industry needs middle managers: department managers, who know the trade, the product, how to welcome customers and how to give them a taste of luxury. We therefore need to train students to be able to meet these needs, but also to teach them how to manage a team, a budget, a department. We are training managers, but also students who want to develop or start their own business in the accommodation or restaurant sector.

Do these Culinary Arts Management and International Hospitality Management Bachelors provide complete professional training?

The 1st year will enable students to discover all the different roles linked to culinary production and the service industry. Students will then embark on a 5 month work placement in the Culinary Arts and hospitality sector. In the 2nd year, students can make the most of Le Cordon Bleu international network by spending 3 months studying a Culinary Arts module in one of our 35 institutes around the world. At the end of the 2nd year, students specialize in either Culinary Arts or International Hospitality Management. Between the 2nd and 3rd year, there is a 6 month work placement abroad, as part of the chosen speciality. Lastly, the 3rd and final year will be dedicated to management of the students’ chosen speciality: Culinary Arts Management or International Hospitality Management.