You don’t have to work directly in hospitality to be associated with this vast and growing industry, and if your skill set lies elsewhere, then you’ll definitely need to consider different career options.
Thankfully there are all sorts of jobs and roles available which leave you connected with but not directly involved in keeping guests happy at hotels, restaurants and events, so here’s an exploration of just a few paths to take if this is your ambition.
Driver / Valet
Professional drivers are the lynchpin of many hospitality operations, even if their main involvement is getting guests to and from the venues that host them.
Whether you work using a ride-sharing app or you opt for a higher-end role as a chauffeur for VIPs, there’s plenty of variety and the potential for advancement in this field.
One point to make is that with the emergence of self-driving vehicles, the future of this particular profession is hanging in the balance, although it will be many years before humans are rendered completely redundant behind the wheel.
Entertainer
Another thing which hospitality businesses often require on-site, but which is rarely a permanent role, is an entertainer.
Many kinds of performers find a place at hotels, resorts and theme parks in particular, with the people who take up these positions also finding work as professional actors in other contexts in the off-season, whether that’s with theater roles, TV ad appearances, or even on the silver screen.
There are pros and cons to working in hospitality, of course, but it’s this flexibility which makes it well suited to those with entertainment chops.
Manufacturer furniture, elevators, or other equipment used by hotels
If you’re more of a hands-on design and engineering pro, and it’s a horizontal machining center you are looking for rather than a hospitality role, your skills and talents can still apply in this industry.
Hotels and venues around the world require furniture and amenities that are durable, reliable and aesthetically pleasing as well as mechanically sound. Being able to produce and even maintain these essentials will net you a large list of clients near and far.
Laundry and dry cleaning
Lots of people assume that hospitality businesses take care of their laundry and dry cleaning needs on-site, but today it’s common for this to be outsourced to a third party provider, simply because this is more affordable and efficient.
You could take up a role in an established business in this sector, or alternatively start your own company targeting this market, if you’ve got an entrepreneurial spirit and you don’t mind shouldering the risks involved.
Landscaper
It’s not just the interior spaces of hotels which need to be kept in pristine condition. Many businesses that serve the hospitality sector have vast outdoor areas which need to be designed and looked after by professionals, and again this isn’t something that in-house teams tend to tackle because it’s more of a sporadic requirement.
If you’ve got green fingers and an eye for design, you could work as a landscape gardener and cater to the requirements of clients in this industry, putting you in touching distance of hospitality without forcing you to commit to it entirely.
The bottom line
As you can see, not everyone who has a professional involvement with hospitality is actually working in a role that is solely tied to this industry. Plenty of people prefer the flexibility that comes with having transferable skills, and so if that describes you then it’s worth looking into all of your options to get the most satisfying and rewarding career.
