Tag: hospitality courses

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Is a Career in Hospitality Right for You?

A smiling young waitress getting work experience through available hospitality courses.

Deciding what you want to do and where you want to be in the future is a difficult choice for anyone, especially when you’re young and in need of work experience. Thankfully, there are so many possibilities available for you to try, and a great place to start, for anyone, is in the hospitality industry. The versatile skills you learn in this industry are useful everywhere. Here’s what to consider when planning for a future in hospitality and tourism!

 

Is Hospitality a Good Career Choice?

Pursuing a career in hospitality is a fantastic choice for many, and there are many benefits to be gained within the industry that will help propel you into other great careers, too.

The vast range of hospitality jobs always in supply means you will always be in demand, so there will be many opportunities and a sure chance of employment for hospitality workers. And if your goal is to become a manager one day, you’re in luck! There are approximately 8.9 million job opportunities available every year around the world for qualified managers in hospitality.

Perks of a career in hospitality include:

 

  • You don’t need a degree to enter the industry.
  • There are plenty of hospitality courses available for those who want to broaden their experience and capabilities.
  • Hospitality careers provide excellent on the job training.
  • There is ample room for improvement, progress, and promotions.
  • It gives you a chance to travel and work abroad at the same time.
  • It gives you a way to stay active and social while working.

 

Careers in hospitality

There are many job opportunities and careers available in hospitality! The industry is quite broad so there is bound to be something you’ll love doing! Some of the job types include:

  • Working in hotels
  • Restaurants
  • Cruise lines
  • Casinos
  • Theme parks
  • Other facilities involved in customer service

Most jobs in hospitality work face-to-face with customers, but there are also plenty of jobs available in the industry that require a more behind-the-scenes presence, such as sales, marketing, and accounting jobs.

What kind of person loves working in hospitality?

How do you know if hospitality is the right choice for you? People who benefit the most from this industry love working in active, social environments. They also have an appreciation for the importance of quality customer service.

These qualities make for a great hospitality worker!

  • You like working in a team environment
  • You enjoy meeting people of different cultures
  • You love travel
  • You have high standards and an eye for detail
  • Making other people happy makes YOU happy
  • You like learning new languages and cultures
  • You like working in a fast-paced environment
  • You work well under pressure
  • You want an international career

Hospitality is also a great career choice for anyone who is still deciding on what they want to do. A career in hospitality will give you great work experience and monetary freedom, as well as provide you with more future opportunities for progress.

What skills are useful in hospitality?

Starting with these skills already in your repertoire is a bonus, but even without them, you can start to harness and improve them while working.

 

  • Communication skills (including negotiation and persuasion)
  • Taking initiative
  • Problem-solving
  • Good stamina
  • Team player
  • Leadership skills
  • Time flexibility (many hospitality jobs involve rotating shift work)

 

Who is hospitality NOT suitable for?

The main people who might not find hospitality an enjoyable and rewarding career choice are people who prefer to work independently and find working in a team environment difficult. If you don’t like fast-paced, active jobs, and especially if you don’t find satisfaction in helping others with their needs, then hospitality is probably not for you.

Why is hospitality so important?

Being hospitable, caring, and accommodating towards others is an everyday part of life and is what brings society together. This principle is at the heart of hospitality work.

Think of a customer as a valued friend. When they visit you, you want them to feel welcomed and comfortable in your home. You want them to have a positive experience and let them know you care about them and their needs so they can’t wait to come over again. This is precisely the feeling you want to allow customers to feel in your service.

It is important to note that excellent customer service is valued not only in hospitality and travel industries, but it’s also important within every business that relies on the interest of other people—basically, all jobs.

Even if a career in hospitality is not for you long-term, working in the industry is a valuable experience to have and it will ultimately look great on your CV. Some business owners and managers will hire people specifically because they see you have experience working in hospitality. That is because they understand that customer service takes hard work and diligence.

How to Get into Hospitality

The great thing about hospitality is that you don’t need to have a degree to get into the industry. Much of the work can be learned on the job.

However, if you want to hit the ground running and learn how to be efficient and successful working anywhere in the world, then you’re in luck! We have the best opportunities for jobs in tourism New Zealand has to offer and there are many hospitality courses available to support you as well. Start by exploring our available courses online and find one that speaks to you.

 

Best of luck in your career adventures!

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Pros and Cons of Living with A Host Family

Pros-and-cons-of-living-with-a-host-family

If you are mulling over whether or not you should consider staying with a host family while you study or gain work experience in New Zealand, you’ve come to the right place. Living with a host family has its shares of advantages and disadvantages. This article will help you make an informed decision about whether or not living with a host family is right for you – read on!

Pros of living with a host family

It’s budget-friendly

To start off with, if you’re tight on budget or looking for low-cost accommodation for your overseas study years, living with a host family is potentially the most cost-effective choice. Most homestays turn out to be cheaper relative to flat-sharing or hostel options, as they come with meals, laundry and cleaning services, which can save a lot of money in the long run! If you want value for money from day one, living with the host family could be the best choice for you.

Immersive cultural experience

If you’re game for a cultural exchange, take the leap and live with the locals! This can be an exciting alternative to staying in your comfort zone. After all, you’re probably new to the country and don’t know much about the customs or cultures. From tasting local foods, learning the local slang, and attending local events to witnessing local traditions and getting access to non-touristy, scenic spots, the perks are countless! And if you’re studying hospitality courses, this creates a win-win situation—you get both the theoretical and practical knowledge to take to the field! 

Easier adoption to the environment

One in a hundred can claim to have a similar climate or environment as to his/her home country when travelling abroad. For most international students, adapting to a new environment can sometimes be at the cost of your physical and mental health, especially during the first few weeks. A host family can help you adapt more quickly by providing support and giving you tips on how best to adjust to your new environment.

Whether that’s facing strong winds, incessant winter rains, or even the harsh summer New Zealand sun, a homestay situation can better prepare you for what to expect.

Home away from home

More than just being a home away from home, living in a homestay can be as good as having a second family. This is especially true if you’re travelling to a foreign country or are leaving your family and friends for the first time in your life.

No matter how well you’ve prepared for what lies ahead, homesickness will hit you eventually! Living with a host family can help you deal with it better than being on your own in an unfamiliar place. Having a support system is reassuring and can also give you a chance to make new friends for life!

Cons of living with a host family

Live by their rules

Living in a homestay means following the rules and regulations set by the host family. Host families will have different sets of rules to follow, but it’s important to take whatever they say seriously as a sign of respect. They could have a curfew set up, guest restrictions, noise policies, or even restricted areas of the house. If you’re considering staying with a host family, make sure you’re prepared to abide by whatever rules you’ll need to live by.

Feeling out of place

As much as a host family can make you feel in sync with the local culture and atmosphere, you’ll need to deal with feeling “out of place”, especially in the beginning. There’s also the risk of feeling isolated from other students or travellers who are also new to the country and have common woes or things to discuss.

What you lack in the traditional ‘student’ lifestyle, though, you make up for in other ways such as a warm house come wintertime. Trust us, you’ll value this in New Zealand!

 

Dependency factor

For some people, being dependent on someone else for food, laundry or even cleaning can be too excruciating. It’s okay to be the type of person who likes to live independently or can be a little picky about the way things should be done (laundry, for example). Maybe you simply don’t like the idea of having to depending on others too much, and that’s fine, but you’ll need to figure out what situation works best for you.

Make the right choice

 

Having read through it all, weigh your personal requirements against the pros and cons and decide if you would like to live with a host family while you study courses in New Zealand. Don’t go by what others have to say or choose. After all, your choice would lay the foundation for your first few weeks of experience in a new country. If you have any doubt or are simply stressed out, contact us at student services and we might be of help!

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Choosing Between Jobs in the Hospitality Field

A waitress holding a tray and smiling

Gaining a career in hospitality can be extremely rewarding. It’s a field where you’re constantly meeting new people and making valuable connections. If you’ve made the decision to go into hospitality as a job, great! The next step is deciding which of the many hospitality courses, and consequentially which career path you want to take on. There are pros and cons to every hospitality job, and they can vary vastly between them.

In this article, we’ll give you a short guide to choosing between jobs in the hospitality field, depending on your personality or what you want to achieve.

Boffin of beverages

Becoming a beverage boffin takes more than just completing a barista course, sommelier apprenticeship or learning how to brew. The beverage industry is so vast! However, becoming an expert at something in this industry can prove immensely valuable. There are new things to learn about coffee, wine, cocktails, beer, any beverage every single day and your knowledge will expand greatly while working in this industry.

Working in cafes and restaurants has its perks as well: you’ll always be in a buzzing, fast-paced environment which makes the days go by like a blur. You will have plenty of opportunities to develop excellent people skills while in this job, as you’ll be serving people their favourite drinks! This is one of the most creative hospitality jobs, and you’ll be surprised as to how far the knowledge you learn can take you.

Cook up a storm

Attending culinary school is a great path for anyone who wants to be surrounded by food (glorious food!) in their career. Contrary to popular belief, becoming a chef doesn’t restrict you to being holed up in a kitchen all day and night. Chefs can be found everywhere there is food: from food trucks at festivals, cruise ships and airlines, to film sets and on-tour with celebrities. There’s even a team of chefs at The White House!

As you develop your skills as a chef, you’ll start collecting the tools needed to forge your own career path. Start your own restaurant! Curate a food festival! Everybody loves food, and if you have the skills and passion needed to make good food, you’ll be sure to have job security for a loooong time.

Travel the world

There are a lot of hospitality jobs that can take you all over the world. If you’re keen on travelling with your job, all you need to do is look out for one of these pathways. A tourism course can boost your career into many different travelling industries. The obvious choices are flight attendants and tour guides, both of which can be incredibly rewarding.

As a flight attendant, your job requires you to have a calm and collected manner and to always be well presented. As a tour guide, you can let your inner comedian or history buff out—it’s a great job for a spirited, charismatic person. No matter your personality, you’ll be able to find the perfect travelling job for you.

Problem solve and manage people

If you’ve always wanted to be the boss, the hospitality industry has some challenging yet rewarding pathways for you. Working in hotel management is a pathway that encourages problem solving abilities and critical thinking, all while providing the highest levels of customer service. It will be challenging at times to provide people with solutions and to be a constant peacekeeper, but the rewards of keeping customers happy and being able to serve will be well-worth it. These are also important life skills that can take you to great places if you do well in this pathway.

Take a course that will kick start your hospitality career

 

The first step for getting into any hospitality industry, no matter which one you choose, is to get educated. The hospitality courses at Crown Institute are tailored to your ideal career path, and can be the perfect way to kick start your career in hospitality. Browse our courses online and find out which one is right for you!

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

A Day in the Life of a Flight Attendant

a-day-in-the-life-of-a-flight-attendant

If you’re looking at pursuing flight attending as a career, travel and tourism courses open tons of opportunities that will lead you right to it! Studying to become a flight attendant is nerve-wracking, yet exciting in all aspects. Being able to travel to new places, meet new people, and explore different cultures sounds exactly like the dream! Don’t get us wrong, though, it’s also a lot of hard work! If you’re serious about taking your dreams to greater heights and are up for the challenge, discover what your typical day would look like up in the skies!

Pre-flight

It’s not uncommon for flight attendants to start their day in the wee hours of the morning. Since you have to be well-prepared before take-offs, flight attendants need to get up early and should be ready to go at least two hours before their flight. It’s not just so they can spend some serious time perfecting that primed flight attendant look! All cabin crew members also have to go through a customary briefing before boarding the plane.

Crew members run through topics such as safety, security, and first aid. Then, there’s a quick Q&A test before the flight attendants are allowed to operate the flight. After which, they are given flight details such as what specific meals are loaded in the plane, passengers that need special care, and if there are any turbulences to expect during the flight. Finally, flight attendants are assigned to specific positions which determine their responsibilities on the day’s flight.

 

Onboard the Aircraft

The first task required of flight attendants while onboard the aircraft is to make sure that the aircraft is ready for onboarding. They start by checking all the necessary emergency equipment (safety cards, life jackets) and making sure each seat has a complete kit in usable condition. They then test the entertainment system and ensure lavatory equipment is functioning and that supplies are ample.

Since flight attendants are given designated tasks according to your role for the day, responsibilities may vary. You could be the one assigned in the aisle section or you could be tasked with counting all the meals and trays for the flight. You may also need to document the locations for inflight service items and ensure the total amount of supplies are enough for the total passenger load. We know, it’s a lot of responsibilities! But not to worry—flight attendants work as a team. The success of the flight doesn’t solely rely on just one person, it relies on the overall cooperation of each team member!

The cabin manager who leads the cabin crew then calls for boarding and the rest of the flight attendants make their way to their boarding positions. While passengers aboard the aircraft, flight attendants can help passengers with their load. Though not a required procedure, it’s always a nice gesture to offer a lending hand to families – especially those with children, to carry and lift their bags so that other passengers can get to their assigned seats faster.

Once everyone is settled, the flight attendants close the overhead bins, close the doors, and prepare to head to their demo positions. They will demonstrate aircraft emergency procedures and safety features to passengers. After the demo, flight attendants will check the seatbelts and make sure passenger are seated safely. Once they finish their respective sections in the aircraft, they head on to aft galley and the cabin manager lets the captain know that cabin is secure.

 

After take-off

As the seatbelt sign turns off, the flight attendants can begin their service. They make their way to the aisle to turn on the entertainment system and start distributing customs cards to passengers. After that, they start to serve the passenger meals, followed by rolling out the beverages.

Next, they come back out with the empty carts from meal services and collect all the rubbish. Some passengers will request for different beverages after the meal service. Flight attendants are also tasked to process credit cards and passenger’s change as they run orders. It’s all hard work! But at the end of bar service, it’s usually break time for the crew!

 

After landing

After the seatbelt signs are turned off, flight attendants help passengers get off the aircraft. The cabin members stand alongside the captain at the front of the aircraft and bid farewell to the passengers.

 

Post-flight

Depending on a flight attendant’s flight schedule, there may be enough time for downtime where they can hang out, take a nap, work out, or have a sit-down meal. Other times, in-between flight schedules are just too tight that they go straight from one gate to the next. But it’s okay, some trips will allow you days off in a new country which gives you more time to explore and become a tourist yourself!

 

Different days, different time zones

Being a flight attendant doesn’t limit you to flying the same schedule you have flown countless times. It’s not routine work, nor is it a 9 to 5 job. Each day looks different when you’re a flight attendant. You never know what to expect or who you will meet on a particular day. And that is why each day demands a fair share of mental, physical, and emotional preparation. There is paperwork to finish, demanding passengers to deal with, unexpected situations to overcome, and routine preparation to accomplish. Yet, along with it comes some of the most memorable and meaningful experiences you will take part in. You will explore new places, get to meet new people, and experience soaking in different cultures! Each day holds a different kind of surprise but expect tons of lessons to pick up en route to every destination!

 

 Ready to fly high?

Crown Institute of Studies offers the best courses in tourism New Zealand has to offer! We can help shape you to become a professional in your chosen career path including flight attending! Crown also provides business and other hospitality courses that will help you succeed in your chosen industry. Dream big and soar high. We’ll help you get there!

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Organisational Tips to Balance a Busy Student Life

Girl sitting at her laptop studying outdoors in the sun

If you’re balancing a crazy-busy work and study schedule, life is most likely starting to feel overwhelming. Whether you’re undergoing hospitality courses or training to become a brain surgeon, it can be easy to let your social life, work-life and even your health become unbalanced and stressful. In this blog, we’ll discuss some ways to bring balance to your life, by setting out some organisational habits you can adopt.

Schedule EVERYTHING

Keeping a schedule is the first rule of organising your life, but there are many different ways to keep a schedule and—as it turns out—so many ways to get it wrong. A schedule should assist your daily life to make sure you’re making good use of your time. It should give you a holistic overview of the tasks you have ahead and allow you to plan just how and when you’re going to achieve them.

For this reason, we’re pretty sure the best way to make a schedule is to include everything in your life in it. This means not just study, but your social life, hobbies, breaks, everything in your day-to-day.

Start by plotting time to carry out your daily routine: include meals, travel time, the half-hour you spend putting on makeup – everything. Schedule your lectures and classes that are compulsory to attend, along with your job hours, and any other meetings, appointments or social calls that are going to take up time.

Next, set aside time each day for your health—whether that’s going to the gym or for a run, meditation, or simply setting aside break times so that you can recoup and re-centre throughout the day or week. Setting these things up in your schedule first means you’re being realistic about the amount of time in the day you actually have outside the time you need to take care of yourself!

Lastly, schedule your study hours in realistic time slots where you can see yourself achieving something, bearing in mind that every potential crunch-time distraction has already been scheduled for another time of day, so there are no excuses!

Avoid the Procrastination Hole

The tricky thing about scheduling is what comes next. Yes, you really do have to stick to it. You haven’t scheduled time to procrastinate, and the best way to not let yourself get sucked into the procrastination hole is just to get over it and realise you really don’t have that much time. Delaying things now is just going to lead to it piling up in the future, and because you’ve got everything scheduled out, you should be able to notice that your timeframe does not have space for that kind of chaos.

That doesn’t mean you can’t take breaks! You can stay productive (and trick yourself into avoiding procrastination) by doing things like setting alarms for yourself, taking 5-minute breaks after 20 minutes of solid study, using rewards and incentives, and setting achievable, small goals each day.

Lists are your best friend

Even once you’ve scheduled time and are ready to sit down and study, it can be hard to stay focused and achieve things if you have so many assignments, papers and modules running around in circles in your head.

Go into a study sesh with a decent list, full of all the tasks you’ve got to achieve both big and small. Even starting your day with a list of things that you want to get done—such as replying to that text or reaching a goal at the gym—can be a successful way to make sure your life stays balanced.

A list doesn’t stop once everything is on it. The most important part of list-keeping is to be realistic about how long each task is going to take to accomplish. Narrow down your list by prioritising the tasks you can realistically get done in the amount of time you have. Then, you can safely and securely tick off your list on time and without panic.

Know Your Limits

Every step along the way to living an organised life involves this one key aspect. Only you can know your tendencies to get distracted easily, the amount of time you can realistically sit and focus for, or your anxieties that will overwhelm you if you try to multitask.

Never forget to take these limits into account when you’re trying to organise your life. Be honest about them with yourself, and this way you’ll be able to prevent a whole pile of guilt that comes when you try to push yourself too hard.

Stay calm and collected with an organised life

A work-life balance is one of the most important things we can have for our mental health, and at Crown, we understand that. All of our hospitality and tourism courses are set out to be a positive addition to your life, to give you the tools you need to achieve your dream job and dream life!

To talk more about our courses and how you might be able to fit valuable education into your busy lifestyle, give us a ring today!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

5 Skills You Learn (And Keep) While Working Hospitality

working-hospitality-skills
Hospitality courses are meant to prepare you for the demands of the industry, but having the actual experience of working will teach you many things – how to adapt to change, how to handle the needs of the customer, how to effectively communicate, and more. The world of hospitality is both vast and challenging, but it’s nothing to be scared of. The industry offers a lot of opportunities for you to explore your skills, and learn new ones; whether you’re interested in cooking, planning, hosting, or bartending, you’ll learn and acquire essential life skills that you can apply everywhere, even outside work!

Communication skills

Hospitality work will require a lot of communication between customers, staff, co-workers, and management to get tasks done effectively. In such a fast-paced environment, everything needs to run smoothly and according to schedule. To ensure this, effective communication must be executed, but don’t worry, you’ll learn how to cope under pressure, and eventually be able to communicate with different kinds of people from different backgrounds time and time again.

 

Problem-solving skills

When you work in the hospitality industry, you become a situational problem-solver. That’s great news, because problem-solving is a universal skill that applies to any job, any industry, or life situation.

As you work, you learn the proper process of handling various challenges, and become better at effectively finding solutions that fit a certain situation. You will learn how to acknowledge the problem, how to listen, how to take responsibility, how to settle on a solution, and how to follow up. Remember that a happy guest or customer who enjoyed their stay has more chances of coming back to your restaurant, hotel, bar, etc. How you deal with the challenges in the workplace will ultimately become a determining factor in how successful you are in your working life.

 

Self-confidence

Once you get into the hospitality industry, you should expect that your work will involve facing and talking to a lot of people. The job involves turning on the charm, getting along with managers, and using your self-confidence to ensure that guests are entertained and having a good time. A healthy amount of self-confidence is a skill that you can apply in all spheres of life, more specifically to your own social life. Once you’ve tapped it, nothing can stop you.

 

Resilience

Almost every job in hospitality will teach you a thing or two about resilience. In a typical day, you may be handed a lot of different challenges that will certainly require you to step outside your comfort zone. This may be in the form of juggling several tasks while remaining personable and organized, or it can be handling hundreds of customers and other responsibilities simultaneously. This is where you’ll learn how to become resilient. In the face of work-related difficulties and unexpected situations, you will learn that knowing how to adapt is the key to being resilient. When you know how to adapt, you also become a versatile worker, and this will make you invaluable to your employers.

 

Teamwork

Learning to be a team player at work will enable you to prosper in any group setting outside your work. When you’re able to support other team members, you can work together harmoniously. When you know how to work with a team, it means you know how to understand other people, respect differences, and pull each other up to achieve a common goal.

 

Ace Your Work, and Your Life!

Crown Institute of Studies has some of the best hospitality courses New Zealand provides. The hospitality industry will teach you numerous skills that will allow you to thrive and prosper not just in work, but also in life. When you learn with us, we can help you prepare for the next big opportunity in the hospitality industry.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Top Eight Skills Employers are Looking For

Man prepares a beverage while working

The job market has changed a lot over the last couple of decades. The skills that employers look for now are centred around flexibility and adaptability, as jobs become more open-ended, and less prescribed. New technologies have also changed workplaces, so the ability to use them is a must. Because of these changes, so-called “soft” skills – those which are more personal qualities that allow employees to be able to pick new things up quickly or communicate well with people – are seeing an increase in demand. That being said, certain specific “hard” skills will always be needed. These eight skills are what employers are looking for when they’re recruiting. If these sound like you, you’re probably well on your way to getting employed.

 

Communication

Time and time again, employers tell us they’re looking for candidates who are good at listening and talking. This skill helps employees to understand what they need to do, solve problems with supervisors, and collaborate with teammates on projects. In New Zealand, it’s important to be able to communicate properly in English, and sometimes in Te Reo Maori or New Zealand Sign Language depending on the job. Communication is especially important in customer facing industries, which is why it’s a big part of our travel and tourism courses.

 

Leadership

Being able to organise and inspire people towards a common goal isn’t just for managerial roles. Increasingly, all employees are required to show leadership in certain situations, even if they’re small. Employers feel confident in candidates who they know can step up and lead when the time is right.

 

Literacy and numeracy

Every job requires reading and writing in some form. Sending emails, reading instructions and regulations, or writing reports are common ways literacy is needed. Mathematics helps employees deal with invoicing, measurements, tax – you name it, reading, writing and maths are absolutely everywhere.

 

Being able to drive

This doesn’t apply to all jobs, but a driver’s license is often a requirement for job candidates. Some jobs – forklift drivers or tourism operators for example – require specific extra classes of endorsements on their licenses, so it’s crucial to get these before applying, unless the job is willing to sponsor you to sit those tests.

 

Being computer savvy

As industries become increasingly digital, having good computing skills is a must. Not everyone needs to be a programmer, but knowing your way around basic software, as well as being familiar with mobile devices like phones and tablets, is a great suite of skills that lend themselves to virtually any job.

 

Industry-specific skills

Employers love general skills that make candidates adaptable, but in most industries, there is some level of industry-specific training that needs to be completed. For example, when taking a hospitality course, students learn specifically about how to handle food and beverages, manage establishments and serve customers. Along the way, they can pick up qualifications the government requires people to have to do certain jobs, like the Liquor Control Qualification for bar managers.

 

The ability to learn

Employers like to see candidates have completed an educational qualification, even if it’s not specifically related to their industry. This is because many jobs require employees to learn new skills and gain knowledge while they work, so a qualification is seen as evidence of a candidate’s ability to do that.

 

Problem solving skills

Managers are always busy, no matter what industry they’re in. Their favourite kind of employees are those who can solve problems on their own, since that lessens the burden on them. The ability to apply logic and focus to a problem to find solutions is widely applicable over a range of jobs – you’ll almost always come across unexpected problems, no matter what job you do, so being able to take them head on is a great skill to have.

Is your skill-set readily employable?

If you want to expand and enhance your skill set to get that job you really want, taking a course is a great option. Here at Crown Institute of Studies, we offer courses in a range of disciplines to suit your personality and strengths. Most importantly, you’ll get work experience while you study, so our courses are great for those who like to get out and experience things first hand. To hear about our options and talk about how our courses can work for you, contact us today.

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Tips for Surviving Christmas in Hospitality | Crown Institute

surviving-christmas-in-hospitality

hospitality courses, you might’ve heard the rumours. You might’ve heard some Christmas success stories, but spread in between those are the holiday horror stories about unruly guests or mid-Christmas season staff breakdowns. Don’t sweat it! It happens. If you manage to live through the ‘long’ holiday season, you’ll be able to face everything the hospitality industry throws at you with a grin.

From simply putting in the hard work, through to celebrating mini-victories during your day, here are tips on how you, as an ongoing hospitality student, can survive through the season:

Batten down the hatches—work through it!

The holidays can be distracting. Everyone has a busy schedule, but as a member of the staff or as someone working as an intern, you have the unenviable task of preparing everything so your over-worked guests have the time of their lives. It’s easy to make mistakes when stressed, so don’t focus on that! Instead, concentrate on the task at hand and remember your barista course studies and others. It is helpful enough to take your mind off making mistakes.

Get plenty of rest

 

It’s easy to get lost in the hectic holiday season, but don’t sweat it! Savour the free time you get. If you get the chance to get some rest, take it. It’s another way of recharging yourself so you’ll be ready for the holiday grind. It’s also good for keeping yourself in the pink of health, something you’ll need during the long holiday season.

Take time off during the important dates

December 25 and 26 and New Year’s Eve are dates meant to be shared with friends and family. If you can’t allocate these dates for all your loved ones, try to at least take one of those days off. This also allows you to freshen yourself up and get back into the grind. Just remember to negotiate your time off as early as you can to avoid having to jostle for leave with other people. It will also help your boss adjust to your absence – or to absences — from staff.

Celebrate with your work family

The company Christmas party is one of two things – you could be looking forward to it all year, or you’ve been dreading attending it. It’s still a work event, after all, so show up. Think of your work colleagues as family too – make it a point to connect with them during the event. This is also another opportunity to take your mind off the stress of holiday work and revitalise, making work easier in the long run!

Those mini-victories—savour it!

Whenever someone gives you props during holiday work, receive it and give yourself a pat on the back—you deserve it! Not everyone can say that they worked through the holidays without getting affected, so give yourself enough credit when it’s due. Distribute the accolade to the team as well if you all earned the praise.

Looking to dive into the busy and rewarding world of hospitality?

 

It’s easy to forget your training during stressful holiday work, but with Crown Institute’s hospitality industry training, you’re well-equipped for any time of the year! Contact us to know more about our various hospitality courses.

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

What Exactly Is the Hospitality Industry? | Crown Institute of Studies

what-exactly-is-the-hospitality-industry

The term ‘hospitality industry’ can often cause confusion, simply because it’s such a broad term. Under that all-encompassing phrase is a broad network of sectors. The hotel receptionist greeting you as you enter the hotel is an integral part of the hospitality industry, just as the people working in a restaurant create magic behind the scenes. Even your flight attendant on the plane is a member of the hospitality industry!

Aside from pinpointing the graduates from hospitality courses, here is a look into what people really mean when they say ‘I studied for the hospitality industry.’

What is the hospitality industry?

We’ve touched on a few of the different sub-industries included in the term, now know what it refers to. When you say ‘hospitality industry,’ this refers to businesses that serve guests. A host welcomes guests into a place where they will be provided different services such as entertainment, food, health services, safe stay, and many more. Simply put, customer satisfaction is king in these places.

I studied to work in a restaurant, am I in the hospitality industry?

The hospitality industry refers to any place that serves people, and this includes bars, restaurants, and cafes! A restaurant, whether or not it is part of a hotel, falls under the hospitality industry. Any business that is engaged in customer satisfaction and providing services not limited to food is under the hospitality industry. For example, working on cruise ships will fall under the hospitality industry banner. Any place that serves people and seeks to satisfy them during their 

stay is qualified.

What can I expect from people working in this industry?

If you’re referring to the level of services that they offer, then you can expect only the best. The hospitality industry’s lifeblood is customer satisfaction. The reason why customers go to places under the hospitality industry banner is that they’re looking for a way to escape the stress of everyday life. Therefore, only the best service should be expected from industries under this banner, or they risk bad customer reviews!

What is required other than service?

Personality is a major part of the hospitality industry, and businesses will add personal flair wherever they can. Most of these gimmicks are seen at hotels and restaurants. Hotels are much simpler hospitality providers; they may deck their reception and lobby in colours related to the season. Restaurants are more complex; they can choose between simple decorations or having their staff dress for the season. You may see pirates during Halloween or Santa’s elves during Christmas in some restaurants!

How do businesses in the hospitality industry thrive?

As long as the customer is happy and satisfied, businesses in the hospitality industry are, too! People working in hospitality make money by getting customers—and even a few of their friends—to come back to their establishment. The tragedy is: if they fail to placate these customers, bad word of mouth can spell the end for a business quickly.

Interested in working in a role under the hospitality industry banner?  Crown Institute of Studies has produced excellent hospitality course graduates, with many now working as leaders in their places of work! For more information on how you can enrol, contact us today!

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Success Tips for New Hospitality Students | Crown Institute

success-tips-for-new-hospitality-students

You’ve decided to start your career with an academic journey in hospitality – that’s great! Taking up hospitality courses helps you learn valuable industry skills and insights, and gives you a competitive edge out in the field. However, the journey of a hospitality student isn’t quite the same as everyone else’s, so a little bit of expert advice can keep you a few of steps ahead of the game!

Here are some of the best success tips for new hospitality students that will help you make the most of your amazing course:

1. Know, and channel, your motivations

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: hospitality isn’t for everyone. This is just like how medicine, law, or computer science isn’t for everyone, either. Every single person has a different drive and a different passion, but in hospitality, you’ll definitely need both!

First, you have to know why you’re doing a hospo course in the first place, and if you’re ready for what it entails. This includes doing the proper research as well as mentally preparing yourself for the challenges ahead. You’ll then need to channel that passion into everyday eagerness and enthusiasm to learn and to do great things – not just for yourself, but also for your team and future organisation.

2. Don’t be afraid to learn new things

There’s no shortage of things to learn in the hospitality industry. Whether you want to be a hotel manager, restaurant owner, bartender, or brand rep, there are plenty of aspects in every sector that you will want to try your hand at; versatility and flexibility are necessary out in the real world. Keeping up to date with new trends and developments in the industry will also keep you on top of your game.

3. Stay organised

Working, and even studying, in hospitality can feel a bit frantic sometimes. That’s just the nature and reality of the industry. However, you can maintain a certain level of control as long as you’re well-organised. Ensure that you give yourself enough time and resources to undertake assignments and finish projects, just as you would if you were working in the field, dealing with requests/complaints, delegating tasks, and more. An organised team starts with organised members, so make sure you have a system in place to help you stay on top of things.

4. Go the extra mile

Hard work never goes unnoticed, especially when you do it with a smile. Going the extra mile should be the norm, as your future customers and clients will be receptive to your generous actions. Going the extra mile on your project today can mean going the extra mile to sort out a customer request, even when you’re not asked to. This wins customer loyalty and builds strong relationships which, in turn, generates increased business.

5. Get a quality education

In hospitality, there’s no shortcut to success. However, with the right training and qualifications, you can easily thrive and make the most of this rewarding industry and career path. Getting a quality education will give you the skills and training that you need to succeed, not just as a student, but also as an industry leader!

Crown: Auckland’s Hub for Successful Hospitality Graduates

Here at Crown Institute of Studies, our hospitality courses prepare future industry leaders for success, helping our students from the very start of their academic journey all the way to landing that dream job.

Check out our hospitality courses online or call 0800 632 759 to enrol with Crown today!