What job titles can you expect to see in hospitality industry job postings? The industry is quite broad. It includes jobs working in hotels, restaurants, casinos, theme parks, cruise lines, and other facilities that help customers meet their leisurely needs.

Many jobs in the hospitality industry involve dealing with customers face-to-face in a variety of ways. But there are also behind-the-scenes jobs that include positions in sales, marketing, and accounting. Food services jobs also abound in the hospitality industry, including wait staff and food preparation jobs. There are many management-level jobs across these areas as well, including hotel managers and executive chefs.

Given this range, jobs in the hospitality industry can either involve a lot — or very little — customer interaction. Many jobs are entry level, but hospitality is an area where you can climb the ladder to a managerial role accompanied by more responsibilities, along with a higher salary.


 Most Common Hospitality Job Titles

The following is a list of some of the most common job titles within the hospitality industry. 

Concierge. A concierge interacts directly with customers, providing them with various services. They may respond to requests (for instance, "Can you book me a restaurant reservation?") or anticipate what customers might need. These services could range from providing a babysitter to getting tickets to a show to suggesting a restaurant.

At some hotels, this is an entry-level job. However, some luxury hotels require concierges to have years of hospitality experience. A concierge needs to be a problem solver with extensive customer-service skills who is unflappable and can handle difficult patrons.

Other front-of-the-house hospitality jobs include:

    Casino Host
    Cruise Ship Attendant
    Front Desk Associate
    Front Desk Supervisor
    Front Office Attendant
    Front-of-House Manager
    Gaming Dealer
    Guest Relations Manager
    Guest Services Associate
    Guest Services Supervisor
    Hotel Clerk
    Hotel Receptionist
    Reservationist
    Reservations Agent

Event Planner. Many hotels have conference rooms or event spaces that they rent out for various events, ranging from meetings to weddings. An event planner works with a company, or an individual, to arrange the event and then ensures it runs smoothly.

Hospitality jobs in the field of event planning include:

    Events Manager
    Executive Conference Manager
    Executive Meeting Manager
    Meeting and Convention Planner
    Meeting Coordinator
    Meeting Manager
    Meeting Planner
    Meeting Specialist
    Special Events Manager
    Wedding Coordinator

Executive Chef. An executive chef is a managerial role that involves a lot of work behind the scenes in the hospitality industry. An executive chef oversees the food operations in restaurants, hotels, casinos, or other venues that serve food. People in this role supervise cooks, sous chefs, and other kitchen employees. They typically order all of the food, plan the meals, and prepare food in the kitchen.

While it is not necessarily required, many head chefs have some training through a culinary school, technical school, community college, or a four-year college.

Most people work their way up to executive chef from entry-level roles like line cooks. Over time, they develop the managerial skills required to oversee an entire kitchen, and the cooking skills to develop menus.

Other jobs related to executive chef, including jobs many people have while working their way up to executive chef, include:

    Cafe Manager
    Catering Manager
    Chef
    Cook
    Food and Beverage Manager
    Kitchen Manager
    Pastry Chef
    Restaurant Manager
    Sous Chef

Hotel General Manager. A hotel general manager, or hotel manager, makes sure that a hotel (or inn, lodge, or any other venue with sleeping accommodations) is running smoothly. This involves interacting with guests, managing staff, handling the finances of the property, and much more.

Some hotel managers have a degree or certificate in hotel management, while others have a high school diploma and a few years of experience working in a hotel. Hotel general managers need to have strong business skills, management skills, and interpersonal skills.

Other jobs related to the management and/or administration of a hospitality facility include:

    Back Office Assistant
    Catering Sales Manager
    Director of Hotel Sales
    Director of Marketing and Sales
    Group Sales Manager
    Guest Room Sales Manager
    Hotel Manager
    Lodging Manager
    Sales and Marketing Manager
    Shift Leader
    Shift Manager
    Spa Manager
    Wedding Sales Manager

Housekeeper. Housekeepers are responsible for maintaining a standard of cleanliness throughout a hotel or other hospitality venue. They clean individual hotel rooms as well as the common areas. Housekeepers within the hospitality industry make beds, do laundry, clean bathrooms, stock linens, and more.

Being a housekeeper requires some physical stamina because you often have to lift heavy loads and be on your feet most of the day.

There are many other jobs related to maintenance and cleaning in the hospitality industry. There are also opportunities for management positions within these areas. Some other related housekeeping job titles include:

    Director of Housekeeping
    Director of Maintenance
    Director of Operations
    Executive Housekeeper
    Housekeeper
    Housekeeping Aide
    Housekeeping Supervisor
    Lead Housekeeper
    Maid
    Maintenance Supervisor
    Maintenance Worker

Porter. Porters are tasked with handling baggage for guests. They might bring luggage up to guests’ rooms or take luggage down to the lobby.

A porter is one of many support staff positions in the hospitality industry. Another common position is that of valet (also known as parking lot attendant). A valet parks patrons’ cars when they come to a hotel, restaurant, or other venue.

Other support staff positions similar to that of porter and valet include:

    Baggage Porter
    Bell Attendant
    Bellhop
    Bellman
    Driver
    Parking Lot Attendant
    Valet
    Valet Attendant
    Valet Parking Attendant

Waiter/Waitress. Waiters and waitresses work in restaurants, bars, hotels, casinos, and other food-serving establishments. They interact directly with customers taking orders, serving food and beverages, and take payments from patrons.

While no formal education is required, waiters and waitresses must have strong interpersonal and communication skills. They also have to be detail-oriented because they need to remember customers’ orders, especially complicated drink orders. This job is ideal for people in the hospitality industry who want to engage with customers face-to-face.

Other job titles similar to waiter and waitress in the hospitality industry include:

    Back Waiter
    Banquet Server
    Barback
    Barista
    Bartender
    Busser
    Cafe Manager
    Catering Assistant
    Food Runner
    Food Server
    Head Waiter
    Host
    Hostess
    Maître d’
    Server
    Sommelier