1. Program Overview
The Hotel Management (or Hospitality Management) major refers to the academic study of matters related to the tourism industry such as hotels, restaurants, and travel. It requires students to master basic economic management theories, foundational knowledge of hotels, catering, and tourism, and possess basic hotel management and service skills.
Taking Shanghai as an example, 17 international hotel management groups have invested in or managed high-star hotels in Shanghai. The hotel industry is continuously expanding, and the demand for talent is increasing. Senior hotel management professionals have become a sought-after high-income group in the domestic job market. Hotel management personnel rank sixth among China's top ten million-yuan annual salary professions.
2. Areas of Specialization
Although all are hotel management, different programs at U.S. universities have differences in curriculum and focus. Hospitality management programs have a broad scope and a very diverse curriculum. In addition to hotel management courses, there are courses in food and beverage management, cruise operations, exhibitions, conferences, or other tourism-related fields. Hotel administration, on the other hand, is more focused on the hotel industry itself, such as hotel operations management, finance, marketing, and real estate. It is recommended that students first gain a general understanding of the hotel management industry and tourism, and then see whether the target school's curriculum aligns with your career plans.
Many schools offer courses in Hotel/Hospitality Management, Beverage Management, or Event Management, which, from an industry perspective, belong to the tourism sector.
3. Curriculum
The curriculum mostly consists of basic economic management theories combined with specific knowledge of the hotel, catering, or related industries.
Representative courses include:
Human Resources Management
Hospitality Strategy
Information Systems Management
Marketing in the Hospitality Industry
Hospitality and Tourism Operations Analyses
Hospitality and Tourism Management
4. Representative Institutions
Cornell University
Comprehensive Advantages (Location + Ranking)
The Hotel School at Cornell University is the premier hotel management school in the United States. For training purposes, Cornell operates its own hotel. The Hotel School has also been praised by Conrad Hilton, founder of Hilton Hotels, as “the finest school in the world.” It requires GMAT scores (GRE not accepted) and relevant work experience.
The graduate programs at the Hotel School have several specializations, which can be seen from the following:
l Marketing Management
l Operations and Revenue Management
l Real Estate
l Entrepreneurship
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Location
The university is located in Las Vegas, the famous gambling and resort city in the Midwestern United States. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas is a public state university founded in 1957, adjacent to the Las Vegas Strip. In the 2018 QS World University Rankings by Subject for Hospitality & Leisure Management, it ranked first, and its employment prospects are particularly promising. Due to Las Vegas's extremely developed resort industry and unique location, students have many internship opportunities at hotels in the city. Graduate admission requirements: TOEFL 100 or above, IELTS 7.0 or above, GMAT or GRE accepted, and work experience is strongly recommended.
Taking the Hotel Administration graduate program as an example, representative courses include: Financial Analysis for the Service Industries, and Research Methods.
University of Houston
School Resources
The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management ranks among the top five in the nation. The school itself has a Hilton hotel, and many classes are held in the hotel. Houston's service industry is relatively developed, with numerous hotels, making jobs relatively easy to find with good pay. The Master of Science in Hospitality Management focuses on cultivating students' hands-on practical skills and communication abilities, ultimately training them to become high-level management professionals in the hotel industry.
Students can choose a research specialization in the field, such as finance, asset management, human resources, catering, hotels, events, etc. The partnership with the world-renowned Hilton Hotels & Resorts provides students with valuable internship opportunities at star-rated hotels and helps them seek better career development opportunities worldwide. The school also recommends reliable fresh graduates to companies and organizations, giving students a head start in the job market.
Graduate admission requirements: TOEFL 100 or above, IELTS not accepted, GMAT or GRE accepted, GPA 3.0 or above, and work experience required.
Michigan State University
School Resources
Founded in 1927, the School of Hospitality Business is one of the earliest hospitality schools in the United States, having cultivated thousands of leaders in the hotel and service industry. With a wide alumni network, the school excels at networking and often invites seasoned alumni for various meet-and-greet events with students. At the annual Career Expo, major hotel groups including IHG, Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, Accor, etc., send representatives for recruitment. Students can secure numerous internship or full-time interview opportunities. The graduate program offers an MS in Hospitality Business Management.
Since “Hotel Management” is about an industry rather than a specific academic discipline, the curriculum design is very broad. It includes finance knowledge, marketing content, as well as courses in research, IT, HR, and other areas. This comprehensive curriculum helps hotel professionals gain a macro-level understanding of the entire hotel industry's operations. Through different courses, students can also discover the directions they like and excel in.
5. Application Requirements
Background
Compared to some popular business majors, applying for hotel management is slightly less difficult. Generally, a related background is not required, and students from other majors are even welcomed.
Internship
This major is highly practical, and schools place great importance on applicants' internship or even work experience in the relevant field, which can to a large extent compensate for a low GPA. This can be seen from the schools' professional training plans: U.S. universities offer hospitality management to cultivate senior management talent in tourism enterprises, hotels, etc. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that applicants have relevant work and internship experience before applying.
Grades and Scores
An undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 is preferred, and 3.3 or above is more competitive. Business programs generally require GRE or GMAT, and scoring 630+ on the GMAT when applying to top schools is more competitive.
6. Future Career Directions and Compensation
The hotel or related tourism industry has a high demand for graduates in hotel management, but entry-level internships may start from the grassroots of the hotel. After gaining experience, you can consider more career development paths.
Financial Manager
Major: Accounting, Food Service Management (Finance Track)
Certificate: CPA certificate
Salary: $40,000 to $80,000/year
Banquet Manager
Salary: $30,000 to $60,000/year
Culinary Manager
Major: Culinary Arts, Hotel Management, Food Service Management
Degree: Bachelor's
Salary: $25,000 to $48,000/year
Customer Service Management
Requirements: High school diploma + GRE scores
Salary: $25,000 to $60,000/year
Marketing Manager
Major: Marketing, Public Relations, or other related fields
Degree: Bachelor's
Salary: $33,000 to $57,000/year, up to $100,000/year
Operations Manager (Hotel)
Major: Hotel Management, Business Administration
Salary: $70,000 to $80,000/year, up to $120,000 to $180,000/year
Training Manager (Hotel)
Major: Human Resources, Business, Hotel Management
Salary: $60,000 to $90,000/year
Hotel Sales and Marketing Manager
Major: Hotel Management, Business Marketing Management
Salary: $50,000 to $100,000/year
Human Resources Management (Hotel)
Major: Human Resources, Business Administration
Salary: $44,000 to $60,000/year
Other career directions for reference:
Hotel Development / Catering Industry / Tourism Bureaus / Cruise Lines / Consulting Firms / Theme Parks / Wine and Beer Brewing and Sales / Higher Education Institutions / Conference and Event Management
7. Advantages of Studying Hotel Management in the U.S.
As the country with the most developed educational resources in the world, the U.S. has hotel management programs mostly distributed in business schools and independent hotel management schools, boasting extremely strong educational and research capabilities that are among the best globally. In particular, the U.S. has a powerful market and numerous luxury hotels unmatched by Switzerland, so students don't have to worry about finding internship opportunities. In the special field of hotel management, managers need to be familiar with tourism market trends, have judgment in grasping development trends and market positioning at the decision-making level, and also be proficient in business, understand management, and be able to carry out practical operations.
Hotel management is really not about being a waiter, working at the front desk, or even being a lobby manager as commonly thought. In professional studies, students need to master more of the basics like other business majors: strategic analysis and data analysis, and also understand the unique market operations and customer behavior in the hotel industry. In other words, both theory and practical experience are equally important. The several representative U.S. hotel management programs mentioned above, with their strong theoretical research capabilities and hotel industry resources, can meet students' diverse needs.
