What Hotels Are Looking for in a Good College Intern
Photo Credit: Hospitality management students doing on-the-job training at a Holiday Inn in the UK. Flickr / City College Norwich
Skift Take
Being able to make guests smile and feel satisfied with their stay are more important skills for hotels than being able to memorize facts about business principles, though classroom training is still essential.
Hotels large and small welcome interns year-round to learn about the guest experience and what it takes to run the behind-the-scenes operations at a property.
But hiring managers want employees who can connect with guests, sometimes acting as city ambassadors, besides having the skill sets to coordinate room service and check-in.
Interns' eagerness to learn as much as possible and their desires to build their resumes are valued by hoteliers, provided they have the interpersonal skills to back up their top marks.
Hilton Worldwide offers corporate, property, and revenue management internships, letting interns work in a specific environment within a hotel company to focus their experiences.
"The biggest change in what we are looking for today are critical-thinking business skills, said Kimo Kippen, Hilton's chief learning officer. "Candidates can’t just be book smart, interpersonal skills are also keys to success."
“Many
