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Career guide

Hospitality roles explained

Understand what hotels and restaurants expect across front office, food and beverage, kitchen, housekeeping and support teams.

Job titles vary between properties. Compare the actual duties, shift pattern, language expectations and reporting line rather than relying on the title alone.

Guest-facing teams

Front desk, reservations, guest relations, concierge and night-audit roles combine customer service with accurate systems work. Employers commonly look for calm communication, language ability, problem solving and confidence with property-management or booking tools.

  • Ask whether the desk is staffed overnight
  • Confirm cash-handling and upselling expectations
  • Clarify which languages are required versus preferred

Food, beverage and kitchen

Waiting, bar, banqueting and host roles depend on service pace, product knowledge and teamwork. Kitchen roles are usually organised by station and seniority, from stewarding and commis positions through chef de partie, sous chef and head chef.

Ask about outlet type, covers per service, tip or service-charge distribution, uniform, food-safety requirements and whether split shifts are normal.

Rooms and operational support

Housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, spa, stores, security and stewarding keep the property operating. These jobs can be physically demanding and may involve early starts, outdoor work, chemicals, lifting or productivity targets.

A useful vacancy states the team, supervisor, normal shift, equipment, safety training and realistic workload. Ask for those details if they are missing.

Compare roles using

  • Actual duties and team
  • Shift and weekly schedule
  • Required languages or certificates
  • Physical and safety requirements
  • Progression and training

Last reviewed: 26 July 2026. Terms vary by employer and personal circumstances; verify important information with the employer or relevant authority.

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