The hospitality industry is a broad group of businesses that provide services to consumers, they range from accommodations, food and beverages, to travel and tourism.
For the hospitality industry to thrive, services have to be of top-notch, and this works hand-in-hand with proper skills.
According to Josiane Ingabire, an employee in one of the local lodges, teamwork is key in hospitality. For instance, managers have to guide and work with waiters and chefs to ensure that guests are served with delicious meals at an appropriate time.
The continuous checking on workers and giving them different roles allows the job to be done in time, which isn’t the case when employees are all working on their own and at their pace, she adds.
Ingabire states that workers should have a great attention to detail at work as that way, they’re able to minimise any errors or mistakes that are likely to happen. And if given room, mistakes can affect the operation of an organisation.
Experts emphasise that attention to detail is the ability you have to efficiently and accurately allocate your cognitive abilities to focus on a specific task or number of tasks, and thinking through the details with a critical eye and minimising distractions and learning how to focus on what really matters.
Attention to detail is a soft skill that shows that you can learn new job responsibilities and carefully perform them to completion, which is what most job recruiters are looking for, Ingabire adds.
She carries on that time management is a skill that every employee is required to have because anything not done in time frustrates customers who obviously will give a bad review about your business.
Ingabire stresses that clients must receive every service in time, whether it’s food or accommodation.
"You can’t ask a guest to wait outside while you clean their room as it’s very unprofessional since rooms have to be cleaned and tidy immediately after a guest checking out. If its food, let your customer know the time they will have it. If you assure them that they will have their food in about 15 to 20 minutes and instead delay by 40 or one 50 minutes, then you haven’t kept your word. Sometimes when things don’t go as planned, at least explain to the clients what’s happening but don’t leave them in the dark,” she explains.
Ingabire highlights that when customers don’t appreciate your services, it’s obvious that you will lose them. And losing one customer is equivalent to losing many customers as they wouldn’t recommend their friends and family to your restaurant or hotel.
Whether in a plane, hotel or restaurant, customers can’t have an amazing experience without proper communication. Excellent communication skills can enhance a guest’s experience, yet it also indicates that you are listening to them, and valuing their feedback.
Edwin Kwizera, an entrepreneur and business manager is of the view that while making reservations, customers are required to have the necessary information and details, it’s the staff that has to make sure that they provide all the information. ‘When a guest arrives, they need to be directed to their rooms and in case of a problem, be fast to find solutions. When you're wrong, it’s just ethical to apologise to the client.’
He carries on that one needs to have the ability to multitask (deal with more than one task at the same time) and adapt to the changes as they occur. This is because it doesn’t only increase productivity, but also, boost confidence when working on many tasks at once and within a short period.