Hotel and resort jobs fall in the hospitality industry. This career field is home to dozens of different careers from hotel clerks, hotel managers, room service staff, housekeeping, and more. If you’re curious about which careers to pursue in this industry, we’ve got you covered. This article will reveal 7 of the best-paying jobs in hotels/resorts.
Working in hotels and resorts can be an incredibly rewarding and fulfilling job. It can come with some incredible amenities and perks and be a lifelong career.
Quickstart Guide To Getting A Job In Hotels/Resorts
- Polish your resume. Take time to update and polish your resume. Check out our guide to the best resume writing services to get extra resume help.
- Search for jobs on ZipRecruiter. If you are looking for a high-paying job in a hotel or resort, start your search on ZipRecruiter. ZipRecruiter is free for jobseekers and you can apply for jobs with a single click!
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What Is The Hotel/Resort Industry?
The hotel/resort industry is considered the hospitality industry and it covers:
- Hotels
- Motels
- Resorts
- Casinos
- Cruises
- Lodges
- Leisure facilities like amusements parks
- Restaurants
- Tourism-related events
You can find a variety of high-paying jobs in hotels/resorts. Finding the right job is about identifying your strengths and weaknesses, skill set, and interests then, finding a hotel/resort job that aligns.
7 Of Best Paying Jobs In Hotels/Resorts
1. Hotel/Lodging Managers
Median National Salary: $61,910/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 50,800
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 7% (Faster than average)
Job Duties: Managers of hotels and lodges lead the service and production staff. They work in a sales, service, administrative, and operational capacity to support hotel staff.
Managers generally work a 9 to 5 schedule while being on-call some days throughout the month.
You will support the service and production staff, help resolve complaints, manage guest relations and ensure that hotel guests are happy and having a great experience at the hotel/lodge.
The mid-five-figure average salary is impressive for a career without a college degree but, if you’re looking for more, rest assured that top managers can earn up to $142,000/year.
Salaries are driven by market and economic conditions, location, and other factors.
The job duties of a hotel/lodging manager may include:
- Supervising staff
- Providing support, guidance, and leadership to hotel/lodging workers
- Guest services work
- Ensuring the smooth and efficient operations of the facility
2. Event Manager
Median National Salary: $52,560/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 132,000
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 8% (Faster than average)
Job Duties: Event managers plan and organize events. This could be event planning for the hotel, like organizing a fundraiser or company retreat. It could also include event planning for guests that want to work with the hotel for:
- Wedding planning
- Booking an anniversary event
- Booking space for a work conference or summit
Your role will be to act as the liaison between your customer (either the hotel or hotel customer, or both) and vendors, like caterers, the music/DJ production team, videographers, photographers, interior designers, etc.
Event planning is growing faster than normal with more jobs entering the market. This job is good for people that are well-organized and enjoy planning. You should have excellent communication skills, be good at multitasking, and be well-organized with strong attention to detail.
The job duties of event planners can vary from event to event. In all, you’ll be responsible for the planning, organization, and execution of events.
3. Executive Chef
Median National Salary: $56,520/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 174,400
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 5% (Faster than average)
Job Duties: The executive chef for a hotel or resort is the head cook, in charge of overseeing operations for the restaurant. They supervise line cooks and sous chefs in the preparation, cooking, and assembly of meals.
This is a fast-paced job that’s a good fit for someone passionate about cooking. It’s not unusual to work nights, weekends, and holidays. You’ll work in a well-respected profession, in an industry that’s growing much faster than normal.
You’ll need to have a background and experience in cooking to work in this career. Often executive chefs go through years of on-the-job training, an apprenticeship program, or professional training (cooking school) before they can be qualified enough to be an executive chef.
The job duties of an executive chef are to:
- Supervise and support the kitchen staff
- Ensure food is cooked, plated, and presented correctly
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4. Food Service Manager
Median National Salary: $61,310/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 357,500
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 0% (Little or no change)
Job Duties: Managers in food service are responsible for the daily operation of the restaurant.
Often executive chefs or head cooks run the “back of the house” which encompasses the kitchen and food service/restaurant managers run the “front of the house” which is the service section where guests are seated and get served, including the management of server staff.
Having a background in management or leadership is helpful to landing a job in food service management, though not required. If you’ve worked in food service before and/or have strong soft skills like leadership ability, excellent communication skills, and problem-solving skills, then you may have the qualifications to work in this role.
This can be a demanding profession where working over 40 hours per week is the norm. Expect to work some nights, weekends, and holidays, as well.
The job duties of a restaurant manager include:
- Overseeing the operation of the restaurant
- Providing support and guidance to restaurant workers
- Guest Services
5. Casino Managers
Median National Salary: $95,830/year
Education Required: High school diploma
Number of Jobs: 3,900
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 20% (Faster than average)
Job Duties: Casino managers or gambling managers oversee the operation of casinos or casino hotels. Planning, direction, support, and coordination of operational activities are what this job entails.
You’ll be the face of the casino for guests, handle complaints, provide guest services as needed, and support casino workers.
The gambling industry tends to be more high-paying for casino hotels compared to non-gambling hotels, leisure facilities, or establishments.
Casino managers manage the casino operations. You’ll work alongside guests as needed and support staff so the casino can run smoothly.
6. Sales Manager
Median National Salary: $130,600/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 554,700
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 4% (As fast as average)
Job Duties: Working as a sales manager for a hotel/resort means that you’re in charge of selling products/services to guests. Your job is to bring in hotel business whether it’s driving more foot traffic to casino hotels, booking out your conference room space for the quarter, and more.
This job is sales-driven, as the job title suggests.
It’s a good fit for someone with sales experience. If you’re not afraid to network, cold call, drive business, create and manage advertising campaigns, talk to people, or relationship-build then working as a sales manager might be an ideal fit for you.
Sales managers have job duties like:
- Developing sales and marketing strategies to acquire new business
- Creating and managing advertising campaigns
- Research market trends
- Networking
- Reporting
7. Human Resources Manager
Median National Salary: $130,000/year
Education Required: Bachelor’s degree
Number of Jobs: 191,600
Job Growth 2022 – 2032: 5% (Faster than average)
Job Duties: Human resources managers within the hospitality industry oversee, manage and carry out the daily HR activities of the organization, including:
- Recruiting, interviewing, and staffing
- Compensation planning
- Managing employee orientation and onboarding programs
- Administering benefits
This is a job where your workday may vary a lot from day to day. You’ll typically work a 9-to-5 schedule with nights and weekends off. This job requires a college degree and a background in HR is helpful to have.
The average salary for an HR manager is over $120,000/year with top HR managers making over $160,000/year.
HR managers carry out human resources activities and work duties like compensation and benefits planning, recruiting new employee orientation and onboarding, and related job tasks.
Pros and Cons of Hotels/Resorts Careers
The pros of working in a hotels/resorts career include:
- High salary: It’s not unusual to earn mid-five-figures to six-figure salaries working in the hospitality industry, especially if you’re working in a tourist-driven or high costs of living area, like Las Vegas or New York City.
- Career advancement: Opportunities for upward mobility exist.
- Discounts on work amenities: This can include reduced room rates, and discounts on food, products, and services offered.
- Travel: If you work for a major hotel chain, there may be options to relocate and move to another location in a new area.
The cons of working in the hotels/resorts industry include:
- Long hours: Some jobs require working long hours, beyond a 40-hour work week and including nights, weekends, and being on call.
- Poor work-life balance: Because of the long hours and varying shifts that may exist, poor work-life balance can result.
- High-pressure work environment: You’re expected to produce top results and perform. This high-pressure work environment can make work not enjoyable, and lead to stress and burnout.
Requirements And Skills To Work In Hospitality
There are job-specific requirements that will vary based on your career path. Overall, you should have at least a high school diploma, be able to work well with others and be an excellent communicator.
Here are some additional soft skills that would be great to have, working in hospitality:
- Active listening skills: This is critical while working in hospitality. Your goal is to provide excellent service to guests, whether you’re working in housekeeping, food service, front desk, or another role. Having strong active listening skills is important to have.
- Emotional intelligence: This is about awareness of the emotions and feelings of others around you including managing interpersonal relationships.
- Ability to work independently and in team settings: You may work alone or in a team, or both. Having the ability to switch between independent and team-based work with ease is a valuable skill to have.
Best Places To Find The Best-Paying Jobs In Hotels/Resorts
Use online job search websites and career banks to find high-paying hotel/resort jobs.
Before starting your career search, check out our list of the best resume services. These resume professionals can help craft a professional resume, fitting for a job in the hotels/resorts industry.
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter is a top job search website that you can use to search for hotel/resort jobs online. Read jobseeker reviews, check out salaries, and begin your job hunt easily, using ZipRecruiter.
For more information, check out our ZipRecruiter review.
Discover Your Dream Job Find freelance gigs and apply with 1 click! New jobs posted daily.
Hospitality Online
Hospitality Online is a career search site specifically for hospitality careers. Search by category, keyword, and/or location to find hospitality careers hiring near you.
Visit Hospitality Online to check it out.
Glassdoor
Glassdoor is a free online resource that lets you search and apply for jobs, and read anonymous salary reviews, company, and employee reviews. It’s a great place to do your career research and apply for hospitality jobs.
For more information, check out our Glassdoor review.
The Bottom Line
The hotels/resorts hospitality industry is bouncing back. Careers in this space are abundant and if you enjoy working with people and helping others, this might be a great industry to explore careers.
Once you’ve chosen a career path in hotels/resorts, visit ZipRecruiter to start your job search!
