(1.) Diploma/Degree course in Hotel Management – candidates may choose to study for a degree or diploma after their XII, irrelevant of subject stream. Different institutions offer these courses – government or privately managed institutions or institutions run by hotel chains or by schools working in association with foreign hotel institutions. The candidates need to pass a written examination, an interview and group discussion before being selected for the programme. General mental ability, reasoning power, English proficiency, personality, communication skills, problem-solving capabilities are all tested.

(2.) Entry for Graduates – Graduates from either the hotel management field or any related field (Home Science, Tourism, Arts/Science, Engineering) can enter training programmes for management positions in the hotel industry. Selections for these students are quite competitive and require good communication skills, high aptitude and leadership qualities. The same applies to post-graduates (M.Sc. in Home Science, MBA, Chartered/Cost Accountants, M.Tech. etc.) who wish to join the Hotel Industry.

(3.) Post Graduate Diploma Course in Hotel Management – Graduates of hotel management can also opt for specialising in specific fields. This training is of 6 months -1 year duration and is offered in topics like food production management/Nutrition & Dietetics/Teaching Hotel Management/Specialised Hotel Management etc.

The eligibility to enter a course in hotel management is Class 12. Institutes coming under the National Council offer a 3-year degree course (earlier it used to be a diploma course) while private institutes offer a 4-year Bachelor’s programme.

There is an entrance test consisting of English, Reasoning, General Science and General Knowledge. The test is of 2-hour duration and is held around April every year. The test is followed by a group discussion and interview, in which a person’s personality and confidence is seen. Private institutes have their tests at different times in April/May and the pattern of the paper is roughly the same. Academic sessions usually start by July/August every year.

There are a number of institutes and colleges that offer hotel management courses to students across India. Some of these are listed below:

(1.) Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Pusa Road, New Delhi. The institute has 19 branches in all, located in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Gurdaspur, Guwahati, Gwalior, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Meerut, Mumbai, Shimla, Srinagar and Thiruvananthapuram.

Courses: M.Sc. Hospitality Administration , Post Graduate Diploma in Accommodation, Operation and, Management, Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics and Hospital Food Service, B. Sc. In Hospitality and Hotel Administration, Craftsmanship Course in Food Production, Craftsmanship Course in Food and Beverage Service, Certificate Course in Hotel and Catering Management, Diploma in Food Production, Diploma in Food and Beverage Service, Diploma in Front Office.

Total no. of seats are more than 3000.
(1.) Indian Institute of Hotel Management (run by the Taj Group of Hotels), Aurangabad. Courses offered BA Hons in Hotel Management., 4 years BA Hons in Culinary Arts.
(2.) A.K. Hafizka College of Hotel & Tourism Management Studies & Research

Mumbai offers 3 years – Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Studies, 3 years – Bachelor of Science in Catering and Hotel Administration, 3 years – Advanced Diploma in Culinary Arts.

Army Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology Bangalore,
Courses Offered: 4 years – Bachelor of Hotel and Restaurant Management

(1.) Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology

Kalkaji, New Delhi Courses Offered: 4 years – Bachelor in Hotel Management and Catering Technology

(1.) FHRAI Institute of Hospitality Management , Greater Noida, Courses Offered: 4 years – International Hospitality Administration, 4 years – International Culinary Administration, 3 years – Bachelor of Science in Hospitality, Catering, and Tourism, 1 year – Diploma in Hotel Operations (2.) Heritage Institute of Hotel and Tourism, Agra, Courses Offered: 3 years – Bachelor of Science in Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Tourism (3.) Merit Swiss Asian School of Hotel Management Ooty, Courses Offered: 3 years – Diploma in Hotel Administration (4.) Oberoi Center of Learning and Development, Delhi, Courses Offered: 3 years – Diploma in Hotel Operations Management (5.) Welcome group Graduate School of Hotel Administration , Manipal Courses Offered: 4 years – Bachelor of Hotel Management, Specialization: Post Graduation in Hotel Management (6.) Institute of Hotel Management, Aurangabad , BA Hons Culinary Art (4 years), Hotel management (4 years), Masters in International Hospitality management. (7.) Indian Institute of Hotel Management and Culinary Arts, Hyderabad (8.) Bachelors Degree in Catering Technology and Culinary Arts (BCT&CA), ( As a Specialization in Hotel Management) , Bachelors Degree in Hotel Management and Catering Technology (BHM&CT) . 1½ year Certificate Course in Food Production and Patisserie (F.P.P) . (9.) Guru Nanak Institute of Hotel Management (Under JIS group educational initiatives) (10.) PCTE Institute of Hotel Management (11.) M. A. Rangoonwala Institute of Hotel Management & Research (12.) Christ College, Bangalore (13.) Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (14.) Subhas Bose Institute of Hotel Management (SBIHM) (15.) Rayat & Bahra Institute of Hotel Management (16.) Acharya Institute of Management and Sciences (AIMS) (17.) Garden City College of Science and Management Studies (18.) Banarsidas Chandiwala Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology

Study Abroad
If you are passionate about Hotel Management you can also consider MBA in Hotel and Restaurant management offered by Le Cordon Bleu ( Australia) and Master of Business ( Hospitality Management ) offered by Victoria University, Australia.

After completing the diploma or the bachelor’s course, a graduate is usually taken as a trainee. Trainees start with salaries under 1 lakh. After successful completion of training, they may be absorbed in positions with salaries starting from Rs 1.2 lakhs plus perks. Salaries would, of course, vary from chain to chain. After this, the sky is really the limit. Depending on performance, a person may expect regular promotions. Front office manager, lobby and reservation managers are paid Rs 2.5 lakhs to 3.5 lakhs a year or more and perks. These are payscales at average-size hotels. Salaries are much higher at five star and similar hotels.

Global growth and development of tourism having opened up innumerable openings, graduates can look forward to career opportunities as:
(1.) Management Trainee in Hotel and allied industry
(2.) Hospitality Executive
(3.) Kitchen Management/ House keeping Management Trainee
(4.) Hospital and Institutional Catering Supervisor/Assistant
(5.) Faculty in Hotel Management/ Food Craft Institutes (after 1 year industry experience)
(6.) Cabin Crew in National and International Airlines
(7.) Catering Officer in Cruiselines/ Shipping
(8.) Marketing/ Sales Executive in Hotel/ Multinational companies
(9.) Customer Service Executive in Banking /Insurance and other service sectors
(10.) Manager/ Supervisor in Tourism Development Corporations
(11.) Entrepreneurship opportunities

Though a job in hotel management can be fun, it can also be pretty stressful. Hotel managers have the pressures of coordinating a wide range of issues. Conventions and large groups of tourists may present unusual problems. Moreover, dealing with irate guests can be stressful. The job can be particularly hectic for guest relations officers.