Industry Outlook
Wage and salary employment in hotels and other accommodations is expected to increase by 17 percent over the 2004-14 period, compared with 14 percent growth projected for wage and salary employment in all industries combined. Recently, business and leisure travelers have resumed travel patterns of past years, rebounding from concerns over a weak economy and security matters. In addition, as more States legalize some form of gambling, the hotel industry will increasingly invest in gaming, further fueling job growth.
Job opportunities should be concentrated in the largest hotel occupations, such as building cleaning workers and hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks>, in part because they have the highest turnover. Many openings will arise in full-service hotels and resorts and spas, because they employ the most workers. All-suite properties and extended-stay and budget hotels and motels usually do not operate restaurants, dining rooms, lounges, or kitchens; therefore, these limited-service establishments will offer a narrower range of employment and growth opportunities.
Employment outlook varies by occupation, geographic location, and service class of hotel. Employment of hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks is expected to grow faster than some other occupations in the industry as responsibilities become more numerous and some of these workers take on tasks previously reserved for managers. However, the spread of computer technology will cause employment of other clerical workers—bookkeepers, accountants, and auditing clerks and secretaries, for example—to grow more slowly than employment in the industry as a whole. Employment of waiters and waitresses will grow more slowly—reflecting the growing number of hotels and other accommodations that either do not offer full-service restaurants or contract them out to other food service establishments. Growth of full-service hotels and the small, but burgeoning, luxury hotel market which specializes in personal service will cause employment of lodging managers to grow about as fast as other occupations. The growth of economy-class establishments—hotels with fewer frills and fewer departments to manage—will moderate some of this growth because these hotels have a flatter management structure. The accelerating trend toward chain-affiliated hotels and motels should provide managers with opportunities for advancement into general manager positions, manager jobs at larger and busier properties, and corporate administrative jobs. Opportunities should be more limited for self-employed managers or owners of small lodging places, such as bed-and-breakfast inns. Job opportunities at outdoor recreation and RV parks should grow as RVs and driving vacations gain popularity in the United States. Also, gaming services and gaming manager occupations should grow as more casino hotels are built.
Much new hotel construction is taking place in major urban and suburban areas, creating many new jobs. Also, hotels that emphasize personal service, such as luxury and boutique hotels, will have a greater need for front-of-the-house employees who provide guest services, than for back office, accounting and bookkeeping, occupations.
Some occupations employed in this industry have relatively high numbers of workers who leave their jobs and must be replaced. Many young people and others who are looking only for seasonal or part-time work, and not a career, take food service and clerical jobs that require little or no previous training. To attract and retain workers, the hotel and other accommodations industry is placing more emphasis on hiring and training. Therefore, job opportunities in this industry should be plentiful for first-time jobseekers and people with limited skills.