Hotel Industry

The Hong Kong hotel industry has long been short of manpower, from front-line staff to managers. This is mainly because hotels in Macau are feverishly snatching people from Hong Kong. Faced with this shortage, the industry has had little alternative but to promote junior staff to managerial level. Junior staff who work in areas such as housekeeping may even get promoted to supervisor in scarcely a year.

Some hotels solve the problem by hiring part-timers with no experience at all, although of course this badly affects the quality of the industry.

Nowadays, academic qualifications are becoming more and more important in the industry. Managerial-level staff even go back to school to pursue degrees, claiming that the academic qualifications of their subordinates are far superior. Hence, having a degree has more or less become a prerequisite if you want to develop a career in the industry.

As well as academic qualifications, it is also important to have the correct attitude. Empathy is a word I underscore all the time. Always put yourself in others’ shoes, as it will allow you to enjoy your work even more.

Dr Paul Lee, lecturer for the Professional Diploma in Hospitality Management, Hong Kong Management Association
As told to Chiu Po-sze