Skills and work in the hospitality sector: The case of hotel front office employees in China

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a picture of the skills profiles, work background, educational attainment, attitudes and plans of the employees in front office in hotels in China by means of a survey of employees in four and five star hotels.

Design/methodology/approach

Data was collected by means of a questionnaire survey conducted in major tourist cities in China, including Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jinan, Qingdao and Weihai. In each selected city, four and five star rated hotels were chosen as those properties most likely to be operating in the international market. The survey focused on staff working in front office in four and five star hotels and all questionnaires were collected onsite. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed and 276 of these returned were usable which form the basis of this analysis of hotel front office work in China.

Findings

Results show that the main workforce strength of front office in Chinese hotels consists of graduates from tourism colleges and professional schools. Front office work is a challenging and demanding area of work and oral communication is identified as the most important skill.

Practical implications

Gathering information about this important area of service and work in the hospitality industry provides first‐hand data for improving training and career development. The paper concludes that high‐quality human resources are lacking in the hospitality sector in China and it is essential for hotels to develop professional development and further training in order to improve the skills of staff in front office.

Originality/value

This paper is one of the first to look in detail at employees within the hospitality sector in China.

Citation

Hai‐yan, K. and Baum, T. (2006), "Skills and work in the hospitality sector: The case of hotel front office employees in China", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 18 No. 6, pp. 509-518. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110610681548