How do I become a hotel specialist?

Make beds, take care of reservations, read every wish from the eyes of the guests: hotel specialists work when others are free. This requires flexibility and commitment.

Durbach / Berlin (dpa / tmn) - Hotels are special places. There is a unique flair, shaped by the arrival, the departure. Whether in a luxury resort, in an elegant city hotel or in a cozy village inn - people should feel good everywhere in their temporary home.

This special ambience with its mixture of dynamism and stability as well as the claim to offer vacationers heaven on earth has led Nerea Ohler to complete a dual training as a hotel manager.

The 19-year-old knew exactly what she was getting into. She knows the challenges in the catering industry: working when others are free, on weekends or on public holidays. Ohler had already tried this before, worked in the restaurant.

No wish remains unfulfilled

The trainee has always traveled a lot with her family and is enthusiastic about other cultures and different people. "I want to get to know the world in the future too, which is why I chose the hotel business," she says.

In the Hotel Ritter in Durbach, a family-run business, she is one of 160 "knights" who ensure that no wish of the guests remains unfulfilled. "There is no no - and that can be a challenge. But that's exactly what makes this job so exciting," she says.

With this setting, she has the so-called "gastro gene". This is how Dominic Müller, owner of the Hotel Ritter, describes the most desirable feature of his 27 trainees: "Dedication and flexibility, team and communication skills, friendliness and reliability are wonderful prerequisites for the hotel business," he says. "If you are idealistic and see this profession as a vocation, you can make people happy."

Create memories for guests

You get immediate feedback, which is very motivating. Ohler confirms this: "We create great moments and intense memories for the guests. I particularly like the fact that we do it as a team, if I don't know what to do, there's always someone to help me."

During her apprenticeship, the 19-year-old gets to know all sides of the hotel business. At the reception she was already responsible for greeting and checking in and out. In housekeeping, she worked on pulling the beds over and cleaning them, as well as looking after the wellness area.

But she also deals with the administrative side of hotel operations and deals with reservations or cancellations, for example. She gets an insight into accounting and human resources. "I was recently at a trade fair, which was great. I am also involved when we post job advertisements or present the hotel on social media," says the prospective hotel manager.

Up to 815 euros in the first year of training

The salary of budding hotel professionals is staggered and varies from region to region. The employment agency specifies a gross monthly salary between 625 and 815 euros per month for companies bound by collective agreements. In the second year it is between 675 and 930 euros, in the third year of training it increases to 775 to 1065 euros. When choosing a training company, care should be taken to pay according to the tariff.

So far, the hotel business has had a great need for junior staff. "We are also looking for specialists in our industry," says Sandra Warden, managing director of the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA).

Info DEHOGA

Job description at the BMWI

Job profile at Berufenet