You're aiming for a promotion in hospitality. What strategies will set you apart as the top candidate?

To stand out as a top candidate for promotion in hospitality, focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences by anticipating needs and personalizing interactions. Demonstrate leadership by mentoring team members, fostering a positive work environment, and showcasing a strong work ethic. Embrace innovation by implementing new technologies and sustainable practices that enhance efficiency and customer satisfaction. Show a deep understanding of the industry through continuous learning and networking. Highlight your achievements with measurable results, such as guest satisfaction scores or revenue growth. Lastly, exhibit adaptability and resilience in handling challenges, ensuring seamless operations even during high-pressure situations.

To stand out for a promotion in hospitality, consistently deliver exceptional service and exceed performance targets. Develop strong relationships with guests and colleagues, showcasing leadership and teamwork. Continuously improve skills through training and certifications. Take initiative in solving problems and implementing innovative solutions. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the business by staying informed about industry trends. Communicate your achievements and ambitions clearly to your superiors.

To stand out as a candidate for promotion in the hospitality industry, focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences by anticipating needs and customizing interactions. Show leadership by mentoring team members, creating a positive work environment, and demonstrating a strong work ethic. Embrace innovation by using new technologies and sustainable practices that increase business and customer satisfaction. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the profession through continuing education and networking. Highlight your accomplishments with measurable results such as guest satisfaction scores or revenue growth. Finally, demonstrate flexibility in dealing with challenges, ensuring you will work easily even in high-pressure situations.

If you are after a promotion in hospitality - I would say quite a few things impact that. i.e. your level. So often I have supervisors, for example, wanting to make it into their first manager role and they believe it depends on their excellence in their current role. Delivering expectional experiences is everyone's role so that is not necessarily outstanding. You need to be able to showcase that you can lead others to deliver as well as you do - an individal high-performer does not equal a great manager. Exceed the expectations yes, but also look at where you can start taking on leadership tasks that extend outside of your role and show that you are able to maintain excellence in terms of expectations and drive your team to do the same.

This is great advice especially considering in this industry things are always developing. Staying up-to-date and growing your knowledge and experience in other areas will help you stand out from other candidates. I.e. both you and colleague are after bar manager position but you know more about a new bar trend in another region and you can showcase your extended knowledge as a way to promote being the better candidate. Again, promotions will still come down to not just being great or knowing a lot, it is about your leadership capability and often your ability to take on extended responsibility without compromising excellence.

Exemplary Customer Service: Consistently delivering exceptional guest experiences and going above and beyond to meet their needs. This includes personalized service, prompt responses to feedback, and creating memorable moments for guests. Leadership and Team Development: Demonstrating strong leadership skills by mentoring and developing team members. Encouraging a collaborative and positive work environment that motivates the team to perform at their best. Innovation and Adaptability: Staying ahead of industry trends and implementing innovative solutions to improve operations and guest satisfaction. Being adaptable and open to change, especially in a dynamic industry like hospitality.

In fortifying strong relationships with your peers, leadership, ownership, and guests, you are engraining yourselves more into the fabric of the operation and its culture it builds around. Making yourself an invaluable resource and outlet for your peers will gain immense and immediate trust that will only bolster your case for receiving any sort of promotion and recognition. Be there for your peers and fellow leaders and do it out of wanting to strengthen your team bond, not because you are expecting something in return, this should all be unconditional, a healthy bi-product of how you treat your people and the guests you interact with, is building that good karma that will come back around when discussing a promotion.

Key. This is KEY. Ever heard people saying it isn't what you know but who... that aligns here in that having strong relationships with others can put you ahead of others as your network opens opportunities for you. It isn't enough to only have good relationships though. If you know people who will vouch for you and open doors due to your strong relationships, that is great, but you still need to be able to deliver in this industry. However, if you are a high performer but you are unable to build relationships... promotions will be an uphill battle sometimes. This is a people industry and being able to build relationships with management, your teams, guests, etc. will allow you to get recognised quicker and open up opportunities faster.

Surprise them! Show initiative, strategic thinking, and a deep understanding of the role, by asking for 15 minutes with the hiring manager. You're already working there, so use your resources, and lean on your curiosity. I've been impressed when team members seeking promotion ask to sit down and discuss what the promotion entails. This shows they're proactive and genuinely interested, allows them to show up for themselves, proud and confident, I like that. I’m even more impressed when they return with a well-thought-out plan detailing their approach to the new role, showcasing their systems knowledge and strategic mindset. This level of preparation and foresight highlights their readiness for increased responsibility and leadership.

This was in my first point - when leadership is looking to promote someone it often sits on the wall with whether they see potential in your leadership capability. You can be the very best at guest service or F&B or skilled in closing sales but you need to be able to lead others to delivering as well in order to move up. Find opportunities to take on leadership showcasing tasks or projects - i.e. ask to lead a new initiative or raise your hand when leadership asks who would like to work on a project. If you can take on these opportunities and successfully showcase you are able to lead others, handle decision-making and take on more responsibility, you will be in a stronger running for your next promotion.

Communication is a difficult skill to learn and critical for leadership - how you articulate things and your ability to listen and then communicate back is important in leading teams. When after a promotion, developing your communication daily is a helpful way to make you stand out as it showcases a leadership capability and it builds relationships (two important points when you want that promotion).