Hospitality is a Life Skill

Hospitality is a life skill and we are bound to agree, as working in hospitality entails truly collaborating as a team to get through a difficult shift. It entails interacting with guests, who you might not have met otherwise. It is amassing stories, you'd never heard before. It fosters empathy for people who appear to be difficult on the surface.
Rather than dismissing the elderly lady who insists on her soup being served hot, perhaps you should ask her how her day went. Because you might be the only person she speaks to today.
In short, working in hospitality teaches you real-life soft skills that will serve you well throughout your life.

Being a Multitasker
Working in the hospitality industry puts you under a lot of pressure. You sort of snap into motion when you're in it. You know exactly what needs to be done when it needs to be done, and in what priority. It not only develops your intuitive ability, you master the art of reading people’s minds.
It's 11:45 p.m., and (almost) everyone has left the restaurant—except for that one couple having a great time!
I'm not sure how you know what to do; you just do it. It's almost like a dance. You're learning the moves on the fly, but you keep moving. You realise you did it when you come out the other side. Not only that, but you have a pocket full of singles to prove it.

Solve Problems As They Arise.
What happens in a restaurant every day?
Learning how to solve problems on the spot is a valuable life skill that you can learn in a restaurant. Often, you do not have the time to seek assistance or advice. Instead, you must find a solution as soon as possible!
Whatever career path you choose, problem-solving skills will be required. Some problems are easier to solve than others. If someone's food isn't to their liking, you can give them the option to reorder. There are, however, more difficult issues.

Exercise patience.
That brings me to the next life skill I learned while working in the hospitality industry: Patience. However, as with many things in the hospitality industry, you either learn to be patient or leave.
Patience is demonstrated at the table when you have to wait for someone who claims to be ready to order but is still reading the entire menu.
Patience is demonstrated when you encounter someone who has severe allergies and is meticulous in your efforts to ensure that no cross- contamination occurs anywhere.
Patience is required when an 18-person party arrives seven minutes before closing.

Build Relationships
Many hoteliers have bonds with their guests which are far deeper and meaningful then their blood relationships. These are forged over the years through repeated interactions and unselfish giving, which goes beyond business economics. On an average day, a hotel staff interacts with 20 new people. One has to work with diverse colleagues to meet the same goal – ‘Meet and Exceed Guest Expectations’. Communicating with and through people helps nurture creativity and develop ones outlook towards different types of people and communities.
Throughout our lives, we read books and attend seminars to imbibe skills like multi-tasking, being proactive while solving problems, and most importantly, being patient and build relationships. But the aforementioned examples lay down how hoteliers eventually become well equipped with such skills.
This is one industry that develops the personality of the individual through hundreds of interactions in its daily chores. One just needs to be alive to the change, it just happens.

Author -- Gladvin Rego | Anup Sheth | Farheen Belgaumwala | Shubhangini Bhandari