How the Hotel Business Management Major Prepares You for the Job Market
The business degree is one of the most applicable degrees you can earn. Every industry, from health care to non-profits, has a business aspect that demands attention. For this reason, business students are highly likely to find employment in any variety of fields. This may account for the popularity of the business degree. In 2006-2007, approximately 21 percent of the 1,524,000 degrees conferred were given in the field of business, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In particular, hotel business management, also known as hospitality management, combines business skills with the hospitality industry flair. To prepare for a future working with both large and small hotels and inns, hotel business management majors take courses in marketing, sales, event planning, and other topics related to how to best handle the many managerial aspects of running a hotel. This educational preparation gives hotel business management majors a head start towards a rewarding career, as graduates will possess the knowledge needed in the field.

Best Career Paths for Hotel Business Management Majors
Many exciting opportunities are available to hotel business management majors. They can work in hotels, cruise lines, theme parks, and many other locations that rival typical office settings. The best career paths for hotel business management majors to take are:

• Hotel General Management. Hotel general managers oversee the entire staff at a hotel, including the housekeeping, dining, and customer service departments. General managers must help any department that needs assistance, and therefore must be skilled in all aspects of running a successful and comfortable hotel. Managers make an average salary of $42,320 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
• Hotel Sales Director. Hotel sales directors are responsible for developing promotions and handling press in order to gain new customers. They research industry trends and consumer behavior in order to develop new strategies to increase guest bookings as well as improve guest experiences. The average annual salary for hotel sales directors is $53,405, according to PayScale, a company that specializes in compensation data.

Both of these positions utilize business skills, administrative techniques, and hospitality industry knowledge that hotel business management majors possess.

How to Market Your Hotel Business Management Degree
Earning a hotel business management degree is an important step towards starting your career in the hospitality industry. However, you will also need to know how to market your degree to potential employers in order to prove that your education makes you an excellent candidate for the position. To do this, be specific about the skills you learned during your college career. For example, mention that your hotel business management degree helped you understand the workings of hotels, and also that the intensive coursework you completed helped to shape you into an innovative thinker and strong leader. Reassuring employers and clients that your educational background helped you develop real-world skills is the most effective way of marketing your hotel business management degree.