Hospitality networking and certification: grow your career

Most hotel professionals know that skills matter, yet when they look back on how they actually got their best roles, the answer is usually a person, not a job board. Hospitality networking is still the strongest career lever in hotels, and together with a recognised revenue management certification it can move you from one department, brand or country to the next. This article sets out how to build that network and when formal education adds to it.

The advice comes from Brian Hicks, President and CEO of HSMAI, the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International. He spent 26 years with IHG, worked across Europe, Asia and the Middle East from London, and started out at a front desk and in housekeeping. You can watch the full conversation for his complete story.

Why hospitality networking still opens the most doors

Hotels are a people business, and in Hicks' view that applies to careers as much as to guests. Looking back, he says the relationships he built and kept up played a bigger role in his success than he ever expected. Insights from experienced professionals, who have seen situations you have not, help you grow and shape the direction you take.

His observation about hiring is even more direct. Over the last couple of years, he has not met anyone who landed a job by applying through a digital service. The same pattern comes up in hospitality executive search.

“Everybody that I'm talking to has worked their network. They know somebody that knew about a role.”

Brian Hicks, 12:06

He suspects there is some distrust of the digital world in recruitment, which pushes people back to personal contact. He admits this may partly reflect his own age and circle, yet he is convinced that new opportunities reach people mainly through real, in-person networking.

How to start building your network early

Many people assume senior leaders are out of reach. Hicks calls this the most underestimated thing about the industry: people want to share what they have learned, both inside your own company and outside it. A related article looks at hospitality soft skills for leaders.

“Everybody that I have interacted with that has made their career is more than willing to share their experiences and share their time. So don't be afraid.”

Brian Hicks, 11:13

Based on his advice, a practical start looks like this:

• Connect with peers at the same stage of their career as you, so you grow together.
• Reach out to people who have been around longer and have experiences you have not had yet.
• Ask for introductions. In his experience, a couple of them can take your career in directions you did not think were possible.
• Use technology to enable the network, but do not let it replace meeting people face to face.
• Join a professional association and attend its local chapter meetings.

Where face to face hospitality networking happens

Technology can help you find people and stay in touch, but Hicks believes face to face contact is still what people look for, because that is where they feel the warmth of someone. Professional associations exist largely to make that possible.

HSMAI, for example, has local chapters in markets such as Las Vegas, New York and South Florida, where members meet to discuss issues specific to their market. Membership also gives access to a wider network through conferences. Its Commercial Strategy Conference takes place in four locations, among them Dubai, London, Singapore and Indianapolis, where Hicks expected close to a thousand people. He describes these events as a mix of expert speakers, think tanks, discussion and networking.

The lesson for any hotel professional: choose one or two recurring events in your field and go regularly. Hospitality networking works through repetition, because familiar faces turn into relationships over time. Hicks noticed this himself at a recent conference in Dubai, where he met many former colleagues.

Why a revenue management certification broadens your options

A network gets you introduced; knowledge keeps doors open. Hicks sees revenue management as a black box for many people, and argues that becoming properly educated in all its elements is a big step for anyone growing a career in the discipline.

His reasoning is practical. When you work within one brand, you learn that brand's systems, tools and training, and that is necessary. But if you want opportunities at other brands or at smaller hotels, a broader revenue management certification teaches industry best practices instead of brand best practices.

“These aren't just a tick box type of a training. It's very in-depth, and you'll get a certification at the end, which is well respected in the industry.”

Brian Hicks, 15:35

He sees the right moment for this step after roughly six months to a year of hands-on revenue management experience, when you are ready to move up.

The role itself is changing as well. The classic definition is selling at the right price, at the right time, to the right customer. Hicks remembers a board in a back office with a green or red light that showed which competitors were sold out that night. Today, tools for demand sensing, price recommendations and forecasting take over much of what used to happen in spreadsheets. His advice: if you enjoy working with AI and technology, you will probably enjoy revenue management.

Take risks and look beyond the obvious career path

Career growth in hotels does not always follow the standard route. During a nine month internship at a large resort, Hicks chose to stay in housekeeping instead of rotating to the front desk and to food and beverage. After six months he was promoted to a supervisory role at 21, in a hotel with more than a thousand rooms. That managerial experience set his resume apart from other graduates and helped him start at Ritz-Carlton as a housekeeping manager.

He calls housekeeping the heart and soul of a hotel and says he learned more there than in any other part of his career. A later move to London, working across three regions, was another risk that paid off. You think you know the business, he says, until you step outside your comfort zone. A related article covers what a new general manager should do in the first months.

For hotels, the lesson works the other way round. Many people fall into the industry by chance, and Hicks argues that employers should show them the paths available, for example from accounting into revenue management or sales. Hotels also offer roles in marketing, IT and customer service, and in his view the industry has not done enough to showcase those opportunities, especially after the furloughs and layoffs during COVID.

Frequently asked questions

What is hospitality networking?

Hospitality networking is building and keeping relationships with peers and more experienced professionals in hotels and related businesses. In practice that means local association chapters, industry conferences and simply asking people for their time. In Brian Hicks' experience, these relationships play a bigger role in a hotel career than most people expect, and they are how many roles are filled today.

Is a revenue management certification worth it?

According to Brian Hicks, it is especially useful once you have six months to a year of hands-on experience. Brand training teaches you one company's systems and tools. An industry certification gives a broader base of best practices, which helps if you want to move to another brand or to a smaller independent hotel.

How do I start networking in the hotel industry if I don't know anyone?

Start with people at your own career stage and with more experienced colleagues inside your company. Then join a professional association and go to its local chapter meetings and conferences. Hicks stresses that senior people are usually more willing to help than you think, and that a couple of introductions can be enough to open new directions.

Do hotel jobs still come through online applications?

Brian Hicks says he has not spoken to anyone in recent years who got a job by applying through a digital service. Everyone he talks to found their role through someone they knew. He admits this may partly reflect his own circle, but he is convinced personal networking is where most opportunities now come from.