Since hospitality is a service industry, a hotel management internship is crucial for students to gain some much-needed practical exposure. Interns can witness the day-to-day operations of a hotel business, understand how different departments function and work together in harmony, learn how to handle guests, and more. Therefore, a hospitality internship provides valuable industry insights that academic knowledge alone can’t.
However, some students take these internships lightly and make mistakes that can hamper their training experience. If you want to reap maximum benefits from your internship, you must always show up well-prepared, demonstrate an insatiable hunger for learning, and strive to deliver your best performance every day. A hotel management course in Mumbai or other cities at a reputed institute may give you access to the best hospitality internship opportunities, but it is what you do with them that will shape your future career growth.
Read on to know the key mistakes that you must avoid during your first hotel management internship.
Top Mistakes to Avoid During Hospitality Internships
Mistakes are a part of the learning process, but there is a difference between a genuine mistake and those that result from carelessness or a laidback attitude. Following are the top mistakes to avoid for a successful hotel management internship:
-
No Advance Preparation
Although you obviously won’t have any prior experience if it is your first internship in the hospitality industry, some preparations are still necessary before you start.
Students must brush up on their hospitality basics, technical knowledge, communications skills, etc., that their hotel management course in Mumbai or elsewhere has taught them. They must also do extensive research about the hotel brand where they will be interning to be well-informed about it.
Without these advance preparations, you may experience difficulty in adjusting to the work and leave a bad first impression.
-
Lack of Professionalism
Students must treat hotel management internships as seriously as a full-time job. They must dress and groom themselves properly, start their shift on time, perform all the tasks sincerely, communicate respectfully with team members and guests, manage time efficiently, and not take frequent leaves of absence. If you fail to do any of these things, it is a sign of unprofessional behaviour. Professionalism is vital if you want to succeed in the hospitality industry.
-
Passive Learning Approach
One of the biggest mistakes that students make during their hospitality internship is having a passive approach to learning. You can’t always wait for your supervisor to give you instructions or simply sit idle if you have completed your assigned tasks and have nothing else to do.
Interns must be proactive if they want to discover more learning opportunities. You must volunteer to help out with miscellaneous tasks without being asked to. Supervisors expect to see this zeal and willingness to learn new things among hotel management interns.
-
Favouring One Department Over Others
Students of a hotel management course in Mumbai or other places may develop certain preferences regarding the hotel department that they would like to specialise in eventually. However, it is unwise to be partial towards any particular department when you are still an intern.
You can acquire a comprehensive understanding of hotel operations only if you work in different departments like front office, guest relations, room service, food & beverage service, housekeeping, etc. This cross-functional experience will transform you into a well-rounded future hospitality professional.
-
Overlooking Soft Skills Development
Some interns focus solely on honing their technical skills during a hotel management internship. While technical expertise is important, your soft skills matter much more in the hospitality industry. That’s why you can’t overlook the development of soft skills like communication skills, problem-solving skills, leadership qualities, teamwork skills, interpersonal skills, etc., at the cost of attaining technical knowledge. Internships give you the opportunity to polish hard skills as well as soft skills, so you must give equal significance to both.
-
Taking Criticism Personally
As an intern, you will regularly receive feedback from your supervisor on your hospitality internship performance. Some students take criticism personally and may become demotivated, which is a wrong mindset to have.
On the contrary, you should look at the feedback constructively and use it to identify your weaknesses or improvement areas. You can even ask your supervisors for guidance on how to perform better in the areas where you may be struggling. They certainly appreciate it when you show such positive reception to feedback.
-
Not Maintaining a Training Diary
It is a good practice to maintain a training diary during your hotel management internship. You must keep a record of your daily tasks in this diary and monitor your progress. Make a note of all the things you learnt, the challenges you faced, how you tackled them, etc. Whenever you receive positive feedback from your supervisor for a task well done or appreciation from a guest whose requests/concerns you handled to their utmost satisfaction, mention it in the diary too.
Many hotel management institutes require students to submit a report or presentation on their internship experiences. This is where your training diary will be useful. Some interns feel too lazy to maintain this daily log, which can pose a big hassle when they try to complete their college reports later.
-
Not Networking
A hospitality internship can acquaint you with various professionals who have been working in the industry for several years. You must cultivate strong relationships with your fellow interns, colleagues, supervisors/trainers, hotel staff, etc., during your internship. It can help you build a robust professional network that can be indispensable in your career going ahead. Add them to your LinkedIn network and stay in touch with them even after your internship period is over.
Professionals in your network may consider you for potential opportunities and also give excellent recommendations if you list them as references in your job applications. Interns who don’t network actively don’t get as much advantage from their internship experience as those who do.
Why Choose SRIHM for Hospitality Studies?
The Sheila Raheja Institute of Hotel Management (SRIHM) in Bandra is one of the leading hotel management colleges in Mumbai. Thanks to its superior campus infrastructure and highly experienced faculty, it is the top choice for most students interested in pursuing high-quality education in hospitality.
In addition to the B.Sc. Hospitality Studies program for hotel management aspirants, SRIHM also offers the B.A. Culinary Arts course for aspiring chefs and culinary professionals. Both are three-year, full-time undergraduate programs affiliated to the University of Mumbai. The institute follows a holistic teaching approach that blends theoretical learning with hands-on practical training.
SRIHM partners with luxury hotel brands to arrange internships and management trainee programs for learners. As a result, many of their students find hotel management internship opportunities with reputed domestic and international hotels. This is why SRIHM is an excellent place to study if you want a thriving hospitality career in the future.
Conclusion
These are the common blunders that students must avoid during their first hospitality internship if they wish to stand out from the competition. Connect with SRIHM today to enquire about our hotel management courses!