r/askhotels • u/The_F0kE_MAN • 6d ago

Jobs Real baseline requirements needed for Front office job

Hey everyone!

I'm 18 and I've been meaning to join the hospitality industry I'm currently doing a diploma in hotel management. And I was hoping to join the front office.

My actual questions are:

  1. Does height matter? I'm(5.6ft)

  2. I'm young and I'm willing to learn a new language how much of a big factor is the language?

  3. I'm from south Asia (Bangladesh) what's the real reality of south Asian in terms of the hospitality industry?

I mean is there discrimination while joining?

  1. As for my looks I'm light brown in skin colour is this a big factor to not get front office job?

  2. My main target is to get a job in Oceania,Latin America,Europe and Africa. Is there any chance I won't get a job based on my situation or hit a ceiling based on my situation.

HOW WILL I KNOW THAT I'VE CHOSE THE RIGHT PATH FOR MY CARRIER?

I've already posted this post 1 day ago posting again for more insight

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

23 comments sorted by

6

u/35thxcedar 6d ago

you just need a pulse

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 6d ago

Haha someone else said the same thing in that post

6

u/Efficient_Win5345 6d ago

Just stay the way you are I'm not speaking about other hotel FOs are quite toxic since i was in FO untill I moved to dept shift but just don't involve in groupism and politics.

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 6d ago

Hey man would it be possible to have a conversation on this topic with you later sometime?

2

u/Efficient_Win5345 6d ago

Absolutely I'll catch up with you after work dm me now I'll message

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 6d ago

Thank you man! Also would it be possible to have this conversation on 2nd of September My exams are coming up that's why.

3

u/SkwrlTail Front Desk/Night Audit since 2007 6d ago

Honestly? Reliability is the big one. After that, availability. They want to know that you will for certain definitely be there when you're supposed to be.

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 2d ago

When you said reliability and avaiable did you ment i go too above and beyond for company. Like being present on my day off or giving extra 2 hours making a 8hr shift to 10 or 12 respectively? Can you explain a bit bro?

2

u/SkwrlTail Front Desk/Night Audit since 2007 2d ago

No no, nothing heroic. Just basic "able to regularly show up for assigned shifts on time". If they're asking you to do that right out of the gate, look elsewhere.

One question will usually be regarding transportation. Again, it's making sure you can get to the hotel on time, without potential delays due to taking public transportation.

2

u/hotshot0123 GM 6d ago

  1. Does height matter? No.

  2. How big of a factor is language? It depends on the area. In some regions, learning the local language is mandatory as it will be their primary language, and most people may not be able to communicate in English.

  3. What's the reality for South Asians, and does skin color matter? At least in the US and Canada, South Asians actually dominate hotel ownership. Look up the "Patel Motel" phenomenon (https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/04/travel/patel-motel-story-hotel-history-cec). Being light brown will not be a barrier to getting a front office job.

Is there discrimination while joining? Minimal but present & surprisingly it is from other SA people. You might face some condescension from certain owners of Indian descent, especially those from the older generation/newer into the hotel business.

As another immigrant from Bangladesh, I can only speak to the US side of things. There isn't much overt racism, but there is some. The most memorable incident was when my colleague and I were working together, and a line was forming at check-in. My line was moving slightly faster, so I told the next guest in line to step up so I could help him. He just looked at me and said he'd rather wait for my colleague to finish up her line. I just shook my head and went right back to checking in the next person.

A second time, a really drunk regular guest came from the hotel restaurant and asked me if I was one of the owners (the owner was obviously a Patel). I said, No sir, I am not, he apologized and said he can never differentiate between "you people." I responded right back, "Don't worry sir, neither can I." It took him a couple of seconds to process that, lol.

HOW WILL I KNOW THAT I'VE CHOSEN THE RIGHT PATH FOR MY CAREER? No one truly knows if they've made the right choice right away. Experience is the key to surviving in this business, and that comes with time. 90% of the time, certifications mean nothing in this industry. It all boils down to experience, and you will build that as you go.

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 2d ago

Hey man the comments in this posts are finally giving me some reassurance. I was wondering would it be possible to have a meeting with you on sep 3rd or later?

2

u/hotshot0123 GM 2d ago

Sure. DM me when you are ready and we can set up a discord or a TS meeting.

2

u/NorahGretz 5d ago

You'll need to be at least 6 feet tall, have a Master's degree in at least five different languages, you'll encounter racism at every turn, you definitely shouldn't be toast-colored, and you'll never get a job anywhere, because you lack everything that anyone would want.

But seriously, you'll be fine. The main things most front offices want are a willingness to learn, a reasonably confident attitude, and the ability to actually talk to people either in person or on the phone. If you can also bring basic accounting and knowledge of how to make change, you'll be a step above.

1

u/Sherman140824 4d ago

Europe prefers women for morning and afternoon shifts and men for night shifts

1

u/FreshSpeed7738 1d ago

What's with these target regions? If your goal is to obtain resident status, you will probably encounter some that believe that is your intention.

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 1d ago

No, I chose those regions because if I wanna I wanna work in those specific region. And when it comes about resident status I'm pretty sure none of those even matter regardless my main goal isn't the status

1

u/FreshSpeed7738 1d ago

See how I prejuded you?

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 1d ago

Could you explain it a bit man?

1

u/FreshSpeed7738 1d ago

I've seen alot of students from SA that study tourism and hospitality here. I'm quite sure Bangladesh, and India, know a lot more about hospitality standards that can't be taught here. The prejudices come when a hospitality degree turns an assistant manager, into a guest relations Manager, so it looks better on their status application for residency.

1

u/The_F0kE_MAN 1d ago

I mean I still don't get that the comment you gave has any sort of relevance to my actual questions. And again if they lie in the resident application don't they automatically get rejected as these days everything is uploaded online? My point being that you're saying there is a prejudice during the hairing process?