3. Make sure you follow through.

Establishing and maintaining excellent and consistent guest service requires that staff take responsibility for meeting guest needs and wants.

For Teri Archam, director of human resources at the 1,100-room Hyatt Regency O'Hare in suburban Chicago, it is critical that new staff not fall into the habit of thinking to themselves, "Well, that is not part of my job description," when faced with a guest request.

"Employees should know that it is their job to follow through with guest requests and needs by either handling the situation themselves or by following through with the department that is affected," says Archam.

Noel Afton, training mentor at the 5-star Meikles Hotel in Harare, Zimbabwe, agrees, pointing out the example for new staff must come from their managers and supervisors.

"We give high priority to motivating managers and supervisors to give their full commitment to the smooth running of every facet of the hotel," says Afton. "Problems or issues need to be clarified and solved in a timely manner."

4. Never stop learning.

Every day in a hotel is different, bringing out new challenges and new issues. Diverse groups of guests come and go. Hospitality technology advances. Job responsibilities shift. In such a dynamic environment, a company-wide commitment to continual learning is vital for healthy business.

According to James Manley, vice president of human resources for the Americas at Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts in Miami, one of the most dangerous traps for new employees is to think their learning is over once they earn a hospitality degree or complete their in-house orientation.

"The burden is on management to foster an atmosphere of learning, to let people know that it is okay to be a beginner and a student again," says Manley.

The long-term professional and personal rewards of ongoing learning can be great. "At Inter-Continental, we strive to nurture future general managers and we look for specific career traits that help us identify potential leaders," says Manley "And one of the main questions we ask is, 'How committed is the person to improving their performance through ongoing education?'

5. Hospitality can be a great career.

Not every new staff member will set their sites on becoming a general manager. But it is important for the continuing growth and success of the hotel industry that employees realize from Day One that a career in hospitality is theirs for the making.

Nick Rizakis, СНА, executive assistant area manager of the Astir Palace Resort in Vouliagmeni, Greece, says, "I want new employees to understand travel and tourism make up the Number One industry worldwide."

There is room in the hotel industry, Rizakis suggests, for everyone who is willing to work and grow. "Hospitality can be a lifelong career, not just a job," he says.

An organization requires a formal structure to carry out its mission and goals. A common way to represent that structure is the organization chart. An organization chart is a schematic representation of the relationships between positions within an organization. It shows where each position fits in the overall organization, as well as where divisions of responsibility and lines of authority lie. Solid lines on the chart indicate direct-line accountability. Dotted lines indicate relationships that involve a high degree of cooperation and communication, but not a direct reporting relationship.