Hostess: who is this and what does the person of this profession do?

Surely many have heard that there is such a profession as a hostess. However, few people know what exactly she is. Let's take a closer look at who the hostesses are, what is the range of their professional duties, what requirements are imposed on the people of this profession, what are the career prospects in this area.

On job portals, you can often find a job offer "hostess in a nightclub", "hostess in a hotel." Many young people ask themselves what a hostess is doing. “Hostess” is translated from English as “hostess”, although in Latin, where this concept appeared, it has a slightly different interpretation - “guest”. Based on this, the conclusion suggests itself - a hostess means "welcoming guests", and we can talk about restaurants, nightclubs, cafes, hookah bars, hotels, exhibitions, as well as official events.

A hostess is, in fact, a visiting card of an institution, a person who is responsible for meeting visitors and escorting them.... The hostess is considered female profession, in the overwhelming majority of cases, hostesses are girls, but men can also engage in similar activities.

The hostess does not let the guests of the establishment get bored during the event, can additionally coordinate the service personnel and take on the role of the administrator. Initially, hostesses were engaged in serving passengers during air travel - we are more familiar with them as flight attendants. Their job descriptions included:

• meeting passengers at the entrance to the airliner;
• carrying out to the place in the salon;
• organization of briefing on safety rules during the flight;
• serving drinks and food;
• assistance to passengers.

Later, the profession significantly expanded the scope of its activities. Now hostesses receive guests not only in the air, but also on the ground. Employees of this specialty can be found:

• in large hotels, inns, clubs;
• at presentations, seminars, as well as congresses, conferences and exhibitions;
• in the escort service as an escort for clients at events where it is not customary to be alone.

At first glance, the job of a hostess seems easy, however, like any other, it has its advantages and disadvantages.

The positive aspects include the following.

• Anyone can get a job like this, practically "off the street" if he has the necessary external data and personal qualities for this profession. Of course, some elite establishments can set high requirements, but in the overwhelming majority of cases, presentable appearance, competent speech and communication skills are quite enough.
• No need for special education. The requirement of higher or secondary specialized education in the job description is extremely rare. Of course, the presence of administrative skills and knowledge of foreign languages ​​can be some advantage in the selection of a candidate for a position, but they do not become basic criteria.
• The prospect of good acquaintances... The job of a hostess allows you to meet many people, including those from the higher strata of society, financially prosperous. Such prospects attract young girls, there are cases when such ties developed into marriage. However, many acquaintances can be useful not so much in personal life as in further professional activities.
• Getting to know the business. It is no secret that many famous restaurateurs started their career as a hostess. Work experience and familiarity with "the whole kitchen" becomes an invaluable advantage in further employment in the relevant field when opening your own business.
• Good tip. The hostess' salary is small, but most of the income comes from tips, which satisfied customers leave for service.

At the same time, the position has its drawbacks.

• Low official income. In the vast majority of cases, hostesses work unofficially, so their legal income is poor.
• Additional responsibilities. In some establishments, especially in nightclubs, the girls' functionality is not limited to meeting guests, they have to entertain visitors with communication and dancing.
• Low career prospects. Most often, such work is temporary. Of course, with a strong desire and a successful combination of circumstances, the hostess can eventually become the administrator of the establishment, but, as practice shows, such cases are rare.
• Interaction with conflicting people... Hostesses are much more likely than waitresses to receive heightened scrutiny from male visitors and even sexual harassment. Moreover, in some institutions, such an attitude is even encouraged by the management - this must be borne in mind when applying for a job.
• Strict requirements for appearance. Very often, it is appearance that becomes a fundamental aspect when hiring an employee for a hostess position, so girls and boys with visible defects do not even have to think about such an area of ​​work.

Duties of hostesses in general can be described as "meeting guests and accompanying them." The most common type of employment is restaurants... In this case, it largely depends on the employee's actions whether the client will return to the establishment again. Taking care of visitors is to offer them a good place in the hall, to occupy and entertain while the ordered dish is being prepared and, of course, to offer an aperitif to minimize the tedious waiting.

The duties of a hostess in a restaurant include:

• making phone bookings;
• meeting guests at the entrance, assistance in choosing a table, taking into account the personal wishes of the client and the workload of the waiters;
• advising on the range of offered dishes and the wine list;
• informing visitors about ongoing promotions;
• open presentation of the menu;
• if necessary - calling a taxi, seeing off;
• announcement of interesting events in the restaurant.

The hostess must have a number of professional characteristics and meet certain requirements.

A hostess girl should look attractive in any situation, but at the same time, an abundance of cosmetics, pretentious clothes and defiant hairstyles are not allowed. The appearance of this specialist must be impeccable. The ideal image is clean styled hair, discreet make-up, laconic manicure and a slight smile on the face.... From clothes, it is better to give preference an elegant suit or a closed dress, most establishments provide a uniform.

Sports style is not allowed... Some people think that it is possible to get a job as a hostess only if you have a model appearance. This is far from the case, a girl or a young man in this position must first of all be charming, inspire confidence and inspire absolute confidence that each particular guest is the most important and valuable within the walls of the institution.

No special professional skills are required for this job., nevertheless, knowledge of the basics of work in the restaurant or hotel business will be a good advantage in employment. In addition, the bonus can bring fluency in one or more foreign languages. The hostess should have a competent speech and have a broad outlook in order to maintain a conversation with clients, if necessary.

The most important requirements for candidates for the position of hostess in the part which concerns personal characteristics are:

• pleasant appearance;
• soft voice;
• smiling;
• personal charm and charm;
• delivered diction;
• sociability;
• friendliness.

It is very important that the hostess is resourceful and could quickly "resolve" emerging force majeure situations, find the right solution to extinguish the looming conflict. And, of course, this person should be stress-resistant, it is important for him to be able to mobilize emotionally - even if there are troubles in his life, he should always radiate friendliness and smile.

In accordance with the job description of the hostess, his duties include the following.

• Meeting clients / visitors, taking them to the room, at the table or in the hall, if it is a conference.
• Consulting on the services provided by the institution.
• Control of the work of the accompanying personnel.
• Helping guests in case of difficulties.
• Timely resolution of conflicts.
• Entertaining guests.
• At the end of the meeting / visit, the hostess must necessarily accompany the visitors, inquire about their assessment of the institution and convey all wishes and comments to the administration of the institution.

Depending on the area of ​​work, the duties of a hostess may vary slightly, be specified and supplemented.

This type of activity has become widespread in restaurants as well as nightclubs. The hostess girls sit down at the clients' table, entertain them with conversation and if the client likes communication, he can order food or a drink for a lady - usually the employees receive their own small percentage for this. The main task of hostess consumation is to subtly force the visitor to place an additional order, thereby increasing the company's revenue.

Consumation can be non-alcoholic and alcoholic, as well as active and passive... An active one assumes an independent choice of a client by a girl. In this case, she herself joins the man and starts a conversation with him, and when he places an order, she remains at his table. With passive consumption, the hostess does not walk around the room, she sits at the bar counter or dances, attracting the attention of a man, in a word, she tries in every possible way to make the visitor invite her to his table and treat her to him.

There is an opinion that consumption is directly related to the provision of services of an intimate nature. However, it is not - no one can force a hostess to engage in such a service against her will. Moreover, reputation is important for most reputable establishments; they are very strict about the moral character of their employees.

This profession is most widespread in hotels. Most hotels have bars located close to the reception. It is in them that lobby hostesses work. The main task of these girls is to invite guests to relax after the trip, to escort them to the lobby bar and to help make a small order.

In recent years, the reception staff in the hotel is often ranked among the hostesses. At the same time, in this area, more stringent requirements in terms of knowledge of foreign languages ​​may be imposed on employees. The candidate for the position must at least speak English. In addition, the responsibilities of the hotel hostess may also include room administration and accounting of supplies. These employees are often responsible for coordinating the maids and thus have broader career prospects than in all other types of establishments.

This employee does not just escort guests to their table or room, but rather the full-fledged hostess of the establishment, who communicates with clients, directs the activities of the staff and makes decisions about entertaining visitors if they are bored or unhappy with something.

The average salary of a hostess is usually in the range of 12-15 thousand rubles, but it can vary depending on the region and class of the institution. So, in Moscow it can be 25-30 thousand. If an employee is fluent in foreign languages, then this will become a very noticeable increase in salary.

Usually payment is made twice a month, or for each shift. Weekend hostesses usually receive money at the rate of 150 rubles per hour. The main income of representatives of this profession, as we have already mentioned, is tip, as well as a commission for an additional order made by a client.

Usually students without higher or secondary education go to work in a hostess. However, they do not need it, since they acquire all the necessary skills in the course of training already at the workplace - as a rule, it takes no more than 10-14 days. The most important thing is to have a good knowledge of the menu, wine list and other services provided by the institution, as well as to be able to maintain a conversation with customers.

However, girls and boys who have received education in the specialty "restaurant business" or "social and cultural tourism" will be welcomed in the profession. A big bonus can be the presence of psychological preparation, this will allow the employee to show cordiality and restraint in emerging conflict situations. The hostess usually hires people with a competent, well-delivered speech and spoken English, so the language training of the applicant will be useful.

Working in a specialty, a hostess always has the opportunity to study in detail the features of this area and subsequently become a competent specialist, and not just a salesman, maid or waiter. If you wish, with the experience of a hostess behind you, you can always try yourself in the hotel or restaurant business, take steps in trade, tourism or social and cultural services... In the work, important business qualities are formed, the ability to work in a critical situation, in conditions of multitasking is brought up. A bonus to this can be useful contacts and acquaintances that can be acquired in the course of work.

The prospects of hostesses abroad are quite good, but, unfortunately, in our country the realities are such that girls from modeling agencies are mainly hired for this job. They do not have the necessary skills to represent the company, and this problem is especially acute when it comes to industry exhibitions and conferences. In most cases it is impossible to meet a full-fledged “hostess of the hall”.

Models are brought, dressed in beautiful clothes and sent to the hall to "smile" at the visitors. The lack of proper attention to their preparation damages the reputation of the organizer of the event and the companies participating in it. That's why if a girl or a young man really considers a hostess as a first step in a career, and not just as an opportunity for a temporary part-time job, then they should pick an employer meticulously.