10 Books Every Hospitality Professional Should Read

Books have changed the course of history and nations for better and for worse. Reading and research are the pillars on which societies are built on. Only by reading can we be armed in this never-ending struggle for excellence and perfection.

Like every other area of business, hospitality also relies on lessons learned through history, the experience of patriarchs, and the knowledge of researchers.

Today’s countdown brings hospitality students and professionals a 10 book countdown of the most illuminating works from some of the most legendary names of the industry.

Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy – Deckle Edge, by Isadore Sharp  

Four Seasons: The Story of a Business Philosophy is the real-life story of Isadore Sharp the creator of the Four Seasons brand. In his inspiring life story, Sharp takes us through a journey of a young immigrant, with no background in the hotel business, as he created one of the leading hospitality brand admired across the world.

Going Above and Beyond: Reach the Pinnacle of Customer Service by Learning How to . . . Think and Act Like a Concierge – by Katharine C. Giovanni

Going Above and Beyond is a brilliant and easy read for those seeking the art behind delivering great customer service as a concierge. The essential training guide takes you on a journey to enhance customer services at hotels to a new level. Katherine Giovanni is termed the lady that set the standards for the concierge industry with her expert knowledge of value excellence, service quality, and understanding the guest experience.

The Heart of Hospitality: Great Hotel and Restaurant Leaders Share Their Secrets – by Micah Solomon , Herve Humler

The Heart of Hospitality: Great Hotel and Restaurant Leaders Share Their Secrets is a spectacular collection of insights and experiences of hospitality industry leaders. Seth Godin has also shown great admiration for the title, while Raul Leal (CEO, Virgin Hotels) terms the book unparalleled wisdom, distilled in an incredible bible. Micha Solomon’s book is a superb guide for the modern hotelier to take advice from the experiences of legends.

The Concierge Manual: The Ultimate Resource for Building Your Concierge and/or Lifestyle Management Company – by Katharine C. Giovanni  

The Concierge Manual – The Ultimate Resource for Building Your Concierge, is another one of Katherine Giovanni’s jewels of knowledge. In this interesting guide, Giovanni discusses the basics of starting a new concierge, lifestyle management, errand service, or personal assistant company, from creating a business plan to handling the day-to-day logistics. A great source of inspiration and knowledge for large and small scale hoteliers, dwell into the world of concierge business with Katherine’s legendary book.

Hotel Law: Transactions, Management and Franchising 1st Edition, Kindle Edition by Nelson Migdal  

Nelson Migdal’s Hotel Law: Transactions, Management, and Franchising pours the essence of 30 years of law practice and management from the author and delivers it to readers in 190+ intriguing pages. Migdal’s book is essential for hospitality management and law students, while it can also act as a decent handbook for hospitality professionals who come across different legal challenges on a daily basis.  

How to Buy and Run Your Own Hotel – by Mark Lloyd (Author)

In his masterpiece How to Buy and Run Your Own Hotel, author Mark Lloyd pours the experiences of his life starting a hotel business and learning from it. This elaborate guide embarks the reader on a journey that defines the hotel business launch and management process with real-life examples. The intuitive advice and aspiring ideas from author take on a variety of hotel management areas including accounting, customer services, and website development for hotels.  

100 Tips for Hoteliers: What Every Successful Hotel Professional Needs to Know and Do – by Peter Venison

Peter Venison’s 100 Tips for Hoteliers: What Every Successful Hotel Professional Needs to Know and Do, is probably the “recommended” title within our countdown. Venison’s former books have already graced bookshelves in hospitality universities and the desks of elite hoteliers for over 20 years. 100 Tips is a renewed perspective from Venison discussing a complete checklist of starting a hotel business and management for hotels already in operation. Peter’s personal experiences and suggestions are simply priceless for students seeking a future in the industry.

A WEALTH OF INSIGHT: The World’s Best Luxury Hoteliers on Leadership, Management, and the Future of 5-Star Hospitality by Rahim B. Kanani  

A WEALTH OF INSIGHT: The World’s Best Luxury Hoteliers on Leadership, Management, and the Future of 5-Star Hospitality is renowned as one of the best hotel management books in the world. Author Rahim Kanani inserts years of experience & knowledge from 35 hospitality management leaders. .

Covering a range of areas including recruiting, culture, technology, marketing, branding, personalization, authenticity, anticipation, design, partnerships and more, the book offers real-life insights & successful hospitality examples supported by stunning photography. The book has been termed the Holy Grail of hotel management for young students & upcoming professionals.    

Hotel Operations Management 3rd Edition by David K. Hayes (Author), Jack D. Ninemeier (Author), Allisha A. Miller

Hotel Operations Management has been the essential student’s handbook for a number of years teaching young professionals the way of the hotelier. Now in its 3rd edition, the book is found with every student and university library that offers hospitality management courses. The book offers the perspective of a hotel general manager and how to manage the daily challenges of a mid-sized hotel business.

The authors take us on a journey of revelations with professional in-depth discussions about human resources, franchising and contract management of properties, and hotel management in a global environment.

Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry 3rd Edition – by Peter D. Nyheim

Peter Nyheim’s brilliant title Technology Strategies for the Hospitality Industry overviews the strategies for hospitality, restaurants, and event management businesses. The book discusses strategies in a flow powered by interviews, case studies, professional insights, and thought-provoking questions.

The author discusses applications of technology and how they can help hoteliers build better more responsive guest experiences. Now in its third edition, the book includes new chapters, student exercises, and discussions about updated technologies from the world of hospitality. A must read for every hospitality student and hotel managers.

Conclusion

At Advanced Hospitality Technologies (ADHT) we are constantly researching into new areas of hospitality technology. As premier hospitality technology providers, we make it our mission to educate and assist our audiences with customer service, project management, technology budgeting, remote & on-site support, PCI Compliance, security assessments and much more. View below video to understand the PCI Security compliance process.

For more interesting articles, technology tips, amazing content visit our blog again. Do remember to share this superb countdown with other hospitality professionals and students. Until next time, see you again soon.