8 Hospitality Jobs That Pay Well

Hospitality is an industry focused on service delivery. A hospitality job involves working in a service-oriented industry, such as tourism, lodging, events, transportation, or food and beverage, and performing tasks that foster a relationship with your company’s customers.

Most entry-level hospitality roles, such as server or bartender, do not usually require candidates to have a formal education. However, more advanced positions, like those in hotel management, typically require some form of higher education. Hospitality is an excellent industry in which to advance with on-the-job experience, training, and apprenticeships. 

Discover different jobs in the hospitality field and the requirements you need to complete, such as education and training, to qualify for each role. 

8 high-paying hospitality jobs

As you gain more experience, it's possible to earn more when you work in hospitality. Each role often requires some amount of experience, training, or higher education to qualify for the position. Discover eight hospitality jobs with higher-than-average salaries in the United Kingdom.

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of July 2024 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

1. Hotel manager 

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £37,085 [1]

Requirements: University degree studying subjects including hospitality, travel or a related field; Advanced apprenticeship in hospitality

Managing a hotel or resort typically means being in charge of its day-to-day operations. This can mean delegating responsibilities to department managers, like those overseeing housekeeping, the front desk, and maintenance; reviewing the facility's budget; conducting regular inspections; interviewing, hiring, and training new employees; and resolving problems as they arise.  

2. Restaurant manager 

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £32,049 [2]

Requirements: College course; advanced apprenticeship in hospitality

Restaurant managers typically work in any venues where food or beverages are made and served. Your day-to-day duties can include ordering ingredients and equipment, hiring and overseeing employees, managing kitchen staff, and making sure the facility is compliant with local health codes.

3. Bookmaker

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £29,153 [3]

Requirements: College course in customer service; apprenticeship

Working as a bookmaker means ensuring that its day-to-day operations are running smoothly. While your goal is to ensure guests are enjoying themselves, you'll also spend time hiring and training employees, monitoring employees to ensure they're following house rules, creating schedules, monitoring budgets and cash flow, and reviewing surveillance footage as needed. 

4. Sales manager 

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £56,113 [4]

Requirements: University degree in a subject related to business or marketing; apprenticeship

Sales managers aren’t limited to the hospitality industry, but within that context, they often work for hotels, resorts, event facilities, and entertainment venues to help ensure those places do as much business as possible. In this role, you'll pursue new leads to secure business, analyse data and reports to help you find and attract customers, delegate tasks and manage other sales team members, build and execute new sales plans, and monitor budgets, among other things. 

5. Chef 

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £32,698 [5]

Requirements: Higher education in culinary arts or a related subject; apprenticeship

Chefs work in restaurants, hotels, casinos, and resorts, among many other locations. Essentially, they oversee the kitchen, ensuring staff prep food and execute orders, maintaining food and ingredient inventory, planning menus, and ensuring the kitchen meets local health codes.

6. Event manager

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £37,379 [6]

Requirements: No official requirements, however college courses may help you stand out to employers

Similarly to sales managers, event managers may work in many industries. In the hospitality industry, they're usually in charge of overseeing the planning of events like concerts, sporting events, and conventions. When you represent a site or location and an organisation asks to hold an event there, you'll help with the coordination of everything from catering to security. You'll typically need to set or work within a budget, and you'll be in charge of helping with any problems that come up at the last minute.

7. Fitness centre manager 

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £44,650 [7]

Requirements: Degree in marketing, business, sports, travel, or a related subject

As a fitness centre manager, your responsibilities include creating engaging exercise activities for guests to participate in. You also manage a team of individuals on your staff and have the responsibility of keeping up with any repairs or problems that need solutions in the building. As the manager of a fitness centre, you dictate which equipment the facility should have, take excellent care of it, and ensure that the centre follows safety guidelines and regulations.

8. Flight attendant 

Average annual UK salary (Glassdoor): £23,195 [8]

Requirements: College course; advanced apprenticeship

As a flight attendant, also known as an air steward or member of the cabin crew, you interact with passengers before, during, and after a flight. In addition to flying between cities, you'll likely be expected to inspect emergency equipment, teach travellers how to use emergency equipment, serve food and beverages, ensure passengers are comfortable and safe during their flights, administer some first aid as needed, and coordinate with pilots. 

Where to find hospitality jobs

 Many industries involve working in hospitality to some extent. Explore these various industries and the types of roles available in each, as well as their annual average salaries. 

*All annual base salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of July 2024 and does not include additional pay, such as commission and benefits.

Entertainment and recreation

Entertainment and recreation facilities, such as sports stadiums, spas, conference centres, theme parks, concert venues, casinos, and theatres, all hire hospitality-related employees. 

Entry-level job titles in entertainment and recreation include:

• Lifeguard: £65,478

• Concession stand worker: £30,251

• Ticket taker: £38,658

More advanced job titles in the entertainment and recreation sector include:

• Operations manager: £48,475 

• Event coordinator: £26,626

• Director of sales: £97,116 

Food and beverage 

The food and beverage industry involves preparing and serving food and drinks to customers. It can involve work in restaurants, cafes, bakeries, food trucks, bars, breweries, wineries, or nightclubs. 

Entry-level titles working in food and beverage include: 

• Host: £26,718

• Server: £32,459

• Bartender: £54,823

Advanced job titles for the food and beverage industry include:

• Head chef: £34,575

• Pastry chef: £27,303

• Wine steward: £30,251 

Lodging and hotel services

Hotels, resorts, and other lodging facilities are major employers in the hospitality industry. You ensure the comfort and safety of people who need a place to stay while they're away from home. 

For entry-level job titles in lodging and hotel services, consider: 

• Front desk clerk: £38,347 

• Housekeeper: £19,645

• Reservation assistant: £22,994

Advanced job titles in lodging and hotel services include: 

• Sales manager: £56,108

• Marketing specialist: £37,333

Hotel manager: £37,075

Travel and tourism

If you want a hospitality job in the travel and tourism sector, you might work at a resort, on a cruise ship, or even on an aeroplane as a flight attendant. 

For entry-level job titles in travel and tourism, consider: 

• Fitness instructor: £22,550

• Sailor: £23,486

• Tourism officer: £38,871

Advanced job titles in the travel and tourism industry include:

• Entertainment director: £80,734

• Chief steward: £27,426 

• Travel agency manager: £37,494 

Essential skills for hospitality jobs

Hospitality jobs require different technical skills—or the specialised knowledge needed to do a specific role. For example, if you work as part of a kitchen team then you will need to know how to cook food. A housekeeper, on the other hand, needs to know cleaning and scheduling protocols.  

Beyond the technical nature of each role, certain hospitality jobs may require specific workplace skills, such as customer service. Depending on how “front-facing” your role is, you may come face to face with dozens—if not hundreds—of customers and coworkers. 

Other essential skills you'll need for hospitality jobs may include: 

• Attention to detail

• Communication

• Cultural awareness and sensitivity

• Organisation 

• Positive attitude

• Problem-solving

• Teamwork

• Time management 

Getting started in hospitality with Coursera

Many jobs in the hospitality industry give you the opportunity to advance to higher-paying managerial positions. If you’re interested in starting a career in the hospitality industry, find apprenticeships or universities that offer programs you wish to explore so that you can qualify for a hospitality position.

Consider taking a course or completing a specialisation to bolster your hospitality knowledge. Explore Hospitality Luxury Brand Management offered by Starweaver to learn more about managing a hotel’s brand and its effect on guests’, or Food and Beverage Management offered by Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi on Coursera to gain hospitality management skills.