Summary
A Hotel Manager works in the hospitality and tourism industry, where the product is the guest's experience and consistency is everything. In India this work sits inside the Hotel, Hospitality and Tourism Management stream: students usually take Any stream in Class 11–12, qualify through B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration / BHM / BTTM, and specialise later through work experience or a master's. The sections below set out the study route, the entrance exams, the leading institutes in India and abroad, and the day-to-day reality of the job.
Core skills
- Guest-handling and calm under pressure
- Operational planning and costing
- Team leadership on the floor
- Presentation and hygiene discipline
Where you can work
- Hotels, resorts and restaurant chains
- Airlines, cruise lines and railways catering
- Travel companies, tour operators and event firms
- Own restaurant, cloud kitchen or travel business
Professional Opportunities
Hotels, resorts and restaurant chains
Airlines, cruise lines and railways catering
Travel companies, tour operators and event firms
Own restaurant, cloud kitchen or travel business
Career Path
| Stage | What you study | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| After Class 10 | Any stream | 2 years (Class 11–12) |
| Graduation | B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration / BHM / BTTM | 3–4 years |
| After Graduation | M.Sc. Hospitality Administration / MBA (Hospitality or Tourism) | 2 years |
| After Post-Graduation | Ph.D., professional certifications, or senior practice in the field | 3–5 years (optional) |
Important Facts
- Entry qualification: B.Sc. Hospitality & Hotel Administration / BHM / BTTM.
- Most institutes ask for 50–60% in the qualifying examination; reserved categories usually get a 5% relaxation.
- Admission is through the entrance exams listed below — national tests plus the state CET where applicable.
- Government and private institutes both offer this route; fee levels differ sharply between them.
- Scholarships listed on the HBK scholarships page apply to most of these programmes.
Leading Institutes in India
| # | Institute | Entrance / Category | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | IHM, Pusa, Delhi | NCHM-JEE | ihmpusa.net/ |
| 1 | Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management, Chandigarh | NCHM-JEE | cihmct.com/ |
| 1 | Ashok Institute of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Delhi | NCHM-JEE | itdc.co.in/ |
| 1 | IHM-Aurangabad | IHM-A | ihmaurangabad.ac.in/ |
| 2 | IHM, Mumbai, Maharshtra | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmctan.edu/ |
| 2 | Pondicherry Institute of Hotel Management, Puducherry | NCHM-JEE | pihmct.py.gov.in/ |
| 2 | Munnar Catering College, Munnar, Kerala | NCHM-JEE | munnarcateringcollege.edu.in/ |
| 2 | Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Manipal | MET | manipal.edu/wgsha.html |
| 3 | IHM, Bangalore, Karnataka | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmbangalore.kar.nic.in/ |
| 3 | Institute of Hotel Management, Gangtok, Sikkim | NCHM-JEE | ihmgangtok.com/ |
| 3 | Jodhpur Institute of Hotel Management, Jodhpur, Rajasthan | NCHM-JEE | www.jietjodhpur.ac.in/ |
| 3 | Oberoi Group of Hotels | STEP | www.oberoigroup.com/learning-programmes/step |
| 4 | Dr. Ambedkar IHM, Chandigarh | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmchandigarh.org/ |
| 4 | Institute of Hotel Management, Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmhamirpur.in/ |
| 4 | Heritage Institute of Hotel & Tourism, Agra, Uttar Pradesh | NCHM-JEE | www.hihtworld.com/ |
| 4 | Army Institute of Hotel Management & Catering Technology, Bengaluru | Online Admission Test (OAT) | www.aihmctbangalore.edu.in/ |
| 5 | IHM, Goa | NCHM-JEE | ihmgoa.gov.in// |
| 5 | State Institute of Hotel Management, Jodhpur, Rajasthan | NCHM-JEE | ihmjodhpur.com/ |
| 5 | SRM Institute of Hotel Management, Chennai Tamil Nadu | NCHM-JEE | srmihm.info/ |
| 5 | Department of Hotel Management Christ University (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru | CUET | christuniversity.in/campus |
| 6 | IHM, Kolkata, West Bengal | NCHM-JEE | ihmkol.org/ |
| 6 | Delhi Institute of Hotel Management, Lajpat Nagar, New Delhi | NCHM-JEE | dihmct.in/ |
| 6 | Institute of Hotel Management, Daurala, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmmeerut.com/ |
| 6 | Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune | CET-BVP | bvuniversity.edu.in/ |
| 7 | IHM, Guwahati, Assam | NCHM-JEE | ihmctanghy.org.in/ |
| 7 | Institute of Hotel Management, Silvassa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, U.T. | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmsilvassa.in/ |
| 7 | St. Soldier Institute of Hotel Management, Jalandhar, Punjab | NCHM-JEE | stsoldiergroup.com/ |
| 7 | Amity School of Hospitality, Noida | Based on 12th Marks | www.amity.edu/ash/ |
| 8 | IHM, Hyderabad, Telengana | NCHM-JEE | www.ihmhyd.org/ |
| 8 | Dr. YSR National Institute of Tourism & Hospitality Management, Hyderabad, Telangana | NCHM-JEE | nithm.ac.in/ |
Institutions Abroad
| Institute | Country | Website |
|---|---|---|
| École hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) | Switzerland | www.ehl.edu/ |
| Les Roches | Switzerland | lesroches.edu/ |
| Cornell University — Nolan School of Hotel Administration | United States | sha.cornell.edu/ |
| Glion Institute of Higher Education | Switzerland | www.glion.edu/ |
Entrance Exams
| Exam | Full name | What it admits you to | Website |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCHM-JEE | NCHM Joint Entrance Exam | B.Sc. in Hospitality and Hotel Administration Program at Central/State Government sponsored IHMs Across India | nchmjee.nta.nic.in/ |
| IHM-Aurangabad | — | 4 Year Hotel Management Programs at IHM-Aurangabad, a unit of The Taj Group of Hotels | ihmaurangabad.ac.in/ |
| MET | Manipal Entrance Test | 3 & 4 Year Hotel Management Programs at Manipal University, Manipal | apply.manipal.edu/ |
| STEP | Systematic Training & Education Program | 3 Year Hotel Management Program at Oberoi Group of Hotels | www.oberoigroup.com/ |
| BHMCT-CET | Common Entrance Test | 3 Year Hotel Management Program at Affiliated Colleges to Indraprastha University, Delhi | www.ipu.ac.in/ |
| CUET | Christ University Entrance Test | various BHM program at Christ University, Bangalore Central Campus and BBA Tourism and Travel Management program at Bangalore Bannerghatta Road Campus | christuniversity.in/ |
| MAH-BHMCT-CET | Common Entrance Test | 3 year Hotel Management program across State and Private Institutes of Hotel Management in Maharashtra | cetcell.mahacet.org/ |
| EAT | Eligibility Assessment Test | 3 Year Hotel Management & Culinary Arts Programs at Symbiosis School of Culinary Arts Pune | www.ssca.edu.in/ |
| HM CET-BVP | Common Entrance Test | 4 Year BHMCT and 3 Year B.Sc. (H&HA) Program at Bharati Vidyapeeth, Pune | bvuniversity.edu.in/ |
| AIHMCT-CBT | Computer Based Test | 3 Year Hotel Management Program at Army Institute of Hotel Management, Bangalore | www.aihmctbangalore.edu.in/ |
| JMI-ET | JMI ‒ Entrance Test | BTTM and BHM Programs at Jamia Milia Islamia, New Delhi | jmicoe.in/ |
| UGAT | Under Graduate Aptitude Test | 3 Year Hotel Management Program at Various Institutes across India | apps.aima.in/ |
| NMIMS-NPAT | National Test For Programs After 12th | 3 year BBA in Hospitality Operations & Management program at Narsee Monjee, Navi Mumbai | nmimsnpat.in/ |
Work Description
- 01Plan the day's service, staffing, stock and set-up.
- 02Deliver the service or product to the property's quality standard.
- 03Handle guest requests, complaints and special requirements on the spot.
- 04Control cost, wastage, hygiene and safety standards.
- 05Train and supervise junior staff during the shift.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fast promotions for people who perform on the floor
- Genuine international placement opportunities
- Entrepreneurship is realistic after a few years
Cons
- Long shifts, weekends and festival duty
- Physically tiring and guest-facing pressure
- Entry pay is modest before supervisory roles
Are you fit for this career?
Take the free HBK psychometric test and see how Hotel Manager matches your interests and aptitude.
Sources
© HBK Careers. Compiled in-house from official regulators, exam bodies and institute websites. Exam and institute records on this page are the same records used across the HBK handbook and exams pages.