The Hotel Business is a global business. So let me come straight to the point. You have to be able to communicate in at least 2 languages. One of those two languages is English. If You are from North America, of course You speak English and yur focus should be to aquire Spanish as a second language. If You are from Germany, chances are, that You speak either English, French or Spanish in addition to German.
If You come from India or the Middle East, I know, that 95% of all the people starting a career in hospitality do speak very good English in addition to Arabic or Hindi. You are from an african country, then You speak either English, French or Portugese in addition to Swahili, Zulu or Ahmharic, just to mention a few. I know from my experience working in Africa and the Middle East, that the majority of people in our industry speak at least 3 languages. their mother tongue and 2 additional languages or dialects, of which one is always English.
In North America and in Europe is the language diversity not as prominent as it is in Asia and Africa. Until 30 years ago it was the other way around. There was a much higher demand for european educated hospitality people which is no longer the case. The amount of hospitality employees from Asia and also Africa has been growing strongly over the years and is very visible when looking at the growing share of Executives and Senior Executives with a non-european background which is a very positive development as the industy has become truly global also in Senior Management.
Languages clearly play a role in your career and You should definetely make choices which can and will enhance your growth. There are countless combinations of language skills. The question which arises is: what language skills should You have ? Here are some recommendations and findings from my personal experience:
1. In addition to your mother tongue You need to speak English. That is a no brainer. English is the No.1 international language, You “Must speak”. There is really no alternative unless You stay put in your home country. Even there however You will soon be replaced by someone with more pronounced language skills. Sorry but this is a fact.
2. If You are a native to North America You should – in addition to English- preferrably choose Spanish as a second language. In many states like Florida or California You have a large Spanish speaking population which are potential guests You come in touch with. Trust me, it is an advantage if You can communicate with them in Spanish. The same is valid on the employee front. You have a susbtantial number of spanish speaking employees. They communicate of course in English but it will help your approval ratings, if You can speak with them in their mother tongue. For example, if You have to do an anual performance evaluation, You will be happy if You can speak the persons language, simply because the evaluation is a very personal process and building trust in this process works for both parties only positively.
3. If You are from Europe You are tought English in school by default. While many people struggle with the easiest language of the world, You should make sure that You are not one of them. English is a MUST ! If You are from the UK or Ireland think for a moment, where You would like to work in Your career and if it is Germany, you will need to learn speaking German for a hospitalitx career. One tip: whereever You come from, In order to be working in Europe You need to speak the respective language of the country where You want to work. So if it is Germany, You need to speak German. If it is Spain, You need to speak Spanish, in France You need to speak French and in Italy, You need to be able to converse in Italian.
4. Strangely on the other side, if You want to work in China or in India, You do not necessarily have to speak the language. Of course it is helpfull speaking intermediate or even perfect Mandarin Chinese or Hindi in India, but it is absolutely not mandatory to get an Executive Position in these countries. The same is valid for the Middle East and North Africa. However here it is changing. Many companies in Kuwait, KSA and the UAE are now requiring for certain positions arabic language skills. Since 2008 there is an emerging trend a trend where Europeans are slowly replaced by arab speaking Executive. Language is probably just one of the reasons. Buttomline: If You work in the Middle East or North Africa – a basic use of Arabic will go a long way.
I assume, that You have already made a decision on where in the world You would like to expand your career. Some of You feel perfectly all right where You are and have no plans to move anywhere else, some of You have the dream of working in Australia or Thailand or in a tropical resort in the Caribbean. Whatever your situation may be you should evaluate, if learning a certain language not only will help You to advance your career but also help You to fullfill your geographic ambitions and get a job in a country and location where You really want to live and work.
The languages which really count on the international arena are of course English, Spanish, Arabic , French and to a lesser extend Portugese.These four languages will cover a large piece of the map and it is my humble opinion that it will help a lot, if Y ou speak at least 2 of these languages. I mentioned already, that Arabic is not absolutely mandatory. However it covers all of North Africa and the entire Middle East. If You work for private owned hotels it might come in handy for rfelationship building which one should nevver underestimate. Customer interaction is equally important. In Europe it is far more challenging as You need to speak the specific language of the country You would like to work in.
My advise, avoid non english speaking european countries unless You really feel like working in the Old World. Then You make your language decision. You want to work in Germany, make sure You speak some intermediate German at least. Otherwise do not waste your time no matter what position.
One more tip: If You have decided what language You want to learn, begin immediately in the following way. Listening to the daily news in that particular language. Even if You do not understand it first, just listening to it will help You tremendously. You can also choose a movie You know in your language: watch this same movie in the language You want to learn repeatedly and You will automatically begin to understand. This is how I learned English. Not in school with books but by watching TV commercials, the daily news and picking articles from the NY Times which I found interesting. Within 6 month I was able to have a reasonable good conversation and the rest is history. There is also the App Babble, which I do recommend.
If You have specific questions, send them and we will respond within 24 hours.
Safe Journey and stay healthy !