The Hospitality industry shares a special relationship with tourism and the IT industry. Off late, the industry has also developed alliances with the medical industry in the form of medical tourism. To put it in a nutshell, it has become a promising industry for job seekers. The hospitality industry works on communication, which is the heart line.

The job of a PRO, or a public relations officer, is of communications with the guests in the hotel, and keeping them satisfied with the services and promoting the organization. The main responsibility is to keep the public relations of the organization and tending to its needs. The PRO bridges the gap between the hotel management staff and the guests of the hotel. A major part of the PRO job involves promoting the amenities of the hotel and the services it provides.

Most of these responsibilities are executed using the internet. It is a full time job, and there are no part time jobs available in this category. The PR executives are paid well as per the industry standards. The PR executive should be prepared to work double shifts or extended periods of time if required. These kinds of situations occur quite often in the hotel industry, where the PRO needs to be present even after the normal shift hours.

The PRO will be working as a part of the front office team, and he or she should be prepared to take up anyone’s responsibilities if there is a need. The hotel or the hospitality industry is a sensitive place, because a person is constantly working with the clients or customers. Hotels is just one branch of the hospitality industry, the others are holiday resorts, restaurants, health spas, clubs and so on.

Education

The education required for a PR officer is a basic graduation in commerce or arts, and an additional qualification in PR course or the equivalent. The person needs to have a certificate in mass communications or PR, because the course knowledge gives them industry inputs, and also provides a basic understanding of the industry expectations. The work hours can be gruesome, and the person should be able to take up the additional load.

Also, a Public Relations Officer is expected to be the communication point so this person should be able to communicate very well. All these things are covered in the course, and the students are trained on personality development and communication skills. Computer skills and working with basic windows software is also essential, and is covered in the mass communications or the public relations course.

This course or accreditation can be obtained through online institutes as well. A PR course will be helpful for the students at any walk of life, because even if they move out of the hospitality industry, they can go into any industry as liaison officers or equivalent, because everyone needs a person to handle communications.

Required Education

Graduation in Commerce or Arts
PR course/ Mass Communications
Computer Skills

Skills

The Public relations officer should have an interesting and dynamic personality. They should have a pleasing personality and a positive body language. All these are very important qualities and traits which play a major role in the job interview.

The PRO job can be very demanding, because the officer is expected to work through the nights sometimes, or when there are events. Other than this, the person will be promoting the hotel or organization’s interest using online media on the internet, and they should work appropriately in extended work hours. Usually this role is best suited for talkative people who love interacting with others.

Expected Salary

Beginner: $3500
Mid Level: $4000
Experts: $5500 or more