How to Write SOP for Hotel Management with Sample SOP

"The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones." - Confucius

This quote has been real close to my heart, as I hail from a small town in India that thrives on seasonal tourism. My family has been living in Bir, a tiny village nestled in the beauty of the Dhauladhar Range of the Himalayas and working in the tourism industry for the past three generations. My great grandfather was a Tibetan refugee who moved to India in 1959. After moving to India, he settled in Bir and opened a small restaurant that served Tibetan cuisine for the local tourists. My father, well-aware of his family struggles, also started working at a young age to provide for his family. With the cumulative efforts of my father and grandfather, they both managed to turn the restaurant into a small hotel with 10 bedrooms. I feel privileged to come from a lineage of Tibetan refugees who managed to work hard and thrive in a new country, and I believe that it is now my responsibility to carry forward my family business.As a kid who has seen the hotel business from such close, I developed excellent verbal skills and the ability to handle customers from a young age, however I feel that there is a lot that I still need to know about the hotel business.For the same reason, I aspire to get a degree in hotel management to become a recognized hotelier and then transcend into my entrepreneurial journey. This inspired me to dream of expanding my family business where I could effectively display the beauty of the Himalayas with my Tibetan culture that is able to attract tourists all year owing to its luxurious setting.

Throughout my academic life, I was a very disciplined student who scored well in academics and participated in interdisciplinary activities. I completed my senior secondary education from Iflex International School with my majors in science. After completing my senior secondary education, I took a career-enhancing certification, Hotel Management: Distribution, Revenue, and Demand Management Specialization from Coursera, which provided me with a certification from ESSEC Business School. The course gave me in-depth knowledge of business analytics, leadership, and management strategy, which is an integral quality that one needs to thrive in the hospitality business.Along with my studies, I used to work at my family’s hotel where I learned the basic knowledge of how the hotel industry functions. In peak tourist season, I used to work as a receptionist at the front desk and handle guests.My work as a receptionist extended to check-in/out, accommodating guests, taking phone calls, reservations, billing, solving complaints, checking the room inventory alongside keeping a record of everything. No matter how tiring my day was, at the end of the day it was a rewarding job to offer an experience to the guests. This instilled in me a resolute desire to study and work in the hotel industry despite knowing the hardships of running a hotel that thrives on seasonal tourism. Nonetheless, my belief in my work experience along with enhanced communication and problem-solving skills made me confident in continuing to take my family business to the next level.

However, I realized with time that no matter how good our services might be, they were still not at par with the hotels situated in metropolitan cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh; which drove me towards pursuing a course in hotel management from Canada to get the global exposure of the hotel industry. With a Diploma in Hospitality & Restaurant Business Management from LaSalle College Vancouver, I will become trained with strong ethics and learn how to adapt in the global hotel industry. My decision to choose LaSalle College Vancouver was mainly due to the college’s worldwide reputation for providing the hospitality industry with learned and skilled students. What attracted me the most to La Salle College, apart from its robust curriculum, was the flexibility of the programs, which will allow me to work part-time as an international student and easily take care of my expenses. In addition, I was impressed with the course’s duration, which is 4 quarters, including the option to work with a cooperative education as a student.The course and the college will not only give me the essential knowledge required to work in the hospitality industry up to international standards but also build foundational knowledge on the planning and marketing strategies used by the hotel staff to keep their businesses running. I look forward to adding value to the college’s Entrepreneurship Club by sharing my ideas, resources, and experiences related to business and prove to be a worthy asset to my fellow peers who, just like me, aspire to become entrepreneurs.

My immediate goal is to get an entry-level employment opportunity upon graduation at a renowned hotel chain. By working over there, I aim to enhance my communication and problem-solving skills by applying my knowledge of my course to improve customers' experiences by working in coordination with the hotel staff. With time and experience, I aspire to set on an entrepreneurial journey and open an inn in the lap of nature in my village in India, where I can incorporate my management skills and build a place where I can offer the customers a true experience of nature's beauty in a luxurious setting.I believe that my venture as an entrepreneur will create numerous permanent jobs for the native people of Himachal Pradesh, who often have an unstable income due to their dependency on tourism as an occupation. I look forward to pursuing a diploma in hotel management from LaSalle College, which will help me achieve my set career goals and realize my long-term goal of becoming an entrepreneur.

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” - Roger Staubach

My maternal grandmother, whom I lovingly call Ajji, instilled in me a love for food from a very young age. I remember waiting all year to visit Ajji during the summer vacations. My summer vacation in Coorg, away from Bangalore’s hustle and bustle, was made even more special with my Ajji’s tasty food. As the years passed, Ajji taught me how to cook food, preserve pickles and jams, and store papadams like her grandmother taught her. This instilled in me a deep love for Carnatic cuisine and led me on a path to discover and learn more about the world of food. There are often times when we are at a crossroads in our lives, and in such conditions, it becomes very necessary to choose the right path. I, too, was at a crossroads in my life after the completion of my high school education when I had to choose between my passion and a sustainable career choice. Irrespective of the circumstances, I went with the former choice and decided to transition into a completely new career path.With a background in science, I made the decision to not make a career in engineering but rather follow my passion for cooking and pursue a hotel management course to become a recognized restaurateur in India. I believe that my love for cooking, combined with my culinary and leadership skills, will help me achieve my dreams of opening my own restaurant.

My decision to transition into hotel management was not made at random; rather, it was heavily inspired from the cumulative experiences of my academic and professional background. I have completed my senior secondary education at Bishop Cotton Girls' School with major subjects in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. And looking ahead, studying engineering in college was my first career choice during school. Nonetheless, I have always had a deep interest in cooking, which has always inspired me to cook new dishes and learn about different cuisines. My love for food then translated into me starting a Youtube channel where I would post the recipes for home-cooked Carnatic dishes that were taught to me by my Ajji. With time, I found a good follower base who loved and appreciated my videos. This strengthened my desire to work in the food and hospitality industry. It was then that I started to consider the idea of becoming a restaurateur and opening my own restaurant where I could share my Ajji’s food with the entire world.

My goal of becoming a restaurateur cannot be simply achieved with the help of my culinary skills, as it demands more knowledge. To successfully run a restaurant, I need to develop budgeting and management skills so that I can become experienced enough to put together a restaurant business and run it smoothly on both front and back-house operations. For the same reason, I decided to pursue a diploma in hotel management. Thus, I have applied to Le Cordon Bleu’s Bachelor of Business (International Hotel Management) course. I chose Le Cordon Bleu for my course because I wanted the opportunity to be a part of a larger, more diverse student body. In addition to this, earning a bachelor's degree from Le Cordon Bleu would provide me with a great internship opportunity to participate in at the end of my course. I believe that I would be a valuable addition to Le Cordon Bleu, as I bring my invaluable love for Carnatic cuisine with a touch of my Ajji’s curated recipes.

Embarking on an advanced course in hotel management will act as a crucial step in my professional trajectory to achieve my career goals. I believe that my bachelors degree will kickstart my journey in the field of hotel management and help me fulfill my short-term goal of gaining work experience in the hospitality industry. This would eventually assist me in accomplishing my long-term goal of becoming a recognized restaurateur and starting my own restaurant.Aside from my personal and professional aspirations, I believe that opening a restaurant purposely dedicated to serving authentic Carnatic food in a world-class setting would not only be my token of love for my Ajji but also an ode to my Carnatic roots and heritage. Opening a restaurant that serves authentic Carnatic food will help me bring pride to my Carnatic culture by representing Carnatic cuisine on a global stage.I am confident that a Bachelor of Business (International Hotel Management) course from Le Cordon Bleu, with its global reputation in the hospitality industry, will allow me to create a worthwhile career as a restaurateur.