How to become a Hospitality Designer
Hospitality Design is an exciting field for persons who enjoy creating pleasant and functional spaces where people gather. This can include restaurant interior design as well as planning for hotel facilities and accommodations. Here are some of the steps involved in becoming a successful hospitality designer.
Get That Degree
Hospitality Design involves the overall design of a structure as well as the interior layout of the facility. Most Hospitality Designers will have a solid educational background in a field related to design. A degree in architecture, for example, is helpful for those considering this career field. Also, various degrees that have to do with interior design, especially in a corporate or retail setting, will also prove very helpful. Many of the classes required for this field can be taken at both universities and local trade schools.
Find A Mentor
Most Hospitality Designers get their start as part of a team assigned to a hospitality design project. Being on a team is a great way to add to formal education some practical application and experience. Team projects provide the opportunity to implement theory and translate it into actual project experience. No matter how comprehensive an education may be, nothing can top learning from a group of experienced professionals. Spending a few years under the watchful eye of a mentor, or a group of mentors, will provide a mixture of knowledge and experience that can be the foundation for a lucrative career.
Channel and Develop Creative Skills
The successful Hospitality Designer will know how to manage a group of creative people, and channel their creative juices into the task of building a wonderful design that will impress and excite the client. This includes goal oriented leadership, focusing the group’s energies in the proper direction to keep the project on track, settling creative disputes, and assuming responsibility for keeping the job within budget and on time. Whether the job is an interior redesign of an existing facility or creating something brand new from scratch, the designer that knows how to head up a team will be way ahead in the process of completing a design properly. A Hospitality Designer that is adept at leadership is vital to a successful career in hospitality design.