Vocational Index

Career

Lodging managers

Make sure every guest at a hotel is looked after.

$69,250
Median pay
+3.8%
Job growth, 2025–35
5,500
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Answer inquiries pertaining to hotel policies and services, and resolve occupants' complaints.
  • Participate in financial activities, such as the setting of room rates, the establishment of budgets, and the allocation of funds to departments.
  • Confer and cooperate with other managers to ensure coordination of hotel activities.
  • Greet and register guests.
  • Monitor the revenue activity of the hotel or facility.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+3.4%2025–35 edition+3.8%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 5,400 → 5,500 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Persuasion & leadership
6.2
Information & systems
5.2
People & care
4.3
Objects & tools
2.7
Creation & expression
1.4
Ideas & analysis
1.1

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on persuasion & leadership, then information & systems?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Answer inquiries pertaining to hotel policies and services, and resolve occupants' complaints.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Active Listening, Service Orientation, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

No degree beyond high school, though on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $69,250 a year and 5,500 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Hospitality ManagementSee the degree →
  • Hospitality Administration/Management, GeneralCIP 52.0901
  • Hotel/Motel Administration/ManagementCIP 52.0904
  • Restaurant/Food Services ManagementCIP 52.0905
  • Resort ManagementCIP 52.0906
  • Hotel, Motel, and Restaurant ManagementCIP 52.0909

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →

Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.