Full comparison of hospitality vs business degree

You may be wondering how to choose between a hospitality degree and a business degree.

A hospitality degree offers the same academic theory in an educational environment, similar to a business degree.

A hospitality business degree, though, also gives you the chance to develop soft skills and learn practical, on-the-job work experience.

This combination of theoretical and hands-on learning gives you more options after graduation and makes you more employable in the eyes of prospective employers globally.

Continue reading for a full comparison of hospitality degrees vs business degrees.

What is business and hospitality management?

A hospitality business degree is an educational pathway that provides all the theory you would typically find with an international business degree.

With a hospitality management degree, you’ll develop soft skills and the specific knowledge needed to become a C-level manager in a hospitality environment.

Topics covered in a hospitality management degree include:

• Business theory and/or strategy
• Marketing
• Finance
• Human resources

The main difference from a traditional business degree is the focus on customer hospitality.

This includes the customer experience (CX) within places like hotels, restaurants, lounges, working on conferences and international events, tourism, group leadership, public relations, and so much more.

Is hospitality the same as business management?

The academic content is similar to a business management degree but focused on the hospitality industry.

Plus, a hospitality management degree has the added benefit of including practical learning opportunities, with exciting work experiences during internship placements across the globe.

As part of a hospitality degree, you’ll learn the soft skills that employers are looking for. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Attention to detail
• Working while under stress
• Paying attention to customer experience
• Use of digital tools and technologies
• Managing teams and spearheading hospitality strategies
• Learning about and accommodating a range of cultures and demographics

A hospitality degree is an ideal option for you if you prefer to learn through doing.

You’ll get hands-on experience in real-world hospitality environments, giving you an edge over the competition for the top job roles worldwide.

As a bonus, during your hospitality degree, you’ll have the opportunity to travel to new, exciting places through internships.

Choose from a range of destinations and learn while working with world-renowned hospitality organisations. The best part? You’ll have time to explore and enjoy whatever country you travel to!

Is hospitality management a business degree?

If you choose a degree like the BBA at Les Roches, the answer is yes.

You’ll learn the same academic theories as commonly found in business degrees. The only difference is a focus on hospitality, rather than a general approach to business.

Do you need a degree to be a manager at a hotel?

As part of your career pathway, a hospitality degree is a great way to increase your value in the eyes of prospective employers.

This includes prestigious luxury hotel brands that you can connect with during your degree and a community of thousands of alumni globally after graduation.

Keep in mind that a traditional business degree route means you won’t gain valuable work experience.

A hospitality degree offers hands-on work experience during the course, giving you an edge over the competition.

This could help you move straight into a higher-level managerial role, rather than working from the bottom up.

You’ll already have worked in similar environments and will feel confident entering your new role.

Keep in mind that a traditional business degree route means you won’t gain valuable work experience.

A hospitality degree offers hands-on work experience during the course, giving you an edge over the competition.

This could help you move straight into a higher-level managerial role, rather than working from the bottom up.

You’ll already have worked in similar environments and will feel confident entering your new role.

Hospitality management vs business management

Throughout a hospitality management degree, you’ll develop transferable soft skills that can be used in many different industries – not just hospitality.

You’ll focus on developing a keen sense of customer experience — one of the key ways hospitality brands set themselves apart from their competitors. Les Roches helps its students to develop skills that are valued by companies across several industry sectors.

This makes you more employable and allows you to explore other industry sectors, such as:

• Finance and investment
• Real estate
• Marketing
• Social Media
• Luxury
• Sports

These skills can only truly be learnt on the job.

A textbook doesn’t offer the same hands-on learning experience and many employers expect previous work experience from successful candidates.

By studying for a hospitality degree, you’ll keep your career options open if you decide to move to another sector or industry.

A hospitality management degree also gives you access to an alumni network.

This is a group of like-minded graduates just like yourself, that you can speak with to advance your career and expand your job options.

Hospitality business degrees are a good choice if you want to keep your career options open

By taking a degree in hospitality management, you’ll gain the skills to excel in hospitality and a range of other industries.

This is thanks to transferable soft skills that will be learned through a hospitality business degree, such as leadership skills, analytical skills and more.

Employers are very eager to find people with these soft skills and a hospitality business degree can make you stand out as a job candidate.

This gives employers the confidence that you can perform your job role to a high standard of customer experience, something all industries – not just hospitality – are looking for.

A hospitality degree also gives you the chance to meet a wide range of people from different cultures.

As part of the degree, you can choose from a range of global locations for work experience and travel while you learn. This real-world exposure to industry-leading businesses means you’ll be learning from the best and growing your career opportunities.

Enrol in one of the world’s most respected hospitality business degrees

The Les Roches bachelor hospitality degree program is respected worldwide for training top hospitality graduates. It combines training in a real-world setting with academic tuition to fully prep you for your career goals in the world of hospitality.

Les Roches’ BBA in Global Hospitality Management combines academic learning with real-world work experiences to develop your skills and give you the competitive edge.

The course takes 3.5 years to complete and you’ll learn all the ins and outs of hospitality.

Take advantage of two opportunities during the course at one of the top hospitality schools to enrol in an internship, learning alongside the greatest minds and brands in the hospitality industry in a country of your choosing.

Then, specialise in the final year in one of the following areas:

• Entrepreneurship
• Digital Marketing Strategy
• Hotel Financial Performance Management**
• Resort Development and Management**
• Sustainable Developments and Practices*

*Available in Switzerland

**Available in Spain

Over 94% of Les Roches’ students get one or more job offers after graduating from the course.

These job offers come from 300+ globally recognised hospitality brands, all of which are looking for candidates with your skills.

Stay in touch after graduation with our alumni network of 13,000+ students and counting! Use the alumni network to connect with other students and identify opportunities to climb the career ladder.

The world needs more hospitality gurus! Request a callback to start your journey into hospitality management.

Enrol in one of the world’s most respected Hospitality Business degrees

Learn with Les Roches and discover a world of opportunities.

Bachelor in hospitality management

Frequently asked questions about Bachelors in Hospitality Management

Which is better: hotel management or hospitality management?

Hospitality management offers a wide range of opportunities both inside and outside the hospitality industry. Hotel management is specifically focused on one area, which may reduce the number of opportunities available.

What is the average business hospitality management salary?

Hospitality salaries vary depending on the specific industry and how many years of experience you have. At senior level, hospitality managers can expect up to a six-figure income.

What is business hospitality and tourism management?

This is focused on making sure tourists have a great customer experience while travelling by offering great hospitality. This can involve informing tourists of local landmarks and activities, planning events for larger groups, orchestrating travel and packaged activities between destinations, and more general day-to-day operations management.