If so, there’s plenty to choose from, especially here in Orlando.  And in particular if you’re one of the many, many people who actually put this sentence on your resume or job application:  “I’m such a PEOPLE person, I know I’ll be perfect for this job!  People just LOVE me!”  Well go ahead, gag all you want, but some people, and you know who you are, really do put this on their job application.  But good news for all you people-lovers, because guess what?  Seriously, what kind of jobs are out there that don’t require some form of interaction with actual live human beings at some point?  (Okay, I do recognize that there are a lot of virtual workers in the world now; but still, even those jobs must require just a tad of  playing-nice-with-people-when-necessary, right?)

Anyway, jobs in the hospitality industry are almost exclusively about human interaction.  No matter the position or job title, if it fits under the broad category of ‘hospitality’, then at bare minimum you’d better be able to function in at least these three areas:

1. Sound chipper, and speak with some level of authority (Can you imagine feeling comfortable hearing that tiny, high-pitched, squeaky voice of Mickey Mouse give you those final instructions about ‘hang on for dear life’ as you strap into Space Mountain?  Now do you get the point about speaking with authority?)
2. Look presentable (and bonus points if you, um, smell pretty good, too)
3. Play nice with people of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, questionable characters, ages, genders (coming at you displaying all levels of anger management), and ‘what-not.’  (And by ‘what not’ I’m lumping a whole lot of questionable people into this one category that is basically summed up by the phrase, “you won’t believe what I saw/encountered at work today”, uttered by many an off-duty hospitality employee.  For more explanation on this category and visual proof see former Hive blog post about tacky tourists. Pigs On a Plane?)

Oh, and by the way, just to be clear, you’d better speak with authority, look decent, and play nice to everyone with all of the honesty and belief in the good of humanity that you can muster while holding said job in this industry.  Otherwise there is no believing in the ‘hospitable’ part of hospitality, right?

That said, from time to time I’m going to be posting some interviews with ‘hospitable-hospitality’ people I’ve come across that have interesting jobs, which is how I’m circling back to the title of this blog.  But for today, since I   haven’t yet completed any of those interviews, I’ll share a couple of the more interesting industry jobs that are currently being showcased via a CNN Business Traveller report titled, “10 Weirdest Travel Jobs.” For starters, there is this one:

Dog Surfing Instructor:  Sorry, no need to apply because the position is currently held by Teevan McManus of the Coronado Surfing Academy who works at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Spa, San Diego, CA.  (To be fair, he also teaches this sport to humans, but somehow the ‘dog surfing instructor’ part is getting more press.  Go figure.)

Or how about this one?  Fragrance Butlers can be found at numerous Rosewood Resorts around the globe.  The explanation for this position is, “to attend to guests olfactory needs on a 24/7 basis.” (Yes, you read that correctly.  Some people are desperately seeking lovely scents – on their bodies and in the air surrounding them – 24 hours a day.  Oh my!)

And while these crazy but real jobs are not currently available here in Orlando, we do have a plethora of really great and interesting career paths to follow in our local hospitality industry.  Keep checking this blog site for some of those interesting interviews I mentioned, and let me know if you have questions/curiosity about any aspect of the Orlando Hospitality scene.  As the saying goes, “I live to serve”, and that is never more evident than right here in the thousands of jobs found in your own backyard being performed by your family, and friends, and neighbors.

Photos courtesy of Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa, and Rosewood Hotels, respectively.