Careers with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.

As of December 31, 2008, Starwood's hotel portfolio included owned, leased, managed and franchised hotels totaling 942 hotels with approximately 285,000 rooms in approximately 100 countries.

Also as of December 31, 2008, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. had 145,000 people employed - all put together, of whom approximately 36% were employed in the United States. Approximately 37% of the U.S.-based employees are covered by various union agreements providing for basic pay rates, working hours, other conditions of employment and orderly settlement of labor disputes.

A career in Hospitality and/or at Starwood does not necessarily mean that you end up handling customers/facilities. There's all kinds of jobs available at Starwood, including accounting, architecture, engineering, telemarketing, legal, etc. You can find the full list of job functions at Starwood here.

Benefits vary depending on your preferred job location, but these are some which will possibly be offered:-

• Comprehensive, low cost health insurance for you and your family
• Dental and vision insurance coverage
• Company-sponsored retirement plans - 401(k)
• Life Insurance and Disability Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Employee Assistance Program
• Adoption Assistance
• Domestic Partner eligibility

Starwood also offers paid time off and vacation programs, and encourages associates to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Plus, you get massive discounts at Starwood properties. Employees can stay at their hotels & resorts for as little as $29 per night. You get free or discounted meals at the property's cafeteria where you work.

And you get steep discounts at Starwood local business partners, on things like computers, new cars, entertainment, car rentals, magazines, electronics, and mobile phone service.

You can start by creating a jobalert profile, in which case you're notified of new openings matching your profile.

Or simply start searching for Starwood jobs here - www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/careers/search/index.html

Careers with Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)

Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) is the biggest hotel group in the world, with over 620,000 rooms in more than 4200 hotels, spread across seven brands and nearly 100 countries. Guests make over 180 million stays at IHG hotels every year.

Naturally, it's not easy to summarize the entire careers section of IHG in one blog post. And the HR Dept at IHG recognizes the vast spread and teh difficulty in implementing uniform hiring practices.

To that end, they have made it easy by allowing prospective employees to create online profiles in IHG's database, so it becomes easy to match and track applicationsa nd new openings. If you want to create your own profile for IHG jobs, click here.

IHG is an equal opportunity employer, and with operations spread across nearly 100 countries, it's reltively easy if you want to move to a specific country. Please note, however, that IHG does not automatically sponsor candidates for work permits and visas to work in a new country.

Possible benefits include:-

• Incentive opportunities based on company and individual performance
• Long term incentives available at select levels within the organisation
• Medical, Dental, Life, and Disability Insurance
• Pension or 401(k) retirement plans
• Discounted hotel room rates for you and your family around the world
• Paid time off and company designated holidays
• Flexible work arrangements to help balance work and home
• Health and wellness programs
• Training, continuous education, and educational assistance
• Employee discounts and special offers

You can start your search for IHG's full-time jobs and those for graduates here - www.ihgplc.com/index.asp?pageid=430

Careers with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

San Francisco based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is on Forbes' list of 'The 100 Best Companies To Work For.' And that's not just some corporate feel-good achievement program. Kimpton was awarded as the best place to work in the Bay Area in 2007.

Plus, they actually take good care of their employees, their hotels and their customers. Kimpton's committment to the environment and to providing a family-friendly atmosphere and amenities for guests is legendary. They have branded programs under which all Kimpton Hotels and restaurants adher to the same standards set by the Kimpton Kids and

Benefits at Kimpton include comprehensive medical benefits, long and short term disability, paid vacation time, tuition reimbursement and employee discounts, paid sabbaticals for general managers and executive chefs, and a managers' parental leave program, for mothers, fathers and partners. They even have a pet care program, which covers all kinds of pets, from furry to feathered.

Factor in the vast spread of Kimpton Hotels across the nation, coupled with career development options like Kimpton University, the management trainee program, and the Mentor and Leadership programs, and you have a pretty good chance for giving your budding career in hospitality a nice boost with a job at Kimpton.

And they have an online application process, which makes it even easier to apply for a position with Kimpton, regardless of your physical location.

You can start your search for employment and the application process at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants here - www.kimptonhotels.com/HR/jobsearch.aspx

Disneyland Resort Jobs

Goes without saying that a Disney career is a magical experience. It's one of the biggest brands in the world, and a job at the Disneyland Resort is a virtual guarantee that your career in hospitality will have a bright future.

But you might not need to look beyond Disney, because Disney employees enjoy the 'Disney Difference.' That means weekly pay, health-care insurance options, paid vacation and sick leave,
retirement plans, annual pay increases and premium-pay incentives may be available for certain positions, employee stock purchase program, and credit union membership.

Plus, you get theme park admission, discounts on tickets, dining and recreation locations throughout the Resort, discounts at select Disney Resort hotels, and assistance with work/personal issues like childcare and budgeting.

You also have access to on-site learning centers and programs, training opportunities and an educational reimbursement program, and commuter assistance.

But being part of such a well-known consumer oriented family-friendly brand as Disney has some additional requirements for cast members which may not be required at other companies. For example, the guidelines for your appearance and look, attire, jewelry, etc. are very strict - No tatoos, and very specific rules for facial hair. More details here.

Due to the seasonal nature of it's business, Disneyland has a lot of opportunities for part-time and seasonal workers.

Start your search for jobs at the Disneyland Resort here - http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/disneyland/index.html

Careers with Joie de Vivre Hotels

Joie de Vivre, or as it is better known - JDV Hotels, is a San Francisco based company which runs boutique hotels in California. JDV was founded by Chip Conley in 1987.

Joie de Vivre Hotel's parent company is Joie de Vivre Hospitality, which oversees all of the other businesses beyond the boutique hotels including restaurants, spas, and affiliate hotels. When you tote it all up, JDV rakes in about $200 million in annual revenues.

In 2008, Joie de Vivre Hospitality was ranked as the 2nd best place to work in the Bay area in the 501-1,500 employees category. In the hospitality sector, the industry employee turnover rate is about 70%. Joie de Vivre has consistently been about a third of the industry average, coming in at around 25%.

After three years and every three years thereafter, salaried managers at JDV receive a four-week, paid sabbatical - a benefit Joie de Vivre paved the way to create in the hospitality industry.

An extensive learning and development umbrella - JDV University - offers opportunities for personal growth like surfing, card-making and hiking in the California redwoods along with extensive professional development of ESL courses and front desk host academies. Joie de Vivre has invested over $70,000 to help it's employees learn English as a second language in 2008 alone.

You also get two complimentary stays each quarter at any of JDV's California hotels, along with discounts at Joie de Vivre restaurants for you and your guests. And also spa treatments at discounted rates.

To begin searching for jobs with JDV, start here - www.jdv.jobs/, or here - www.jdvhotels.com/careers.

Careers with Marriott International

Marriott International (www.marriott.com/) has been named as one of the 100 best companies to work for in 2008 by Fortune Magazine. And with 14 brands spread across more than 3200 proeprties in over 66 countries, Marriott offers plenty of choice and scope for career development.

Marriott International is based in Bethesda, Maryland, very near to where it began in 1927 as a root beer stand in Washington DC. Today, Marriott operates or franchises hotels, resorts, executive accommodations and suites worldwide, translating into approximately 515,000 rooms and more than 10,000 vacation ownership villas.

Marriott participates in the Electronic Employment Verification Program and Marriott’s benefits package includes:

• Medical, dental, life & disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Continuing education/tuition reimbursement
• Ongoing training and career development programs
• Work/family programs and services
• Discounts on hotel rooms, food & beverage

You can start your online job search for careers with Marriott International here. If you're looking for internships or summer jobs, start here.

Careers with Hilton Hotels Corp

For those looking for careers in hospitality, Hilton Hotels Corp. offers a unique opportunity. It's one of the biggest hotel groups in the world, with more than 3,200 hotels and 545,000 rooms in over 77 countries and regions.

Hilton is currently based in Beverly Hills, California, but they're in the process of moving everything to FairFax, Virginia. They also have an Operations Center in Memphis.

Careers at Hilton range from hotels and call centers to the corporate offices and vacation ownership properties, and internships and summer jobs. If you're looking for jobs at any of Hilton's hotels, click here.

For 'Reservations & Customer Care Call Centers' start here. These include many telecommute jobs.

And here's the ones for their Corporate Offices. If you're anywhere near the Washington DC Metro area, now might be a good time to check out the jobs at Hilton's HQ, since they're setting up shop in Fairfax, VA, and have plans to hire hundreds of area residents.

And here's the jobs for Hilton Grand vacations, and for their Memphis Operations Center, and if you're looking for an internship or a summer job, click here.