From school desks to front desks: a comparison of emotional intelligence levels of hospitality undergraduate students to hospitality industry professionals

With the popularity of the emotional intelligence (EI) construct in current research and leadership publications today, a study to determine the necessity of including it into academic curricula for hospitality undergraduate students to better prepare them for their career choice was needed. This study tested hospitality industry professionals’ EI and compared their scores to hospitality undergraduate students to determine if differences exist. Significant differences were found, giving credence to the view that curricula inclusion would be beneficial in preparing students for a more seamless entrance into leadership positions within the industry. Keywords: emotional intelligence; hospitality industry; undergraduate students