This article examines the career paths of hotel managers in relation to the bureaucratic model which dominates career theory. A measurement of how long it takes to become a hotel manager forms a platform which is augmented by data on mobility, skills and knowledge and personal planning strategies. The argument put forward here is that the opportunity structure of the industry encourages a form of career management which involves, as well as jobs and organizations, the labour market as an entity in its own right. This extends the theory of career logics. The special case of food and beverage management emerges clearly from the data.