In every business human resource capital is the most precious capital. In present scenario of cut throat competition skills development plays a crucial role in performance of this human capital in every industry. Hotel Industry is one of the sectors where skills of employee play a very vital role to determine the success of the organization. Soft skills not only help in improving the overall performance of human assets but it also enhances the tourist’s satisfaction. This paper is an attempt to identify the significance of soft skills. 
 
KEYWORDS:  Human Resource Management, Hotel Industry, Tourism, Tourists Satisfaction.

Introduction The Collins English Dictionary defines the term "soft skills" as "desirable qualities for certain forms of employment that do not depend on acquired knowledge: they include common sense, the ability to deal with people, and a positive flexible attitude."Soft skills are a bunch of prolific characteristics that characterize an individual’s relationships in a certain situation. These personalities traits can include social graces, communication abilities, language skills, personal habits, cognitive or emotional empathy, time management, team -work and leadership traits.  Soft skill is a common term for skills under three key functional elements: people skills, social skills, and personal career attributes. Soft skills are important job-related skills that encompass little or no interaction with machines and whose application on the job is quite generalized." A study conducted by Harvard University noted that 80% of achievements in career are determined by soft skills and only 20% by hard skills. A person's success in an organization is highly dependable on his/her soft skills. 

Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC) has found that, while credentialing in the form of degrees and certificates is important, development of soft skills; skills that are more social than technical will be a crucial part of fostering a dynamic workforce. Skills projected to be in the highest demand for all Indian occupations through 2014 include active listening, critical thinking, speaking, active learning, writing, time management, and social perceptiveness (Davies, 2007). Soft skills are those skills which becomes the main channel of communication when one person interacts with another person. Soft skills are today's power skill and are blend of interpersonal, communication and social intelligence skills that are in high demand in hotel industry. Soft skills complement hard skills also known as technical skills, for productive workplace performance and everyday life competencies (Arkansas Department of Education, 2007).  Soft skills are increasingly sought out by employers in addition to standard qualifications.  Hence, soft skills are as important as cognitive/technical skills (John, 2009; Zehr, 1998).