How to Become a Hotel Manager
Hotel managers are some of the most well-paid professionals in the world. Besides the impressive salary they earn, other perks make it an attractive profession. From making friends with influential people to working in a serene environment, hotel managers have one of the best jobs. If you want to know how to become a hotel manager, you are right on time.
In this guide, you will discover all the vital steps to achieving this goal. This article covers the qualifications you need to become a hotel manager, how much hotel managers earn around the world, and what skills you need to be great at this job.
Also, we will cover all the duties of a hotel manager. First, we will start by introducing you to who a hotel manager is.
Who is a Hotel Manager?
A hotel manager is usually an employee of the hotel management or owner with the basic responsibility of overseeing the affairs of a hotel or an establishment in the hospitality industry. Hotel managers are usually the most senior employees of where they work. All other employees answer directly to the hotel manager.
A hotel manager is not only responsible for their own work, but the performance of the staff, the maintenance of the facility, the wellbeing of customers, and more. Marketing, events planning, scheduling, maintenance, staff payroll, and other responsibilities are part of a hotel manager’s job description. The hotel owner can sometimes serve as the hotel manager. However, this mostly happens in small hotels.
Duties of a hotel manager
Hotel managers perform a lot of duties. They are accountable for all that happens on the hotel premises and more. a hotel manager performs the following duties:
Recruiting and training staff
Part of the hotel manager’s primary duties is recruiting hotel staff. They include cleaners, chefs, waiters, and more professionals across different roles. To perform this duty superbly, you have to know something about the various positions you need to hire people. You must also give the new and existing staff members the adequate training they need to be at their best.
Delegating duties
A hotel manager is every other employee’s boss. Delegating duties is a key aspect of their job. A hotel manager must know who is the right person to play certain roles. Thus, hotel managers must know the strengths and weaknesses of their employees. For example, the best communicators should be the ones welcoming guests and making them feel comfortable.
Attending to guests on delicate matters.
The hotel customers or guests are the heart and soul of the business. If your customers are not happy, you are in trouble. Therefore, you must focus on them. Although, there would probably be other employees tasked with attending to guests, attending to customers is the primary duty of a hotel manager. You have to listen to their complaints or queries. Also, you must do your best to be there in person to attend to customers on delicate matters.
Representing the hotel
Have you noticed how customers are always quick to want to “speak to the manager” with every chance they get? It is because managers are seen as the face of the hotel. Another important duty of a hotel manager is being an ambassador of the establishment. Whenever there is a problem, you would most likely be the scapegoat. Equally, whenever the establishment reaches a milestone or has an award to receive, the hotel manager steps forward on behalf of the business.
Ensuring health and safety compliance
Strict regulations are guiding the running of businesses in the hospitality industry. Some of these regulations involve health, as well as security and safety protocols. A hotel manager has to ensure that the hotel abides by these laws. They must put down a structure that encourages employees to be compliant in all these cases.
Education and qualification
Just like any other profession, you need certain qualifications and educational background to become a hotel manager. The good part is that virtually any graduate of any field can become a hotel manager. All they need to do is take a post-graduate course on hotel management.
Also, those with only a high school diploma can take a hotel management course to prepare them for life as a hotel manager. Besides the aforementioned qualifications, having a background in catering, hospitality, customer service, or any related field, is preferred.
Qualities of a hotel manager
As a hotel manager, you must possess several qualities that would make you cope with the demands of the job.
Integrity
The most important quality a hotel manager must have is integrity. It is easy to commit perjury in the hospitality business. Customers always lose their valuables, while some disclose vital information about themselves carelessly. For this reason, the hotel management must be sure that the hotel manager is someone they can trust.
Friendly
The purpose of establishing a hospitality business is to make people feel at home away from home. Thus, customers must be treated specially and warmly to ensure that they stay longer than they intended to if possible. A hotel manager must be a friendly person who truly cares about the customers. Sometimes customers act irrationally, while some may be going through a rough period. Someone with the ability to cheer people up, make them feel warm and at home is the best fit for this job.
Leadership
A hotel manager’s position is a leadership position. By default, you must possess leadership qualities to function well in this position. Firstly, you will oversee other employees in the establishment and be responsible for what goes on. The ability to take tough decisions when necessary take responsibility for the collective performance of the hotel staff and lead by example is what every hotel manager must possess.
Discretion
Many things happen in hotels that may be questionable. As a hotel manager, it is not your job to get involved in other people’s private affairs. A lot of things will come to your notice; secrets, confidential information, and at times, scandalous behaviors. However, you must be discreet with personal information. As long as no criminal offense was done on the premises or any customer is a wanted person, whatever happens in the hotel premises stays there.
Required skills for becoming a hotel manager
A hotel manager’s job is a very delicate position. It requires a combination of skills to succeed professionally and as an individual in this profession. The following are some of the most important skills you must have.
Organization
A hotel manager runs the affairs of the establishment and has a lot to oversee daily. There will be tight schedules and deadlines to meet. Also, times will come when you will have an influx of data to manage at once. Having good organizational skills will come in handy as you multitask and make sure everyone else does their jobs well.
Teamwork
Part of being a good leader is also being an exceptional team player. Teamwork is a skill not everyone can boast of. It involves putting aside selfish goals for the sake of the team. A hotel manager must have it in them to work as a unit with their junior colleagues to achieve a collective, organizational goal daily.
Attention to detail
Hotel managers receive a lot of credit when it is due, and rightly so. This is because of the extent to which they carry out their duties to the letter. Every customer is different, each with its unique preferences. Some customers have certain allergies, while others just don’t fancy having some things around their suites.
More often than not, clients make their concerns known to the hotel staff and management upon lodging. These details are never to be taken lightly- the consequences can be dire. Thus, a hotel manager must pay special attention to these details to satisfy their customer, and probably save a life in the process.
Negotiation
You must possess exceptional negotiation skills to excel in this position. Even though not many are born negotiators, you can always learn from experts. As a hotel manager, it would be your call to replace broken or redundant equipment, pay to get certain maintenance jobs done, and make budgets. Having good negotiation skills will help you cut costs, save money, and ultimately make smarter decisions. All these will not go unnoticed by the hotel management or owners.
Communication
Being a hotel manager means you are going to work with people daily. Also, you will have to interact face to face, through phone calls and messages to people of all walks of life regularly. No one in the business needs to have apt communication skills more than you do. How you address people, keep the peace, solve disputes, and provide timely solutions to customers’ problems can be effectively done by tactful communication.
Financial management
A hotel manager must be skilled in handling money. Financial management is crucial to the success of any hotel manager. Since parts of your duties will involve paying staff, sanctioning repairs, and purchasing necessary tools, managing money is a must-have skill. Being able to make smart decisions regarding spending and the ability to account for cash coming in and going out is vital to this position.
Versatility.
As a hotel manager, you are responsible for whatever you do and what your staff does as well. There will be times when a staff member fails to carry out their duty properly to the disgust of your customer. You would need to fix the problem yourself at once to avoid further problems. Also, if something needs attending to immediately and the employee responsible for handling such problems is not there at that time, you would have no choice but to fill in. Flexibility is a must-have skill for every hotel manager.
How much does a hotel manager earn?
Hotel managers earn a decent salary. The salary depends on factors like the size of the hotel, the location, and skill level, among others. For this evaluation, we will be considering the average salaries hotel managers make in top hotels.
In the United States, hotel managers earn a salary of about $110,000 on average. For hotel managers in the UK, the average paycheck is between GBP80,000 and upwards of GBP200,000.
If you were to get a job working as a hotel manager in Dubai, the monthly salary you should expect to earn is around AED39,000. In Nigeria, hotel managers earn between NGN120,000 and NGN650,000 per month. Hotel managers in Ghana earn a monthly salary of between GHC3,800 and GHC14,000 on average.
Where can a hotel manager work?
The obvious place that comes to mind whenever the question of where a hotel manager can work is a hotel. Interestingly, some believe a hotel manager can only get a job in a hotel. This is far from true.
A hotel manager can work in any organization that focuses on hospitality and hotels are only one such type of establishment. Besides hotels, a hotel manager can also work for a Bread and Breakfast company or business. These days, Bread and Breakfast businesses that offer castles and villas to their customers, employ hotel managers to oversee the business.
Also, motels, inns, and resorts hire hotel managers to manage the facility. Residential clubs are also not left out of options for a hotel manager. There are opportunities in independent hotels and leisure groups as well. Thus, you have a variety of options if you are eager to start a career as a hotel manager.
Conclusion
Experience and skill are two of the most important aspects of being a hotel manager. This profession is better suited to those who have no problem interacting with people daily and making them feel at home. As a hotel manager, you will find it easy to network and make influential friends.
If you had thought that only hotel chains hired hotel managers, now you know better. There are many establishments all over the world looking for someone with these skills right now. Get the needed qualifications and skills, then kick-start your career. And if you need any more help or have questions about this profession, let us know in the comments section.