Hotel Manager

Introduction

Hotel managers are responsible for the planning, finance and organisation of a hotel, motel, inn or travel lodge. They need to make sure that everything runs smoothly so that guests enjoy their stay.

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Work Activities

Hotels and motels are big business. Wherever you go in the world you'll probably never be very far away from one. There are country hotels, luxury hotels, city hotels, motels and travel lodges serving the needs of all kinds of people. Running a hotel is demanding and varied work.

The manager of an international hotel in a large city may work differently from the manager of a small seaside hotel. But whatever kind of establishment it is, the manager will be responsible for making it successful. This means making sure that the standard of service is what the guests expect and that relevant laws and business procedures (accounting for example) are followed.

The manager of a large hotel is usually known as a general manager. In their team, they might have a restaurant manager, a domestic services manager, a front office manager, a personnel manager and various others reporting to them. Together they have regular management meetings where they discuss problems and possible solutions.

The general manager checks progress on projects that other managers are doing and authorises any special actions that need to be taken. Through these meetings and by walking around the hotel, talking to guests and staff, the general manager gets a good idea of how well the hotel is doing.

In a small hotel the manager might have to take a more hands-on approach. This involves recruiting, training and supervising staff, checking and ordering stock and getting repairs done.

Big national chains own many hotels and motels. In these cases a lot of business strategy, policy and planning is done at the head office. A hotel manager is responsible for making sure that the head office business plan is carried out effectively. In an independent hotel, or one that is part of a smaller chain, the manager may have more input and authority to decide on policy and strategy.

Managers sometimes live in the hotel, so they can be on call at all times.

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Personal Qualities and Skills

Are you good at planning and organising things? Do you have good interpersonal skills to get the best out of staff, deal with unhappy customers and handle committee meetings? These are the kinds of skills that are essential for hotel managers.

You'll also need a lot of energy and the ability to co-ordinate different things that are going on at the same time. Running a hotel is running a business, so you should enjoy working to targets and within a budget. You need a good eye for detail while seeing the wider picture.

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Pay and Opportunities

Salaries for hotel managers vary depending on the size of the hotel and their range of duties.

The pay rates given below are approximate.

Salaries are in the range of £14,500 - £17,500 a year, rising to £22,000 - £28,000. Higher earners can make around £41,000 a year, and higher salaries, up to around £50,000 are possible, eg for general manager posts.

Hotel managers' basic working week is around 40 hours. However, long hours, shift, weekend and public holiday work is common.

Hotel managers work throughout the UK in hotels of all sizes. There may be opportunities to work overseas - especially with the larger hotel chains. Promotion prospects to regional or head office management posts are also good.

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Adult Opportunities

It is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Some entrants have relevant skills and abilities gained in the hotel industry, for example, in room service or as an attendant or receptionist.

If you are working in the industry or have gained relevant skills, you can attend college part-time to study for qualifications such as the HNC in hospitality management.

If you don't have the qualifications needed to enter your chosen degree or Higher National Diploma (HND) course, a college or university Access course could be the way in. No formal qualifications are usually required, but you should check individual course details.

They can lead to relevant degree/HND courses.

A number of educational centres offer relevant hospitality degree and HND/HNC courses by distance learning.

Candidates can apply to the Savoy Educational Trust for financial support for study of courses related to the hospitality industry.

• 18% of hotel and accommodation managers work part-time.
• 9% have flexible hours.

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