The role of a hotel manager is challenging and rewarding, requiring you to understand various hotel strategies and management techniques. However, to find your next hotel manager job, you will need to understand the nature of the role, ensure you meet the minimum requirements, and know where to look. Here, you will find important advice on how to find and secure your ideal management position.

Table of Contents:

What is the Hotel Industry?

The hotel industry is the service sector responsible for providing guest accommodation and related products and offerings. It is usually agreed that the industry includes hotels and other types of short-term lodgings, including guest houses, motels, and bed and breakfasts. It also incorporates things like hotel restaurants and other similar facilities but does not include long-term or permanent shelter.

Our “Hotel Industry; Everything You Need to Know About Hotels!” article explains this in more detail.

What is Hotel Management?

Individuals in hotel management positions are responsible for the day-to-day management of all aspects of a hotel. As a result, a hotel manager will need to understand the various hotel departments and how they operate, from accounting and administration to front desk staff, restaurant staff, and marketing.

In addition to the broad hotel manager or general manager positions, each department has hotel management positions. For instance, hotels typically have an HR manager, a restaurant manager, a catering manager, etc. Regardless of the scope of their responsibilities, managers take charge of employees and oversee operations.

Read “Hotel Management: Everything You Need to Know About Managing a Hotel” to learn more.

Hotel Manager: All You Need to Know

If you are looking to move into the role of hotel manager, you will need to understand what the job entails, what the requirements are, and what day-to-day working life actually looks like.

What is the Role of a Hotel Manager?

A hotel manager’s role involves managing people, finances, and day-to-day operations within a hotel. There may be multiple hotel managers in large hotels, each with different areas of responsibility, such as accounting, marketing, or catering. Still, a manager may need to take on all of these roles in smaller hotels.

A general hotel manager will need to understand all of the different departments within a hotel and coordinate with them. Some managers will have frequent day-to-day contact with guests, while others may be primarily based in an office, and this will largely depend on the size of the hotel and how many other customer-facing staff there are.

Hotel Manager Job Description

The specific duties of a hotel manager can vary significantly, depending on a range of different factors, including the size of the hotel and whether the job is a general manager role or a role that forms part of a wider management team. However, generally speaking, a hotel manager will be responsible for running the hotel.

You will usually be required to make budgeting decisions and will be responsible for managing hotel staff. This will involve recruiting new employees, leading with training, and supervising staff to ensure things are running smoothly. A manager may also need to coordinate the efforts of the various different departments.

In addition, managers are often responsible for setting targets and maintaining performance records. It is also worth noting that responsibilities for someone in a hospitality manager role may be even broader due to the fact that the hospitality industry includes a number of additional areas, such as nightlife and transportation.

What Qualifications Does a Hotel Manager Need?

Employers seeking a new hotel manager tend to focus strongly on relevant experience in hotel or hospitality jobs or similar management positions. As a result, gaining a job without specific formal qualifications may be possible. Nevertheless, degrees in certain subjects can boost your chances.

In particular, business management, leisure and tourism, and hotel or hospitality management degrees can be beneficial, while those without relevant degrees may boost their chances by obtaining a relevant foundation or postgraduate qualification. Some employers also offer hotel management programs, which tend to be aimed at graduates.

For departmental management positions within a hotel, relevant degrees may be required. For example, you are likely to require formal marketing qualifications to be a marketing manager. Of course, if you have previously worked as a hotel manager and have a track record of success, any lack of formal qualifications will likely be disregarded.

What Skills Should a Hotel Manager Possess?

Aside from industry and academic qualifications, several skills can be considered mandatory to succeed as a hotel manager. In particular, you must have strong leadership skills and the ability to make sound decisions, even under pressure. Both written and verbal communication skills are also a must.

Those who succeed in a hotel manager job will also be organized, able to manage their time effectively, and able to juggle various responsibilities without becoming overwhelmed. Numeracy skills can be important, and there is likely to be a need to use IT systems and software applications.

Furthermore, any hotel manager’s job is going to be demanding. Working in such a role requires stamina, flexibility, and the ability to think on your feet. In terms of skills that may not be needed but are desirable, knowledge of foreign languages can be extremely advantageous, as can experience working in other hotel job roles.

What Are the Working Conditions of a Hotel Manager?

As with most other jobs within the hotel industry, a hotel manager will usually work shifts rather than having a set work pattern. It is also highly likely that there will be a requirement to work overtime, especially during peak season or at points in time when changes need to be made within the hotel.

In most cases, a hotel manager will have an office to work in, but much of the day-to-day work may be carried out around other parts of the hotel. As a result, it can be a varied and physically demanding role, but the range of different tasks to be carried out can also help to make it interesting, challenging, and rewarding.

What is the Salary of a Hotel Manager?

The average salary for a hotel manager is in the region of £30,000, and as a general manager with broader responsibilities, that average may be closer to £40,000. However, it is important to understand that precise salaries will greatly depend on the size of the hotel, its location, and your experience.

An experienced manager at a large hotel may earn as much as £60,000, which could exceed £80,000 at the biggest hotels in popular locations. Higher pay levels may also be provided if the job requires you to live in the hotel for substantial periods or if the responsibilities exceed what would normally be expected.

You can also expect your salary to increase over time as you settle in and become more accomplished.

Video: Tips to Become a Hotel Manager

Below you find a video with practical tips on becoming a hotel manager.

 

List of Channels to Find a Hotel Management Job

Aside from having the necessary skills, experience, and qualifications, a significant part of finding your ideal hotel manager job is actually applying for the right role. This means keeping an eye out for vacancies and using all of the available channels to identify the right job for you.

By reading “List of Channels to Find a Hotel Management Job”, you will find a breakdown of the various available channels, complete with information on how they can help you to find your dream role.

List of Hotel Chains to Find a Hotel Manager Job

In some cases, the best way to find a job as a hotel manager may be to approach hotels directly, and having knowledge of the most popular and successful hotel chains can help here. Fortunately, many of these companies will list vacancies on their website, social media profiles, and other channels, making things easier.

Read “List of Hotel Chains to Find a Hotel Manager Job” to find a list of some of the main hotel chains and give yourself the best possible chance of moving into the field of hotel management.

Practical Tips for Kick-Starting Hotel Careers

After you have found the ideal hotel manager job, you need to give yourself the best possible chance of landing it. In truth, many different things make up a successful job application, from crafting an excellent CV to ensuring your interview technique is up to scratch.

Our “Practical Tips for Kick-Starting Hotel Careers” article provides more information, along with 10 practical tips that can help you to find your ideal job and kick-start your career.

Understanding the Different Hotel Positions

The job role of a hotel manager may describe a general manager with a broad range of different responsibilities within a hotel. Still, it is important to understand that there are other management jobs within the hotel industry, including accounting, marketing, restaurant, and HR managers.

Read “Understanding the Different Hotel Positions” for more about the available hotel roles.

Hiring the Right Staff for Your Hotel

A key part of the role of a hotel manager involves managing employees. While this can involve supervising tasks or providing instructions, it can also involve hiring new team members. However, the right steps must be taken to recruit your team’s best people.

Our article, “Hiring the Right Staff for Your Hotel”, provides some useful advice on ensuring you are recruiting the right candidates for the vacancies you need to fill in your hotel.

Hospitality Excellence: Empowering Your Team Through Essential Training Courses

Training shouldn’t be an afterthought. While many skills are best learned on the job, proper training can help lay the foundations for more effective development. In some roles, appropriate training may be essential for regulatory compliance. A well-trained staff is more efficient, streamlining operations and saving money, as well as providing a higher level of excellence in the guest experience.

In “Hospitality Training: 20 Need-to-Know Courses to Train Your Staff,” you’ll discover 20 types of hospitality training that can benefit staff across many different disciplines and levels. From essential food safety training to graduate-level programs for hotel managers, these courses will help you take your personnel to the next level.

Finding your next hotel manager job will require you to have the right skills, qualifications, and experience. The specifics, however, will depend on the nature of the management position and the size of the hotel. In addition, it is important to understand the range of responsibilities and what a typical working day may look like.

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Revfine.com is a knowledge platform for the hospitality & travel industry. Professionals use our insights, strategies and actionable tips to get inspired, optimise revenue, innovate processes and improve customer experience. You can find all hotel & hospitality tips in the categories Revenue Management, Marketing & Distribution, Hotel Operations, Staffing & Career, Technology and Software.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.