A hotel manager is the person who runs the hotel. Duties include managing
staff, deciding how much to charge for rooms, keeping the hotel on budget,
ordering hotel merchandise and supplies and coordinating all hotel services
like catering. Of course, a good manager also greets and assists guests.
A hotel manager's duties will vary depending on the size of the hotel.
The manager of a smaller hotel may be responsible for everything. A manager
at a larger hotel may have more specialized duties.
- Promotion managers market the hotel to potential customers. They
oversee all advertising and promotional activities related to the hotel.
- Convention managers work with guests and promotion managers on
conventions being held in the hotel. They have to manage the rooms, meals
and meeting rooms for large numbers of guests attending the convention.
- Recreation coordinators or managers arrange activities such as
horseback riding, swimming, boating or weight training for guests. These managers
also look after the hotel's gym.
- Personnel managers do all the hiring, firing, training and management
of staff.
- General managers oversee all the managers listed above to make
sure all the hotel services are running smoothly.
"In most cases, unless you work in a very large hotel or resort, a hotel
manager's job involves some combination of these duties," says hotel manager
Leslie Donaldson.
If you want to be a hotel manager, you should be the kind of person who
can "wear different hats," says Donaldson.
"Some days, I feel like a porter, an accountant, a therapist and a hostess,
all in one."
Communication skills are also important for people in this career. Hotel
managers are always dealing with people, be they customers, staff or other
managers.
"You have to know how to talk to people. You have to know how to be sensitive
in the language you use, because you are dealing with such a wide audience.
You certainly don't want to offend anyone," says hotel manager Sean Seymour.
Hotel managers may work at a small, privately owned hotel, or for a hotel
that's part of a chain.
Hours of work for hotel managers are as varied as the hotels themselves.
Night and weekend work is common, as are workweeks consisting of more than
40 hours. Often, hotel managers put in 12-hour days if they are required to
be at the hotel during a big event or busy season. Some hotel managers live
in the hotels they manage and are on call 24 hours a day.
Relocation may be necessary for advancement when working for large hotel
chains.
Managers have to be able to deal with unhappy patrons and have the ability
to supervise and coordinate staff. Effective communication skills, problem-solving
skills and leadership ability are also important in this occupation.
Since most towns have at least one hotel, opportunities exist almost everywhere.
Yet the most promising outlook is for urban centers with big tourist attractions,
where tourist traffic is higher.