Do you see yourself as a hotel manager a few years from now? If you think it could be a possibility for you, then getting to know the responsibilities and duties of a hotel manager should be on your mind.
As a quick overview, a hotel manager is someone who looks both at the operational duties and management matters of the hotel business. However, a hotel manager wears multiple hats—overseeing operational functions, interacting with guests and staff, managing all the departments, making financial reports and more. They are required to be a people’s person and a strong communicator, critical thinker, organiser, and have digital and financial competence.
While some people have a natural affinity for these skills, for many others, education and work experience leading up to the role makes the road much clearer. If you’re keen to become one, it’s good to know what a day in the life of a hotel manager looks like so your expectations are set, and you know how to best prepare yourself for the role. Here’s our brief rundown and check for yourself!
Early Morning Starts
Typically, a day in the life of a hotel manager starts early. After going through emails and reviewing MOD (Manager on Duty) reports to check how the night shift went, the manager heads directly to the front desk to check with the managers and clerks. Any issues from the previous night or early morning are addressed and resolved first and foremost.
They then take a tour of the hotel common areas, including the lobby, garden area, swimming pool, gym, buffet and restaurants to check if everything is in order before the guests start pouring in. Though the workload is divided between each department, it is the manager’s duty to see if the work assigned to each department has been completed or not. From TVs being tuned to the right channel to napkins being folded just the way they are supposed to be, managers look into the nitty-gritty details to make sure that the hotel exudes the right look and vibrancy that adds to its overall ‘feel’ or atmosphere.
While inspecting common areas of the hotel, managers are constantly required to strike up conversation with both staff and guests. A successful manager is one who is empathetic and has all ears for their team and guests. Other must-haves include a friendly demeanour and a cheerful disposition to make the place warm and inviting! It makes all the difference.
Late Mornings
Late mornings are typically dedicated to meetings. Generally, between 10 am and 10.30 am, immediately after the breakfast rush, the hotel manager catches up with all the Head of Departments to discuss issues, if any, and how the itinerary for the day looks like for each department. From discussing which department may need additional support to which department is suffering from challenges, everything is pointed out. Team building is a crucial underlining factor of these meetings as they add to the overall smooth functioning of the various departments.
After the meeting with the HODs, the hotel manager generally has some time off to themselves to complete their own line of duty. Reviewing invoices, preparing reports to the corporate office or scheduling any training or staff meeting is all done during this time. The hospitality courses taken before as a part of the educational qualification for the role generally preps them up for all these financial and administrative competencies.
Mid-Day to Late Afternoon
Between mid-day to late afternoon, the hotel manager is back on the floor to meet with check-in and check-out guests and get feedback about their stay and suggestions to improve the hotel experience. Addressing issues for any onboarding or off-boarding guests about their stay or experience at the hotel is also the duty of the hotel manager.
Later in the day, they meet up with the Associates to discuss management matters. These meetings generally involve managers from various departments, including HR, Finance, Sales, Revenue Management meeting up. Here, they discuss the bigger picture, including strategic planning and development. From day-to-day details such as staffing issues, safety and uniforms to big groups staying at the hotel, upcoming banquets, new policies from the Executive Committee—these meetings are full-on and more intense.
Evenings
Early evening is generally devoted to responding to voice mail messages, reading and writing emails, making phone calls, reviewing documents and checking key statistics, revenue management and hotel performance data for the day/week/month/year.
A second tour of the property is usually done around evening to check with the hotel property, the rooms, amenities and services. Late evening is also the perfect time to have relaxed conversation with guests and create more business networking opportunities.
Take the professional way
Now that you know what a day in the life of a hotel manager looks like, you pretty much must have realised that it isn’t a 9 to 5 job and requires constant attention and continuous ongoing work. We, at Crown Institute, provide a comprehensive hospitality course trains you both academically and practically for your dream job! It can prepare you with the ability to tackle all issues and give you the problem-solving skills required to make work easier.
To inquire or enrol, contact us today!
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