If you are thinking of becoming a hotel manager then you have come to the right place. We have spoken with previous candidates from Placement International who went onto become hotel managers and checked what a typical day looks like in their life.
A great hotel manager will have polished their balance, patience and leadership capabilities and demonstrate these characteristics daily. Always acknowledging your priorities whilst leading by example and having patience with customers are just some of the ways in which these skills are used daily. Most days will consist of the same responsibilities as guest expectations won’t change from day to day, and especially one factor always remains constant - flawless service is always expected! Thus, it is the manager’s responsibility to ensure that the hotel can meet these expectations and provide each guest with an experience to savor. This includes overseeing the maintenance of the physical hotel whilst ensuring that each department is correctly trained and knows their roles.
The beginning of the day should consist of an early rise, eating a full breakfast and checking your emails, the night shift report and the on-duty manager report for any recent updates. You can also check the activity on your hotel’s social media channels to see how your brand is being represented daily. The absolute first task after clocking in for your shift is the daily review of the hotel which entails checking that all areas of the hotel are physically up to standard including safety checks, and then ensuring that all of your employees on shift are well and ready for the day ahead.
Next, you will hold the daily meeting with all the heads of departments so that any concerns may be raised, and so you can ensure that everyone is on the same page. If there is spare time before the daily meeting, then you can head to the main lobby to meet and greet guests. Following the meeting, you can sometimes perform room inspections to ensure high standards are maintained, and to motivate the Rooms Division department.
As it nears midday, you will usually return to your office to complete some daily admin work, which can consist of reviewing invoices, planning training regimes, preparing reports or screening resumes of potential employees. After completing the admin duties, it is common to take your lunch break and you can spend this however you like!
Following your lunch break, it can be common to conduct another check of the hotel and it is really in these repeated tasks where you train and test your attention to detail! After this is completed, you can hold your weekly executive meeting with sales & marketing, finance, human resources and the assistant manager to speak about the strategy and overall performance of the hotel.
Going into the final stretch of the day, you will typically be spending your time socializing with the guests – don’t underestimate the importance of this! This is crucial in genuinely finding out if the guests needs are met which humanizes their experience. Additionally, you may want to lend a hand to departments that are experiencing a busy period in the day.
It is common for the hotel manager’s shift to total around 12 hours, and whilst you may be exhausted by then – it isn’t unusual to be called in after hours if a problem arises! This is all part of the experience of being a hotel manager because hospitality is ongoing, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Thus, you really have to love the job and the industry, because you won’t be able to do a good job half-heartedly.
Despite all of its difficulty, being a hotel manager is a fulfilling role that will see you meet interesting people, grow as a person and live some unforgettable experiences!
If you also want to jumo start your career and become a hotel manager in the future then apply now!
