Hotel Sales Performance Management

Hotel managers are responsible for maintaining service standards and overall guest satisfaction. The managers job is to oversee all hotel departments including the front office, sales and marketing, engineering, food & beverage, housekeeping, as well as meetings and events to ensure they are run smoothly. Hotel managers are crucial not only to the overall operation of the hotel, but they also play a critical role in the profitability of the hotel. Hotel managers must be well rounded with knowledge of finance, sales, strategy, service, and human resources. Because hotels operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, hotel managers must be dedicated, flexible, approachable, confident and promote hospitality.

While the requirements for hotel management vary from limited service to full-service properties, and by region, all hotel managers possess one or more of the following attributes.

Experience
Many hotel managers have learned through on- the-job training. Whether their career path began in other areas of hospitality such as food & beverage, travel & tourism, or recreation, hotel managers usually have five or more experience in all departments of hotel operations. Hotel managers with well-rounded experience in departments such as front of house, housekeeping, food & beverage and engineering have profound knowledge of all hotel functions. Some hotel managers began their career as an entry-level hotel staff and worked their way up to hotel management.

Degree
While you can obtain a hotel management position with on-the-job training and a high school diploma, candidates with a degree often have a higher potential for career growth. While many hospitality professionals have a bachelor’s degree in hospitality, entertainment management, hospitality and tourism management, or a related field, it is not uncommon to find candidates with varying backgrounds. In fact, it is not uncommon to come across a hospitality manager with education from degree programs like political science, public administration, educational administration, computer engineering, visual communications, business management, international business, criminal justice, or information systems.

In the US, there are hundreds of schools that offer training in hotel management. Some limited-service properties and hotels with less complicated operations, may consider hotel manager candidates with an associate’s degree, however, a bachelor’s degree in hospitality or hotel management are typically most fitting for a hotel manager position. A management degree or degree in related fields such as finance, business administration, or even marketing are also common.

There are also graduate programs where candidates can receive a master’s degree and additional continuing education with doctoral programs, most notably from Cornell University or the University of Central Florida. Most undergraduate and post graduate programs in hotel management include studies in courses such as accounting, property management, economics, business administration, sales & marketing, food & beverage, maintenance, organizational behavior, human resources, property management software, and more.

Certifications
There are various hospitality certifications available designed to advance a hotel manager’s career. These certifications add prestige to your resume and provide a competitive advantage to hospitality professionals. Some common certificate programs include: Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS), and Certified Hospitality Department Trainer (CDHT). One of the most well-known certificates for hotel management positions is the Certified Hotel Administrator.

Certified Hotel Administrator is certification provided from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). It is the highest certification for positions such as General Manager, Assistant General Manager, Director of Operations, Corporate Executive or Owner/Operator. To obtain the certificate, individuals must complete a 200 multiple-choice exam within a 4-hour period of time. There are 6 key areas designed to test competencies such as leadership management, financial management, sales & marketing, human resources management, food & beverage management as well as rooms management.

Acknowledging skills in leadership, time management and communication, the Certified Hospitality Supervisor certification is recognized worldwide for superior supervisor skills. This certificate can be obtained through American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) or another affiliated professional organization.

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) also offers their certification for Certified Hospitality Department Trainer (CDHT). The certification is a 50-question multiple choice exam to be completed within 2 hours that demonstrates the leadership to train others to excel.

There are several options available to hospitality professionals to obtain certifications. The most important thing to keep in mind is to choose a certification that aligns with your long-term goals.

Most hotel managers are paid via salary rather than an hourly wage. On average, in the US, a hotel manager’s annual salary can range anywhere from $35k-$100k+. There are a variety of factors that are taken into consideration for a hotel manager’s salary, including but not limited to the size of the hotel, location, candidate experience, education, certifications and the hotel’s annual revenue. The amount of revenue a hotel generates annually speaks to the profitability of the hotel and can significantly impact the salary offered to hotel managers. For example, a hotel manager that works for a small hotel in a rural area likely would earn a lower salary than a hotel manager of a tropical luxury resort with hundreds of guestrooms, food & beverage outlets, spa and top of the line amenities.

To earn a higher salary in hospitality, focus on revenue generation. A hotel with higher revenues is likely to be more generous in compensation than a hotel that is not profitable. Don’t be fearful to go the extra mile or complete tasks outside of your job description. Also, consider investing in higher education, obtaining certifications, and further developing leadership skills as these are all ways to continue to move up in your career.

The highest position in a hotel is the General Manager. The General Manager is responsible for maintaining service standards and overall guest satisfaction. They also oversee all hotel departments including the front office, sales and marketing, engineering, food & beverage, housekeeping, as well as meetings and events to ensure they are run smoothly. Typically, the General Manager has 5 or more years of on-the-job experience along with a degree.

Characteristics that are important for a General Manager to have include a diligent work ethic, persistence, professional demeanor, impeccable customer service, and reliability. General Manager’s are often responsible for filling in if an employee calls off for a shift, resolving guest issues, and managing the day to day operations of a hotel.  They must be well rounded, even keeled and put great hospitality above all.

The three important skill sets for a successful manager include technical, intrapersonal and conceptual. The technical skills needed for a manager boil down to the techniques needed to achieve a specific objective. For example, in the hotel industry, technical skills needed for a hotel manager include operations, sales and marketing, finance, accounting, human resources and basic engineering. Without these technical skills, a manager may not have the acumen needed to oversee the day-to-day operations of the hotel.

Intrapersonal skills, also referred to as “soft skills’ speak to internal abilities that help effectively work with and interact with other people. Intrapersonal skills relate to emotional intelligence and can help with open mindedness, the ability to learn, managing emptions, self-confidence and more.  Some of the most important intrapersonal skills a hotel manager should have include delegation, resourcefulness, strategic and analytical thinking, vision as well as productivity.

In addition, conceptual skills allow a manager to thinking abstractly and formulate ideas. Conceptual skills include the ability to analyze problems and find creative solutions. In the hospitality industry, guest satisfaction is extremely important. Hotel managers are often required to come up with creative solutions as they work through complex issues or guest challenges. Without the ability to evaluate these situations accordingly and develop strategic courses of action, the hotel will suffer.

Together these three skills, technical, intrapersonal and conceptual are the foundational competencies needed for a successful manager, not only in hospitality but in other industries as well.

Despite the recent challenges plagued by impact of COVID-19, hospitality is a creative, diverse, and growing industry. For those interested in a hospitality career, there are countless opportunities available to be in a dynamic atmosphere, with a rewarding salary and great benefits.

Hotel managers naturally are creative thinkers. The requirement to solve guest issues and other complex problems on the fly often require you to think out of the box. If you’re someone who doesn’t want a mundane work experience day to day, a hotel manager may be the career for you.  In addition, hotel managers possess transferrable competencies such as sales & marketing, human resources, food & beverage, revenue management and more that offer job security, growth potential, high employability and global exposure.

In most hospitality careers, basic math skills are required. Hotel management is no exception to this rule. To be both effective and successful, a hotel manager must be familiar with all aspects of day-to-day operations.  Basic math skills, finance and accounting are needed in a hotel manager role. Without these skills, it would be impossible to perform tasks such as employee payroll, accounts payable and receivables, revenue management, forecasting and assessing overall profitability of a hotel. Whether you’ve entered hotel management by working your way up with on-the-job experience or though obtaining a degree, a general understanding of math and finance are required in a hotel manager role.

Hotel manager is a general term. It can refer to a specific job function, such as a catering manager, sales manager, front office manager, revenue manager, operations manager or general manager. The General Manager is responsible for maintaining service standards, overall guest satisfaction, developing operating procedures and executing hotel policies.  Some of their day-to-day job functions include:

1. Overseeing hotel staff.
2. Completing employee payroll.
3. Reviewing daily reporting such as guest satisfaction scores, business on the books, pace reports and more.
4. Negotiating contracts with vendors.
5. Paying and reconciling the bills.
6. Reviewing revenue management strategy.
7. Performing daily huddles or leading morning meetings with management.
8. Greeting guests.
9. Reviewing group resumes and BEO’s for meetings and events.
10. Staff training.

A general manager must also report to a management company representative or hotel owner. There are often additional or ad hoc requests a general manager must be prepared to complete.

Hotel management can be studied in undergraduate or post graduate programs. While the subjects taught in hotel management do vary by the educational institution and the specifics of the program, some common hotel management courses in undergraduate studies include front office management, food & beverage management, organizational behavior, revenue management, travel & tourism management, hospitality law, property management, sales & marketing, event management, human resources, financial accounting, accommodations management as well as hotel economics.

In post graduate studies, hotel management programs become more niche and can include courses on asset management, hospitality strategy, digital marketing, hospitality labor and employment law, hospitality planning and design, owner relations, revenue management pricing and demand strategy, and more.