Hotel manager

As a hotel manager, you'll be responsible for the commercial performance of the business, including budgeting and financial management, and will need to plan, organise and direct all hotel services. These typically include front-of-house (reception, concierge and reservations), food and beverage operations and housekeeping.

In larger hotels, you'll often have a specific area of responsibility, such as guest services, finance or marketing, and your role will form part of a senior management team.

Responsibilities

As a hotel manager, you'll need to:

• plan and organise accommodation, catering and other hotel services
• promote and market the business to maximise occupancy and revenue
• manage budgets and financial plans and control expenditure
• maintain statistical and financial records
• set and achieve sales and profit targets
• analyse sales figures and develop pricing, marketing and revenue management strategies
• recruit, train and monitor staff
• plan work schedules for individuals and teams
• meet and greet customers
• deal with customer complaints and feedback
• address problems and resolve issues efficiently
• ensure events and conferences run smoothly
• supervise maintenance, supplies, renovations and furnishings
• deal with contractors and suppliers
• ensure security systems and procedures are effective
• carry out inspections of property and services
• ensure compliance with licensing laws, health and safety and other statutory regulations.

Salary

• Starting salaries for assistant general managers range from £20,000 to £40,000.  
• If you manage a small hotel or are the deputy manager of a larger hotel, you can expect a salary in the region of £25,000 to £50,000.
• As a general manager, you'll usually earn £50,000 to £60,000, with the potential for significantly higher earnings in prestigious hotels in London or international destinations.

Salaries rise with performance and progression but are often lower in small, independent hotels. Managers employed by large, global hotel groups may benefit from higher salaries and opportunities to work overseas.

Additional benefits can include pension and life assurance schemes, private healthcare, bonus schemes, live-in accommodation, meals on duty, clothing allowance or uniform, flexible working patterns and discounted hotel accommodation worldwide.

Working hours

Your working hours will vary according to the type of hotel and its location, but the role typically involves unsocial hours. Late nights, weekends and bank holidays are common, and working hours can be long, particularly during busy periods.

What to expect

• Although some of the work is office based, much of your time will be spent interacting with customers and staff.
• Some hotel managers run or own small hotels or guesthouses, particularly in the independent sector
• Women remain under-represented in senior management roles across parts of the hospitality industry.
• Hotel management can be fast-paced and demanding with high levels of responsibility
• Managers are expected to present a smart, professional appearance and be diplomatic, polite and patient.

Qualifications

Although this area of work is open to all graduates and those with an HND, a degree in the following subjects may increase your chances:

• business with languages
• business or management
• hotel and hospitality management
• travel, tourism or leisure studies.

Some management training programmes run by large hotel groups are open to graduates only for which a minimum 2:2 degree is usually required.

It's also possible to enter hotel management without a degree, HND or foundation degree, as employers place strong emphasis on relevant experience. Many managers progress through on-the-job training combined with external qualifications.

Apprenticeships such as Hospitality manager (level 4), may offer an alternative route into hotel management.

A postgraduate qualification is not normally required, but it may be helpful if you want to develop specialist knowledge or move into hotel management from another career area. Postgraduate certificates, diplomas and Masters courses in hotel and hospitality management are available and may suit career changers or those looking to progress more quickly.

Search for postgraduate courses in hotel and catering management.

Skills

You'll need:

• a friendly personality, with a genuine desire to help others
• the ability to think clearly and make decisions under pressure
• good organisational and leadership skills
• numeracy and planning skills
• a professional, calm approach in busy situations
• the ability to balance customer service with commercial priorities
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• an awareness of different cultures and customer expectations
• energy, resilience and patience
• a smart, well-presented appearance
• language skills - are not essential but can be a bonus.

Work experience

Employers often ask for relevant work experience, which doesn't have to be gained in a hotel, although this is particularly beneficial. Experience in customer-facing roles such as catering, bar work or retail is also valued.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Hotel managers (often called general managers) work in a range of establishments, including:

• bed and breakfast accommodation
• inns
• large multinational chain hotels
• motels
• residential and country clubs
• small, family-owned independent hotels
• travel lodges.

Smaller hotels often offer broader responsibilities, while international hotel groups usually have larger teams with more specialised roles.

Look for job vacancies at:

• Caterer.com
• Jobs in Hotels
• S1 Jobs
• Travel Weekly
• The Caterer

Specialist hospitality recruitment consultants such as Berkeley Scott advertise hotel manager jobs.

Larger hotel chains may advertise vacancies on their own websites.

Professional development

Some large hotel groups operate structured graduate training programmes, although it's also possible to progress through experience alone.

Training programmes typically last one to two years and aim to prepare future operations or departmental managers. Training may cover areas such as:

• restaurants and bars
• room service
• conference and banqueting
• reception and reservations
• guest relations
• housekeeping
• night management.

Graduates are supported by senior managers, with regular reviews and a personal development plan. Many employers expect geographic mobility, particularly within large hotel chains, and placements may include other UK locations or overseas hotels.

Additional training may include professional qualifications, short courses or specialist training in areas such as finance, revenue management, marketing, human resources and food safety.

A Master of Business Administration (MBA) could help to accelerate your pathway to becoming a hotel manager, but is by no means essential.

Career prospects

As the hospitality industry is generally young and staff turnover is quite high, promotion prospects are often good for motivated graduates.

Progression is usually from graduate trainee to assistant front-of-house manager or assistant food and beverage manager, to deputy manager and then head of department. The speed of your promotion to management level mainly depends on the size of the hotel and your success as a trainee but can generally be achieved within a few years.

It can take several more years to reach the post of hotel or general manager and relocation and/or change employer to do so.

Within larger hotel groups, promotion may be to a more strategic role, such as corporate marketing, human resources or finance, for which additional qualifications may be needed. There might also be opportunities to work at head office or regional level.

As a more experienced manager, you may have the opportunity to work as a management consultant or to move into training and development roles.