Hotel manager: job description

What does a hotel manager do? Graduate salaries | Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills

Hotel managers make sure hotel facilities, such as accommodation, conference rooms, catering and sports amenities, are operational and safe on a day-to-day basis. They supervise hotel staff, set up systems to keep services running smoothly and resolve problems.

The duties and the amount of customer or staff contact vary according to the size of employer: managers in larger hotels may be mostly office-based, whereas managers of smaller establishments often have frequent contact with both customers and employees.

Typical responsibilities include:

• recruiting, training and supervising staff
• promoting and marketing the business, including developing ways to attract new customers
• managing budgets
• maintaining statistical and financial records
• planning maintenance work, events and room bookings
• liaising with maintenance and other specialist contractors
• meeting guests and responding to complaints and queries
• handling customer complaints and queries
• ensuring compliance with health and safety legislation and licensing laws.

You may need to work shifts, irregular hours, and at evenings and weekends. You may also need to be on-call (available to respond to emergencies at short notice).

Graduate salaries

If you join a hospitality graduate scheme, you could earn around £20,000 initially, according to the National Careers Service. 0nce you have completed the programme, you’re likely to progress quickly and attract a higher salary.

In addition to your salary, you may get subsidised meals and use of hotel facilities.

Typical employers of hotel managers

Employers of hotel managers include:

• hotel chains
• independent hotels and motels
• residential clubs
• resorts
• inns
• hotel and leisure groups.

Vacancies are advertised on specialist jobs sites such as Caterer.com and Hoteljobs. Some large hotel chains also run graduate management schemes. The Institute of Hospitality provides a list of these.

Qualifications and training required

There are routes into this career for both university graduates and school leavers.

You don’t need a hospitality management degree to get into this field, but it can be an advantage, as can a degree in management, leisure, business studies, travel or tourism. If you don’t have a relevant degree, you could consider a postgraduate qualification in hotel management.

Relevant work experience is essential for entry into the profession. This doesn’t have to be in hospitality management: experience in which you have worked with members of the public, such as catering, retailing, waiting-staff work or bar work, will be helpful.

Key skills for hotel managers

Key skills for hotel managers include:

• excellent numerical skills
• excellent verbal and written communication skills
• the ability to think on your feet and solve problems effectively
• knowledge of a foreign language
• interpersonal skills and confidence dealing with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

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