A comfortable room, good food, and a helpful hotel staff can make being away from home an enjoyable experience for both vacationing families and business travelers. Hotel managers and assistant managers strive to ensure their guests will have a pleasant stay.
Hotel managers are responsible for the efficient and profitable operation of their establishments. In a small hotel, motel, or in with a limited staff, a single manager may direct all aspects of operations. However, large hotels may employ hundreds of workers, and the general manager may be aided by a number of assistant managers assigned to the various departments of the operation. Assistant managers must ensure that the day-to-day operations of their departments meet the standards set by the general manager.
The general manager has overall responsibility for the operation of the hotel. Within guidelines established by the owners of the hotel or executives of the hotel chain, the general manager fixes room rates, allocates funds to departments, approves expenditures, and establishes standards for service to guests, decor, housekeeping, food quality, and banquet operations. Managers who work for chains also may be assigned to organize and staff a newly built hotel, refurbish an older hotel, or reorganize a hotel or motel that is not operating successfully.
Resident managers live in hotels and are on call 24 hours a day to resolve problems or emergencies. However, they typically work an eight-hour day, while overseeing the day-to-day operations of the hotel. In many hotels, the general manager also serves s the resident manager.
Executive housekeepers are responsible for ensuring guest rooms, meeting and banquet rooms, and public areas are clean, orderly, and well maintained. They train, schedule, and supervise the work of housekeepers, inspect rooms, and order cleaning supplies.
Front office managers coordinate reservations and room assignments as well as train and direct the hotel's front desk staff. They ensure guests are treated courteously, complaints and problems that may arise are resolved, and requests for special services are carried out.
Food and beverage managers direct the food service operations of hotels. They oversee the hotels' restaurants, cocktail lounges, and banquet facilities. They supervise and schedule food and beverage preparation and service workers, plan menus, estimate costs, and deal with food suppliers.
Convention services managers coordinate the activities of large hotels' various departments for meetings, conventions, and special events. They meet with representatives of groups or organizations to plan the number of rooms to reserve, the desired configuration of hotel meeting space, and any banquet services needed. During the meeting or event, they resolve unexpected problems and monitor activities to check that hotel operations conform to the expectations of the group.
Other assistant managers are responsible for personnel, accounting and office administration, marketing and sales, purchasing, security, maintenance, and recreational facilities.
Working Conditions
Because hotels are open around the clock, night and weekend work is common. Many hotel managers work considerably more than 40 hours per week. Managers who live in the hotel usually have regular work schedules, but they may be called to work at any time. Some employees of resort hotels are managers during the busy season and have other duties during the rest of the year.
Hotel managers sometimes experience the pressures of coordinating a wide range of functions. Conventions and large groups of tourists may present unusual problems. Dealing with irate patrons can be stressful. The job can be particularly hectic for front office managers around check-in and check-out time.
Employment
Hotel managers and assistant managers hold 105,000 wage and salary jobs. An additional number—primarily owners of small hotels and motels—are self-employed. Some are employed by companies that manage hotels and motels under contract.
Training, Other Qualifications, and Advancement
Postsecondary training in hotel or restaurant management is preferred for most hotel management positions although a college liberal arts degree may be sufficient when coupled with related hotel experience. In the past, most managers were promoted from the ranks of front desk clerks, housekeepers, waiters and chefs, and hotel sales workers. Although some employees still advance to hotel management positions without the benefit of education or training beyond high school, postsecondary education is preferred. Nevertheless, experience working in a hotel—even part-time while in school—is an asset to anyone seeking a career in hotel management. Restaurant management training or experience is also a good background for entering hotel management because the success of a hotel's food service and beverage operations is often of great importance to the profitability of the entire establishment.
A bachelor's degree in hotel and restaurant administration provides particularly strong preparation for a career in hotel management. Over 160 colleges and universities offer bachelor's and graduate programs in this field. Over 800 community and junior colleges, technical institutes, vocational and trade schools, and other academic institutions also have programs leading to an associate degree or other formal recognition in hotel or restaurant management. Graduates of hotel or restaurant management programs usually start as trainee assistant managers, or at least advance to such positions more quickly.
Hotel management programs include instruction in hotel administration, accounting, economics, marketing, housekeeping, food service management and catering, and hotel maintenance engineering. The widespread use of computers in hotel operations such as reservations, accounting, and housekeeping management is making some familiarity with computers essential. Programs encourage part-time or summer work in hotels and restaurants because the experience gained and the contacts made with employers may benefit students when they seek full-time employment after graduation.
Hotel managers must be able to get along with all kinds of people, even in stressful situations. They need initiative, self-discipline, and the ability to organize and direct the work of others. They must be able to solve problems and concentrate on details.
Sometimes, large hotels sponsor specialized on-the-job management training programs that allow trainees to rotate among various departments and gain a thorough knowledge of the hotel's operation. Other hotels may help finance the necessary training in hotel management for outstanding employees.
Most hotels promote employees who have proven their ability. Newly built hotels, particularly those without well-established on-the-job training programs, often prefer experienced personnel for managerial positions. Large hotel and motel chains may offer better opportunities for advancement than small, independently owned establishments, but relocation every several years often is necessary for advancement. The large chains have more extensive career ladder programs and offer managers the opportunity to transfer to another hotel or motel in the chain or to the central office if an opening occurs. Career advancement can be accelerated by completion of certification programs offered by the associations listed below. These programs generally require a combination of course work, examinations, and experience.
Job Outlook
Opportunities to enter hotel management are expected to be good for persons who have college degrees in hotel or restaurant management.
Employment of salaried hotel managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations. Business travel will continue to grow, and increased domestic and foreign tourism will also create demand for additional hotels and motels. However, manager jobs are not expected to grow as rapidly as in the past because an increasing share of the hotel industry will go for slim budgets unlike full-service hotels. In the face of financial constraints, guests are becoming more bargain-conscious, and hotel chains are increasing the number of rooms in economy class hotels. Economy hotels offer clean, comfortable rooms and front desk services without costly extras like restaurants and room service. Because there are not as many departments in each hotel, fewer managers are needed on the hotel premises. Economy hotels have a general manager, and regional offices of the hotel management company employ department managers, such as executive housekeepers, to oversee several hotels.
Although new employment growth is expected to be concentrated in economy hotels, large full-service hotels will continue to offer many trainee and managerial opportunities. Most openings are expected to occur as experienced managers transfer to other occupations, retire, or stop working for other reasons.
Earnings
Salaries of hotel managers vary greatly according to the responsibilities and the segment of the hotel industry in which they are employed. Annual salaries of assistants to managers average nearly $40,000, based on a hospitality industry survey conducted by Roth Young. Salaries of assistant managers also vary because of differences in duties and responsibilities. For example, food and beverage directors average $44,000, according to the same survey, whereas front office managers average $30,000. The manager's level of experience is again important factor.
Salaries of general managers average $57,000, according to the Roth Young survey. Their salaries range from $40,000 to $81,000 depending on the size and type of the establishment. Managers may earn bonuses up to 25 percent of the basic salary in some hotels. In addition, they and their families may be furnished with lodging, meals, parking, laundry, and other services.
Most managers and assistants receive 3 to 11 paid holidays a year, paid vacation, sick leave, life insurance, medical benefit and pension plans. Some hotels offer profit-sharing plans, educational assistance, and other benefits to their employees.
Related Occupations
Hotel managers and assistants are not the only workers concerned with organizing and directing a business where customer service is the cornerstone of their success. Other occupations sharing similar responsibilities include restaurant managers, apartment building managers, retail store managers, and office managers.
Related D.O.I Jobs
These job titles are related to or more specific than the more general description given above. They will help you identify job options you may not otherwise discover. These descriptions are in the current edition of the Dictionary of Occupational Titles and classified by numerical order.
187.117-038 MANAGER, HOTEL OR MOTEL; 187.137-018 MANAGER FRONT OFFICE; 187.167-046 EXECUTIVE HOUSEKEEPER; 187.167 078 MANAGER, CONVENTION; 187.167-106 MANAGER, FOOD SERVICE; 187.167-122 MANAGER, HOTEL RECREATIONAL FACILITIES 187.167-230 MANAGER, RECREATION FACILITY
Sources of Additional Information
For information on careers and scholarships in hotel management, contact:
- The American Hotel and Motel Association (AH&MA), Information Center, Washington, DC 20005-3931
- The Educational Institute of AH&MA, East Lansing, MI 48826
- National Executive Housekeepers Association, Inc., Westerville, OH 43081
- Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education, Washington, DC 20036-3097
- Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology, Arlington, VA 22201
