The lodging industry is growing at a rapid pace throughout the United States and the world. So rapid that it's expected that, by the year 2000, there will be well over 500,000 additional positions for entry level people, jobs offering excellent opportunities for advancement
In less than a decade, travel and tourism, as a whole, will become the nation's number one employer, with one out of every five employed American workers working in some segment of the industry.
The Jobs to Shoot For
Entry-level jobs in all areas of the lodging industry offer competitive pay, rapid promotion, and access to a field offering more jobs than any other industry, except health care.
General Manager
- Responsible to ownership for the efficient and effective operation of the hotel, motel, restaurant, and ancillary facilities.
- Guides and directs management team to achieve established goals and objectives.
- Responsible for the selection, coordination, and delegation of authority to all managers and department heads employed by the hotel.
- Hires new employees; discharges employees when necessary.
- Handles executive affairs of the hotel operation.
- Represents the hotel in public affairs and builds good will for the property.
- Lives in the hotel and is on call 24 hours a day to take charge in resolving any problems or emergencies. Reports to the general manager and is responsible for supervising all hotel activities, including the efficient and effective operation of the Housekeeping Department, Room Reservations Department, Front Office, Bell Service Department, PBX Department, Food and Beverage Department, and Sales Office.
- Prepares occupancy forecasts to facilitate top management interpretation of future guest head counts and gross revenue expectancies.
- Performs the duties of "guest relations manager" handling complaints or requests for guests and acting as the official host to VIP guests.
- Reports to the general manager and is responsible for all food and beverage service within the hotel, supervising the Food, Banquet, and Beverage Departments through subordinate managers.
- Creates and develops menu food and beverage offerings, establishes prices and is responsible for selecting the condiments, linens, uniforms, and decor used within the facility.
- Standardizes portions and is responsible for controlling food, beverage and labor costs.
- Recommends equipment to be used and is responsible for the proper selection of all food and beverage products
. - Approves booked activities, such as banquets and conventions, where food and beverage service are required. Maintains liaison with the Sales Department in order to facilitate the proper handling of convention and banquet obligations.
- Responsible for public relations and customer satisfaction.
- Develops budgets for individual units and has primary responsibility for meeting profit objectives.
- Reports to food and beverage manager and hires, trains, and supervises waiters, busboys, and captains.
- Maintains patron satisfaction
- Occasionally may book or handle small functions serviced in the restaurant from the regular menu
- Maintains records of personnel performance and dining room food and labor costs.
- Maintains a departmental time log and may check employee time cards against audits entered into the log.
- Assists the food and beverage manager and assistant food and beverage manager as a cost accountant, reviewing expenditures versus revenues in the food and beverage operation.
- Calculates the daily volume of business, prepares statements, and advises appropriate department heads of their daily and weekly labor costs versus gross volume of business.
- Checks food prices to confirm and keep up-to-date on the market fluctuations.
- Directly supervises all front office personnel and is responsible for all hotel front office activities: maintaining data of future room occupancy, setting up filing systems for correspondence, monitoring reservation systems and maintaining liaison with sales, housekeeping, and accounting departments.
- Compiles daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly room forecasts.
- Controls opening and closing dates.
- Responsible for keeping data regarding future room occupancy, guest head counts, and convention guest count and keeping management informed of occupancy level so sound decisions can be made to keep the property's occupancy high (without overselling).
- Responsible for setting up and maintaining a filing system for all correspondence pertaining to future arrivals, reservation requests and refusals, past arrivals, no-show guests, and cancellations.
- Insures that guests are handled courteously and efficiently, complaints and problems resolved and requests for special services carried out.
- Responsible for inspecting guest accommodations, attending staff and operational meetings, and scheduling employee work assignments.
- Directly supervises all hotel accounting personnel and all phases of the Accounting Department.
- Controls the activities of the restaurant Cashiers Department, front office cashier, and night auditor, Payroll Department and Credit and Accounting Departments.
- Responsible for hotel financial statements.
- Makes appropriate recommendations for new accounts, revisions in reporting systems, and changes in instructions regarding the use of accounts.
- Makes decisions concerning the accounting treatment of various transactions.
- Recommends solutions to complex problems.
- Supervises office clerks in an assigned area.
- Meets with individuals representing national, international, regional, and state organizations, local and wholesale markets, and travel agents to produce contacts and schedule desired bookings for conventions. Maintains records of such individuals.
- May also visit officials and representatives and attend conventions in other cities to generate conventions or group business. Maintains rapport with contacts those who may produce or have produced conventions or group business for the hotel.
- Corresponds with numerous travel agencies throughout the United States and foreign countries concerning planned tours to the area. Distributes advertising material concerning the hotel's facilities, service, and package plans to such agencies.
- Conducts tours of the property and facilities to elicit commitments from clients for future conventions or group business.
- Responsible for complete follow-up and coordination of all conventions, meetings, and banquets booked through the Sales Office. After a group has been booked by the sales force, it is the responsibility of the convention coordinator to contact the clients, set up meeting dates, times and needed number of sleeping and meeting rooms.
- Obtains guaranteed commitments for number of people attending banquets, meetings, and functions prior to the commencement of each particular function.
- Assists clients with the selection of suitable banquet menus.
- Works closely with the banquet manager and room reservations manager to coordinate group movements, avoid double booking a function room, and avoid overselling the property.
- Notifies all departments that may be involved with the execution of a convention of any changes in the original contract commitments. Prepares and distributes convention worksheet to all respective departments.
- Maintains a pleasant relationship with the clients and personally assists with any discrepancies they may have with the services offered by the hotel- changes in schedules, arrival times, rental equipment needed, time of registration, etc.
- Supervises operation for the entire building: refrigeration, heating, plumbing, water treatment, preventive maintenance, hotel rooms, heating and cooling systems, ice machines, swimming pools, lighting, kitchen equipment, emergency generators, water softeners, switch rooms, roof exhausts, electrical substations, etc.
- Insures that all projects are completed on time and according to the necessary specifications.
- Works closely with each of the craft foremen to discuss any future projects, present operational, or personnel problems.
- Works closely with executive housekeeper and front office manager.
- Checks the daily log reports from each of the craftsmen to be familiar with the daily work and progress.
- Aids and instructs the craftsmen in scheduling work, ordering material, and completing assignments on schedule.
- Meets with the architects to discuss blueprints, contracts, and contractors to submit bids for new construction, meets with construction supervisors to discuss different phases of work.
- Other managerial positions may be specialists responsible for activities such as personnel, office administration, marketing, security, recreational facilities, advertising, and public relations. These positions usually require specific knowledge and expertise in the particular field.
