Duties: Oversees all operations for a hotel or resort
Alternate Title(s): Hotel Manager
Salary Range: $30,000 to $120,000 and up
Employment Prospects: Fair to good
Advancement Prospects: Good
Best Geographical Location(s): All, with the greatest opportunities in large cities and heavy tourist regions with many resorts and hotels
Prerequisites:
Education and Training—Four-year college degree; hospitality or hotel management helpful Experience—Five to 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, depending on the property
Special Skills and Personality Traits—Excellent management and leadership skills; good communication and interpersonal skills; strong financial and organizational ability
CAREER LADDER
Owner or Corporate Office Executive
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General Manager
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Division Head such as Director of Rooms or Director of Food and Beverage
Position Description
Every aspect of a hotel can impact its image and reputation, from the beauty of the outer areas and the comfort of the rooms to the quality of the restaurant and courtesy of the service. The General Manager is the “captain of the ship,” as one put it. General Managers are responsible for overseeing all operations of a hotel and resort and ensuring that there is smooth sailing all around.
A typical day for a General Manager may begin at 7 or 7:30 a.m., when he or she arrives at work and prepares for an 8 a.m. meeting with the executive committee, made up of the different division heads reporting to the General Manager, such as the rooms director, food and beverage director, sales and marketing director, human resources director, head of accounting, and head of engineering. This committee is essential because it comprises all the key areas of hotel management. It is up to the General Manager to run these daily meetings and determine which tasks will be delegated and which responsibilities he or she will handle. The committee also recaps the positive and negative aspects of the previous day and receives directives for the future, planning for the days and week ahead.