• Hotel Manager

The Work

Hotel managers oversee the running of hotels. They are responsible for:

  • food and refreshments
  • accommodation and amenities
  • entertainment and conference facilities

Larger hotels may have individual managers responsible for each department such as:

  • Housekeeping
  • Reception
  • Food & Beverage
  • Banqueting

Each manager will report to the hotel general manager. They will spend a lot of time in meetings with the heads of other departments. They will have less contact with guests than managers of smaller hotels.

In smaller hotels the manager is more involved in the day-to-day running Duties could include:

  • setting annual budgets
  • analysing financial information and statistics
  • setting business targets and marketing strategies
  • managing staff
  • organising building maintenance
  • making sure security is effective
  • dealing with customer complaints and comments
  • ensuring compliance with regulations such as licensing laws

Hours & Environment

Hotel managers can work long hours, including evenings, weekends and public holidays. Shift work and split shifts are common, especially for junior managers.

In a small hotel managers might help out in the bar or restaurant during the day. Some managers live in at their hotel.

Skills & Interests

To be a hotel manager you should:

  • have a good head for business
  • be able to manage staff
  • have good written and spoken communication skills
  • enjoy working with people
  • be tactful and diplomatic
  • keep calm under pressure and solve problems quickly
  • have energy and enthusiasm
  • be well organised

Entry

There are several ways to get into hotel management. You might not need academic qualifications, and you might be able to work your way up to management level from a more junior position.

Most people entering hotel management directly have a degree, postgraduate qualification, or BTEC/SQA HNC/D in a relevant subject. This is particularly important if you want to get onto a management trainee scheme.

Suitable degree and HNC/D subjects include:

  • Hospitality Management
  • International Hospitality Management
  • Hotel and Hospitality Management

If you have a degree that is not related to hospitality you might be able to do a conversion course or postgraduate qualification.

If you are aged between 16 and 24 you might be able to enter the hospitality industry through apprenticeship schemes. Please see the Funding section, Modern Apprenticeships for more information.

Training

You will usually train on the job, getting experience in a variety of work roles in different areas of the business.

You may be able to:

  • start work at a lower level and work towards SVQs or other vocational qualifications; or
  • enter straight away at management trainee level

Relevant include:

  • Multi Skilled Hospitality Service at Level 2; leading on to
  • Hospitality Supervision at Level 3

Hotel chains often have their own structured management training schemes for graduates. These involve taking on high levels of responsibility from the start.

Apprenticeships may be available for those under the age of 24.

A list of courses Hospitality Training provide for Managers can be found here.

Opportunities

The number of jobs varies according to area. Trainees with a hotel chain should be prepared to travel around the country during training.

Promotion depends on the size of the hotel and experience of management roles. In hotel chains, promotion may be into a role such as corporate marketing or training. Additional qualifications, for example in business or marketing, may be needed for this. There are also openings for hotel managers to move into other non-hospitality business areas.

Experienced managers often open their own hotels.