Hotel manager

This article is about hotel management in practice. For academic study of hotel management, see Hospitality management studies and Hospitality industry.

A hotel manager or hotelier is a person who holds a management occupation within a hotel, motel, or resort establishment. Management titles and duties vary by company. In some hotels the title hotel manager or hotelier may solely be referred to the General Manager of the hotel. Small hotels may have a small management team consisting of only two or three managers while larger hotels may often have a large management team consisting of various departments and divisions.

Hotel Management Structure

The size and magnitude of a hotel management structure varies significantly depending on the size and function of the hotel. A small hotel normally consists of a small core management team consisting of the General Manager and a few key department managers that directly handle day-to-day operations. In the contrary, a large full service hotel often operates more similar to a large corporation with an executive board headed by the General Manager and consisting of key directors that serve as heads of individual hotel departments, each department normally consists of subordinate line-level managers and supervisors that handle day to day operations.

Large/Full Service Hotel

A typical organizational chart for a large resort hotel operation:

General Manager reports to Regional Vice President and/or Owner/Investor

• General Manager
  • Assistant GM or Director of Operations
  • Director of Front Office
    • Front Desk Manager
      • Front Desk Supervisor
      • Rooms Coordinator
    • Night Auditor
    • PBX Supervisor
    • Guest Services Manager
      • Concierge Supervisor
      • Bell Captain
      • Valet Captain
  • Executive Housekeeper
    • Housekeeping Manager
      • Floor Supervisor
      • Laundry Supervisor
      • Public Area/Custodial Supervisor
  • Director of Sales & Marketing
    • Senior Sales Manager
      • Sales Manager
    • Senior Marketing Manager
      • Marketing Manager
      • Public Relations Manager
    • Revenue Manager
      • Reservations Supervisor
  • Director of Food & Beverage
    • Restaurant Manager
      • Restaurant Supervisor
    • Executive Chef
    • Room Service Manager
      • Room Service Captain
    • Bar Manager
  • Director of Events and Catering
    • Convention Services Manager
    • Event Manager
    • Catering Manager
      • Banquets Captain
  • Director of Finance
    • Finance Manager
  • Chief Engineer
    • Engineering Manager
  • Director of Human Resources
    • Human Resources Manager
    • Recruiting Manager
  • Director of Security
    • Shift Supervisor
  • Information Technology Manager

Additional Management Positions may exist for outlets such as a Golf Course, Spa, Gift Shops, and additional facilites.

Small/Limited Service Hotel

A typical organizational chart for a small hotel operation:

General Manager reports to Regional Director and/or Owner/Investor

• General Manager
  • Front Office Manager
  • Housekeeping Manager
  • Sales Manager
  • Food & Beverage Manager

Administrative functions for a small-scale hotel such as Accounting, Payroll, and Human Resources are normally handled by a centralized corporate office or solely by the General Manager

Typical Qualifications for a Hotel Manager

Background and training required varies by management title and duties involved. Industry experience has proven to be an essential qualification for nearly any management occupation within the lodging industry.

Basic qualifications for a management occupation within a hotel usually consist of the following:

• Industry Experience is the main factor
• Education
  • A high school diploma is a required qualification for any management occupation.
  • A degree in Hospitality management studies or equivalent Business degree is often required or strongly preferred
  • A graduate degree may be desired for a General Manager position but is often not required with sufficient management experience and tenure. A graduate degree may however be requried for a corporate executive position or above such as a Regional Vice President that oversees multiple hotel properties and General Managers.

Working Conditions

Hotel managers are generally exposed to long shifts that include late hours, weekends, and holidays due to the 24 hour operation of a hotel. The common workplace in hotels is a fast-paced environment, with high levels of interaction with guests, employees, investors, and other managers.

Upper management consisting of senior managers, department heads, and General Managers may sometimes enjoy a more desirable work schedule consisting of a more traditional business day including weekdays and days off on holidays.

Depending on the size of the hotel, your day as the hotel manager may include scheduling breaks, covering a window for check in or check out, handling cash, reconciling a bank, writing a review for an employee or disciplining an employee and handling all upset guests. Your duties may vary each day depending on the needs of your property. It will usually be your responsibility to know all current local events as well as the events being held on your property. You may be required to attend weekly department and company meetings. A hotel/casino property may require additional duties regarding special events being held on property for casino complimentary guests.

In popular culture

The occupation of a hotel manager has appeared in many Hollywood films including the film Hotel Rwanda and other media outlets.