What Does a Hotel Manager Do?

Hotel managers are responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of hotels, motels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and other lodging establishments. Their exact duties of these professionals varies to some degree from one organization to another, but the general responsibilities are fairly uniform. Here we’ve put together some information on those responsibilities for those who may be interested in pursuing a career in hotel management.

Hotel Manager Job Description

Hotel managers are the people in charge of coordinating the many details that make a lodging establishment run smoothly. The basic hotel manager job description is as follows:

• Managing employees, including recruitment, training and supervision
• Ensuring compliance with health and safety standards, licensing requirements, employment law, etc.
• Creating budgets and keeping operational and financial records
• Planning and overseeing maintenance, housekeeping and services according to company standards
• Overseeing front-office activities, room bookings and security
• Preparation for special events
• Handling customer questions and complaints
• Coordinating hotel promotions and marketing

In small organizations, a single manager may be directly in charge of all of these duties. In larger hotels, there may be multiple layers of management, with these duties separated into various departments, such as human resources, housekeeping, maintenance, purchasing, revenue, special events and security departments, for instance. Those management layers often consist of a general manager who oversees the functions of several lower-level managers or assistant managers who each work to manage the activities of their departments.

Becoming a hotel manager

Managing a lodging establishment, whether employed by a small, independent hotel or a large multinational corporate chain, requires a wide array of skills. The most important of these include:

• Business skills, such as human resources, marketing, and sales and finance, among others.
• Organizational skills, enabling them to juggle the many aspects of management efficiently, including people, tasks, schedules, budgets and more.
• Leadership and interpersonal skills, including the ability to motivate workers, resolve conflicts, and coordinate and supervise employees.
• Customer service skills, including the ability to listen to complaints or criticism from guests and present solutions that satisfy their needs.

Given the complexity of the position, most employers in the lodging industry require hotel management candidates to have a degree, so entering a college hospitality program is a great idea if hotel management is your career goal. Hospitality degrees can be pursued in the traditional classroom setting or online.

What is the Hotel Career Path?

Earning an Associate degree in Restaurant and Hotel Management or Hospitality Management could be your first step on the career path for hotel management. These courses offer a foundation in key hospitality management functions, providing the knowledge, skills and credentials students need to get a start in the hotel management field.

Once you have your foot in the door with an associate’s degree, you can gain valuable experience with an entry-level management job like Concierge or Food Manager. If your eventual goal is to rise to the level of hotel general manager, you would be wise to continue your education with a bachelor-level program. Many larger hotels and other lodging establishments require managers to hold a bachelor’s degree, which means that earning a bachelor’s degree in general management, for instance, can be a significant step in improving your opportunities for career advancement, as well as your income potential.

So what’s the potential payoff for putting in the time and effort to earn your degrees? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics , the median annual salary for hotel managers is