Hotel managers are the powerful driving force behind a good hotel with solid service. This industry is reliant on employee performance for most of its revenue, and managers are part of the foundation for having a capable workforce that delivers the experience guests are looking for. There is no team win in hotels without a good leader, so why not make yourself the Michael Jordan of your hotel staff?
Remember just looking for this type of information means you are taking steps in the right direction. Having the interest to look for ways to improve your management style is the beginning of an upgrade in your career.
What makes a great hotel manager?
Great hotel managers are first and foremost really good leaders. That’s the most simplified goal set for you, the rest is extra. Begin with your leadership and personal skills, then move on to the hotel knowledge.
Being confident in your skills
As the head of a hotel team, you need to be secure in what you are telling your staff and the decisions you make. Here is where confidence will play a major role in making you a better hotel manager. Start by making note of your stronger skills and developing those. After you have that solid foundation, you can begin to step out of your comfort zone, acquire new skills and get comfortable with changes.
Staying updated on training
Hotel management is one of those careers where things stay the same while changing constantly. The focus will always be on providing amazing guest experiences and having a solid staff that can do that. That won’t change, what will change is the ways in which you can do it.
Because of that constant innovation in trends and tools for making hotel management better, you need to stay updated. For continuous learning, the most useful tools are online learning platforms. Using hosstinn digital learning plans you can attend workshops, download support material, and more from your desk at work or on the go. Stay on the cutting edge of hotel management, and get expert knowledge from leading figures all over the world.
Building strong staff
A strong team is a primary vehicle to success, a lot of the weight to build one falls on managers. Your team learns by your example and will often look to you for help or guidance. Remember all the good and bad qualities of a leader are reflected back at them from their team. To get yourself started building a good team, remember to:
- Treat your team with respect
- Listen to them
- Be fair
- Acknowledge and reward good work, correct bad behavior quickly
- Perform to the level you demand of your staff
Listening to feedback
Feedback is a key component in not only management success but the hotel’s overall performance. There is always room for growth, feedback is what points the way to improvement. Ask employees, guests, and senior staff to give you their honest feedback. The next step is to do something with it. Work on yourself to give a better performance each time.
Take care of yourself
Hotel employees and especially managers go through a lot. Dealing with people every day, whether it’s a team member or guest, can really wear you down. Having space and time to disconnect, and take care of yourself is going to have a huge impact on your performance. When it comes this it helps to return to the basics:
- Get a good night’s rest
- Spend time in nature
- Meditate or exercise
- Make time for friends and loved ones
Stay involved with the hotel tasks
This is a big one because, as you reach a higher level on the career path of a hotel worker, you can forget what daily tasks are for your team. Staying close to the moving parts of the hotel will keep you aware and motivated. Plus it can spark an awesome idea like a new way of standardizing a service or task, what to do with some free space in the hotel, etc.
Tools to improve your management
There are several easy-to-use and implement tools that can elevate your hotel management style with just a few steps.
hosstinn
Makes it easy to continue training skills, stay updated on trends, learn insights, and make industry connections.
Productivity apps
Adding apps like PMS, Trello, Notion, Slack or Flow can make the day go by smoother, making things less likely to fall behind and preventing forgetfulness.
Tech improvements
Adding technology into the mix may seem like a hassle at first but you will be grateful after. Keep your eye on new tech coming into the hotel sector and see what candidates are best for your way of working and hotel.
