Three Attributes of an Outstanding Hotel Manager

If you have already completed your education in hotel management and are now working full time in the industry, you may be in the process of discovering what it takes to be a good hotel manager. Of course, the best place to get this information is by simply looking at those who have been successful hotel managers. These men and women have several characteristics in common, and the following are a few of the most important ones.

They pay attention to details Because the hotel industry is focused on customer service, it is the details of the day to day operation that can make the difference between a satisfied or unsatisfied customer. It can make the difference between a good or bad experience for each person staying at your hotel. This is true because every customer is going to be slightly different. What bothers one person may not bother another. The expectations that one individual has is likely different from the next. For example, if a customer values fast room service above all else but experiences extremely slow room service, the entire time spent at the hotel may be ruined, and this will hold true regardless of how well other aspects of the hotel’s service was. Detail oriented hotel managers attempt to make every aspect of a customer’s stay at the hotel to be equal to or exceed their expectations.

They have the ability to adapt to change Great managers have a policy that every employee should stick to; however, there will be moments when a manager must adapt. Changes to policy may need to be made at a moment’s notice to please a customer. Although not all customers can be accommodated in this way, some need to be, and it is up to a good hotel manager to know when to adapt to changing customer needs and when to stick with hotel policy. Adapting to customer demands is only one area of flexibility a manager must have. There will also be problems that will happen with hotel employees that can create temporary problems. A manager must be flexible and be innovative with solutions when these situations occur.

They stay on top of technological changes The hotel industry is not immune from changes in technology, so a good manager must be able to stay abreast of the latest technology that applies to the hotel business. Some of this may be directly related to equipment and software used by the hotels for booking and processing customer billing. Other technology will relate to equipment used by hotels such as door locks and Wi-Fi systems. In fact, much of the technological change seen in the hotel industry is customer driven, so part of staying in touch with technology is listening to your customers.

There are many successful hotel managers, such as Sid Vaikunta, to look at as role models for success.

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