A hotel General Manager is the figure who is responsible for executing the strategic goals of a hotel and ensuring that everyone is performing in alignment with those goals. They oversee overall operations with the overarching goal of creating the best guest experience possible.
They work with the different departments to discuss operational goals to ensure that they have what they need to reach these goals. They are also responsible for executing operational changes in order to make the hotel as efficient as possible. Let’s take a closer look at what a hotel General Manager is and their responsibilities.
What is a hotel General Manager?
A hotel General Manager is a hospitality industry professional who ensures the proper functioning of a property, directly influencing the overall performance and strategic results. They report to the owner or management company and are in charge of implementing changes and making decisions that will improve the operational efficiency and ultimately help to improve the bottom line.
They can use tools like Mews’ Property Management System for General Managers that are designed to empower GMs to help generate more revenue, reduce operating costs and streamline operations. They are in charge of making critical decisions that directly impact the daily operations of a hotel, its personnel, the maintenance of the facilities, and ensuring guest satisfaction, while at the same time overseeing administrative and financial reporting bringing tangible results.
What are the hotel General Manager’s responsibilities?
A hotel General Manager’s responsibilities are varied, and their degree of involvement and autonomy will often depend on the size. In general, GMs of smaller properties have more autonomy to make decisions than at larger chains, where decisions are made on a more global level.
Let’s take a look at some of the most common hotel General Manager responsibilities.
Ensure guest satisfaction
GMs make important decisions that will directly impact guest satisfaction levels, making sure that guest’s needs are met. The more well-equipped a department is with human resources, the better each individual can perform their tasks and ensure guests are happy and well-attended to. Find out how to greet guests.
They also ensure that the physical appearance of the structure is maintained, greeting guests, and carrying out quality control to ensure that the rooms and facilities are in top shape, which is an important element of guest satisfaction.
Meet with department heads
Meeting with department heads or assistant managers is an important aspect of a GM’s job because the department heads are the ones that are overseeing specific day-to-day operations. This way, the GM can get a general idea of how the departments are performing and address any shortcomings.
These meetings are also used to address any changes in policies and update managers on strategic goals, working together to make sure they are met, and assess progress. They also oversee staff’s compliance with operational and service level agreements and procedures.
Manage profitability
One of the most important hotel General Manager responsibilities is ensuring the hotel’s profitability as it relates to revenue targets and budgeting across departments. They must allocate enough budget for departments to have an efficient workflow that will help contribute to the overarching goals, but not over-allocate to negatively affect profitability. Learn more about revenue management.
Train and develop staff
Training and developing staff is key to avoiding talent migration, and is an important part of improving employee satisfaction. The GM is responsible for setting out a training program, both to develop staff and to ensure that health, safety and security regulations are followed. The more people the GM can grow within the organization, the more committed those staff will be to ensuring the success of the hotel’s operations.
Identify and help ensure the execution of strategic goals
A GM must lay out the hotel’s strategic goals and meet with department heads to ensure their proper execution. They can work together with department managers to set out a roadmap to meeting these goals, and identify the KPIs that will help keep track of their completion, including the individual tasks that must be carried out to make them possible. These strategic goals are an important part of ensuring the hotel’s profitability. .webp?width=1353&height=1077&name=Website%20body%20Image%201%201076%20x%201352-50%20(3).webp)
Oversee marketing and demand generation
While it will be up to the marketing team to create a series of marketing campaigns to aid in demand generation, the GM is in charge of approving the budget and the campaigns, making sure they are in line with the hotel’s strategic goals. Attracting and maintaining guests is an important part of the marketing team’s activities, and the GM must oversee that they are carrying out their tasks as well as possible to keep the property profitable.
Resource allocation
While it will generally be up to the human resources department to actually recruit and hire new staff, the GM is the one in charge of allocating the budget to these new resources. For top-level managers, the GM will also conduct a last interview to ensure that the candidate is a good fit for the position.
Resource allocation is based on meeting goals and sticking to a budget. If any one department is short-staffed, it will be hard to reach goals without the right resources. It’s up to the department heads to communicate their staffing needs to the GM to make sure this is properly included in the budget.
Get the guide on 10 Ways to Manage Staff Shortages.
Helping to resolve issues
While the department heads are the first line of defense against issues, when they can’t reach a resolution to a problem, the GM will step in. Whether it be guest complaints, booking or billing issues, one of the main hotel General Manager responsibilities is to oversee bigger problems to ensure the performance and guest satisfaction due to quick resolution of problems.
Stepping in when needed
Beyond just stepping in to resolve issues when needed, the GM has an important role of filling the gaps. If any department is short-staffed or there is a lapse in service, the GM can serve as an expeditor to make operations run smoother during busy times. They might also step in when it comes to overseeing the organization of big events such as conferences, weddings and special gatherings.
Of course, it’s usually up to the department heads to manage the day-to-day tasks, but the GM should have an eagle’s eye overlooking all the different aspects of the hotel’s service to maintain the highest standards possible.
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve looked at what a hotel General Manager is, and their responsibilities and role in executing strategic goals to ensure profitability. It is without a doubt one of the most key roles in the hospitality industry. It’s important to understand their role so you can be sure to choose the right person for the job, as they can directly impact your bottom line and ensure your future success.
.webp)