Hotel management

The head of a hotel may go by any of a variety of different titles, such as general manager, managing director, or resident manager. We will refer to this person as the manager.

The manager is responsible for establishing the policies and procedures of operation for the hotel and for seeing that they are carried out. In other words, he is the boss. In a small hotel, he may be the owner or co-owner; in a large hotel, he is probably a professional hotelman, or hotelier, to use a French word that is popular among hotel people.

A hotel manager is a business executive and this means that he must have a knowledge of accounting, tax and business law, sales and promotion, public relations, as well as a command of the traditional services and functions of the hotel itself. In earlier times, experience alone was considered the appropriate background to attain the position of manager. Today, however, many universities and special schools give courses in hotel management and administration.

The first specialized hotel schools were located in Switzerland, a country with a long tradition both of tourism and of superior hotels. Swiss hotel schools still provide education that emphasizes work experience rather than theory and business administration.

The personal influence of the manager varies from hotel to hotel according to the policies of the owners.

In a chain-operated hotel, for example, the manager usually must work within a specific, tightly coordinated framework. In other hotels, he may exercise much greater control, not only in carrying out policies, but also in setting them. Many hotels become famous because of the distinctive personality that is given to them by their managers. In a very real sense, the manager is the host who offers the hospitality of this establishment to his guests.

In seeing that all the activities of the hotel run smoothly and efficiently, the manager carries out routine spot checks, often on a daily basis, of different aspects of the hotel's operation. He also deals with unusual problems as they occur.

In a large hotel, the manager coordinates the work of the department heads who supervise housekeeping, advertising and promotion, food services, and the rest of the operation. The manager's working relationship with these people contributes significantly to the smooth functioning of the hotel.

Hiring and training are two other vital responsibilities of the manager. The personality, experience and expertise of every employee in a hotel is a matter of importance in a business where courtesy is one of the major services. The reference given by job applicants must be carefully checked, and a watchful eye must be kept on their performance after they have been hired.

Continuing in-house training programs, either formal or informal, are customary in large hotels in order to maintain the standards of the establishment. Training in the fundamentals may extend to all the employees, especially in new hotels.

The great increase in tourism in recent years has resulted in the construction of many hotels which are located in areas where local customs differ greatly from those of the hotel's expected customers. In such cases, it is essential to give intensive training to employees in every job category in the hotel before it opens.

This training usually includes a course in the languages of the expected customers.

In the addition to the manager, many hotels also include one or more assistant managers on the staff. When there are several, they are often assigned to different shifts: one for the morning and early afternoon, one for the late afternoon and evening, and one for the late evening and early morning hours. The assistant managers frequently have a desk in the lobby near the reception area, since they deal with routine problems such as unsatisfactory room assignments or over-bookings. They refer more serious problems to the manager or the appropriate department head. The assistant managers are usually in training for more responsible jobs in hotel management.

The management and administration of a hotel have a dual responsibility. First, they must return a profit to the owners who are often themselves the managers in a small hotel. Second, they must deliver the services and quality that the guests expect. Fortunately, these two responsibilities usually work together, that is, the greater satisfaction the guests receive, the greater the prospects that the establishment will be financially successful.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16