Hotel General Manager (gn)

What is a Hotel General Manager and what are the required skills and studies to become one?

A Hotel General Manager is the strategic business leader of a hotel, and it is one of the most important roles in hospitality.

She/He is responsible for developing and managing a hotel and its staff, ensuring the best guest experience, and revenue and for achieving commercial results.

What are the different job titles?

• General Manager
• Hotel Director
• Hotel GM

What is the role of a General Manager?

A hotel general manager is the top executive at a hotel and is responsible for managing all aspects of the hotel’s operations. This includes overseeing the front desk, guest services, housekeeping, maintenance, and food and beverage departments.

The general manager also typically manages the hotel’s budget, develops marketing and sales strategies, and ensures that the hotel is meeting its financial goals.

In addition, the general manager is responsible for hiring and training staff, enforcing policies and procedures, and handling customer complaints and concerns.

She/He is working closely with each team to ensure the best commercial results and to make sure that the hotel is functioning at its best to welcome the guests in the best way possible.

What are the main tasks of a Hotel General Manager?

The main tasks of a General Manager that you could find in a job description are the following:

• Ensure the smooth running of the hotel, where all areas of the business are managed, and the guest service experience is delivered to the highest levels.
• Overall responsibility, management, and hiring of the teams
• Responsible for the budget, business, and sales plan and for maintaining sustainable performance and productivity
• Maximising sales and profit, business opportunities and brand reputation
• Develop and implement strategies where key hotel metrics are identified, communicated and delivered
• Ensure a strong market position for the hotel and enable it to gain good market shares
• Working with all teams to maximise guest satisfaction and comfort
• Ensure and maintain all necessary standards and compliance of the hotel
• Quality assurance in all departments and areas

What are the skills required for a General Manager?

Hard Skills:

• Hotel management/finance planning software
• PMS: Opera, Fidelio…
• Excel
• English and at least another language

Soft Skills:

• Personnel management
• Cost control
• Mindset of managers
• Organisation
• Planning skills/strategy development
• Presentation skills
• Time management
• Flexibility
• Negotiation skills
• Customer care
• Problem-solving
• Stress resistance
• Role model function
• Excellent communication skills

What salary does a General Manager earn?

Depending on which city or country you are living in and the size of the hotel, the salary might differ.

The gross salaries per year are around:

• 0 – 5 years: EUR 75.000 – 90.000
• 6 – 10 years: EUR 90.000 – 120.000
• > 10 years: EUR > 120.000

What are the qualifications to become a General Manager?

To become a Hotel General Manager, you need to have in-depth knowledge of hospitality and finance. You need to understand how a hotel is working, which different teams exist and know how to manage them in the best way possible.

A bachelor’s degree or a master’s in hospitality management, business administration or equivalent experience is required.

A Hotel General Manager also needs to complete internships or gain experience ideally in all divisions of a hotel: rooms department, F&B department, finance… The goal is to understand the work of each department and how each team work together.