When you first walk into a hotel lobby do you get a sense of the hotel? A sense of positive or negative vibes. I have seen both lately and I firmly believe it starts with the Hotel General Manager – not rocket science.
Of course, ‘Good Vibes’ start with the sense that everything is fresh and clean.
Then you notice the little things….
The Guest Service Agent is headed to the back, sees an approaching guest and returns to engage the guest.
Eye contact is always there with a genuine smile.
Employees are always present where you expect them to be and not in the back talking story.
Product quality is just there, everything from the condition of the FF&E to food quality and presentation that is at or above expectations.
Everything is in working order (EIWO).
Investment in the product is visible and obvious.
Management is visible and approachable.
All signs of a well-run hotel. You don’t have to get too far into your stay before you get a firm sense of how your stay will go. Sounds like “Hotel 101” and it is.
Role of the GM
When the GM is visible and engaged with staff and guests it is only natural that good things will follow.
I spoke with a GM recently who….
Starts every day by walking the front and back of the house from top to bottom.
Attempts to see things from both an employee and guest perspective.
Stops in at the Housekeeping stand up meeting just to listen in.
Pass on his thanks for the jobs each line employee does.
Finds time to interact with guests at breakfast, check-in or check-out.
Hangs out in the Lobby to greet guests.
All this before he engages in the business of running the hotel. Then he finishes the day by doing another walk through and engaging with staff whenever possible.
At another hotel which I visit frequently, I stopped to eavesdrop on the morning stand up meeting which was being held just off the Lobby. I was impressed that the GM wasn’t doing all the talking and instead she was asking management about their priorities for the day and offering encouragement. It is no surprise to me that I see many of the same employees on every visit and they remember me.
Degree of difficulty
Today’s GM is dealing with a very different environment and the job’s degree of difficulty has gone up exponentially.
The added challenges with people management include….
Those who don’t see a viable career path.
Those who have limited or no loyalty and are willing to go down the street for a few more dollars.
Those who will manipulate the system to minimize workload or manage personal time.
Those new managers who are not prepared for the job and require on-the-job training to succeed.
A softer management style that includes a heavy dose of empathy, a willingness to listen and the ability to respond with constructive feedback is required to navigate today’s workplace environment. If the GM is willing to open the curtain, be one of the “guys” at times and develop a team atmosphere, he/she will garner significant rewards in terms of employee and management satisfaction and retention which will naturally lead to guest satisfaction.
Hotel General Manager priorities
The same GM I referred to previously, told me his top priority from a business perspective is revenue generation. He takes an active role in revenue strategy and with the property sales team – he sees himself as the CEO of Sales and it is not unusual for him to actively participate in site visits and sales calls. He knows he has to manage expenses, but feels it is a lot easier with healthy top line revenue.
However, he measures his success in the following priority order:
- Employees satisfaction.
- Employee retention.
- Guest satisfaction.
- Top line revenue.
- Bottom line profit.
Obviously, today’s GM will need the support of ownership and brand management to run his/her operation with a long-term perspective as described above. The big challenge is to avoid having short term priorities impact the long-term strategy. When all of this is in place, you will sense the good vibes when you first arrive and you can count on long-term success for this hotel. It is “The GM Factor”.
