How to Become a General Manager (Hotel)

About General Manager (Hotel)

Hotel general manager has to carry the everyday management of a hotel and its staff. To be a general manager of the hotel, one has to perform different roles, and take care of everything from staffing, budgets and planning out events. To make a career as a hotel general manager, one must possess good communicational, interpersonal and leadership skills.

The job of a hotel general manager includes hiring and management of the hotel management team, management of the hotel staff, finance and budgets, plan and organise accommodation, catering and other hotel services, maintain statistical and financial records, deal with customer complaints and comments, supervise maintenance, supplies, renovations and furnishings, set and achieve sales and profit targets, meet and greet customers, plan work schedules for individuals and teams and carry out inspections of property and services.

Eligibility to become General Manager (Hotel)

Diploma in Hotel Management:

• After passing class 10 exam, candidates can pursue Diploma in Hotel Management.

• Few of the state-level colleges will provide admission in diploma programmes on the basis of marks scored by the candidates in state-level diploma entrance exams.

Undergraduate Courses in Hotel Management:

• Candidates must have passed class 12 with 50% aggregate marks to pursue undergraduate programmes in hotel management.

• Candidates will be required to clear entrance exams like NCHMCT JEE for BHM programme.

Post-Graduate Courses in Hotel Management:

• After completing graduation with at least 45% marks, candidates can apply for post-graduate programmes.

• Some of the top hotel management institutes admit students on the basis of PG entrance exams.

Certificate Courses in Hotel Management:

After completing class 12, candidates can pursue a certificate course at any point of their education. No entrance exam is required to enroll for this programme. 

Why Should You Consider a Career in Hotel Management?

Hotel management is a popular career path for students who have completed their secondary education. As the hotel industry expands, so does the demand for hotel management expertise. Furthermore, as tourism grows in India, students in the hospitality sector are more likely to be hired by reputable firms.

Provided below are some of the reasons that you can consider going for hotel management as your career

• Diversity will be a part of your life once you've entered the hospitality industry
• Fascinating job opportunities ranging from ultra-modern Dubai hotels to exotic resorts, all while earning a good living
• The only viable option is the hotel industry
• A decent salary will be offered
• Hotel Management offers very good professional growth

Skills Required to Become A Hotel Manager

In order to become a manager at a prestigious hotel, one must possess specific talents and abilities to properly manage everything. A perfect manager ensures the visitors` comfortable stay and makes their stay more pleasant. To become a hotel general manager one must have the following skills.

• Leadership Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Good Communication Skills
• Observational Skills
• Problem-solving Skills
• Multitasking and Organizational Skills
• A warm and open personality
• Tact and Diplomacy
• Unflappable under pressure
• Patience

Responsibilities of A Hotel Manager

The following responsibilities specify the duties of a hotel manager

• Plan and organise hotel accommodations, catering, and other services
• Promote and market the business
• Control spending and manage budgets and financial plans
• Keep statistics and financial records
• Set and meet sales and profit goals
• Analyze sales data and develop market and revenue management strategies
• Staff recruitment, training, and supervision
• Create work schedules for individuals and groups
• Greet and welcome customers
• Take care of customer complaints and comments
• Address issues and troubleshoot as needed
• Ensure that events and conferences are carried out without a hitch
• Monitor maintenance, supplies, renovations, and furniture
• Manage contractors and suppliers
• Ensure effective security
• Carryout property and service inspections on a regular basis
• Ensure compliance with licencing laws, health and safety regulations, and other statutory requirements

Types of Job Roles General Manager (Hotel)

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve the role of a hotel manager, however, it definitely has its own perks. One can progress to top management posts through experience. Some of the job profiles for a hotel general manager are mentioned below:

Front Office Manager

Front office manager oversee the work of receptionists, reservation clerks and information clerk. He/she is responsible for ensuring the requirements of the guests are catered to on time. Additionally, he/she aslo has to coordinate between the housekeeping department as well as the food and beverage department.

Restaurant and Food Service Manager

He/she is responsible for taking stock of cutlery, paper, linens, cleaning supplies, cooking utensils as well as furniture and fixtures of the hotel. The/she is also in-charge for arranging equipment maintenance and repairs.

Food and Beverage Manager

The job of the Food and Beverage Manager is to plan, organise and supervise the work of the catering department. Managers in this profile have to interact with guests and ensure that the demands of the customers are met.

Banquet Manager

A banquet manager is responsible to rent out the banquet to companies for corporate events as well as private parties. He/she has to closely work with the catering department as well as the food and beverage manager to ensure that timely snacks, food and drinks are offered to the guests.

Housekeeping Manager

Housekeeping managers ensure the hotel is clean and well maintained. He/she supervises the working of housekeepers, cleaners and seamstresses and is also responsible for training, making rosters and supervising the work of housekeepers along with timely ordering for cleaning supplies.

Director of Hotel Operations

The director of hotel operations develop strategies to increase the facilities' operational efficiency, coordinate staff development activities and create productive working environments. The director of hotel operations is responsible for maintaining open lines of communication with service providers that will help to promote productive working relationships. 

Professional development

The development of professional growth is very essential in every profession. Professional development in the hotel management industry comes with experience. Some of the highly reputed hotels conduct recruitment programmes for the post of managers at the graduation level. But the topmost positions can be reached merely through professional experience. The duration of training on recruitment programmes varies, but is typically between one and two years, with the goal of developing future operations managers.

Graduate courses vary from institution to institution and all the programmes may be specific to certain specific aspects of hotel work or more general in nature, covering all operations.  In general, hotels strive to provide graduates with a broad understanding of hotel management. Training will cover some or all of the following elements, depending on the programme.

• Banqueting
• Reception
• Reservations
• Restaurants
• Room service
• Conference
• Bars
• Sommelier training
• The concierge desk
• Guest Relations
• Night management
• Housekeeping

Throughout the training programme, you will be supported and coached by senior management, and a mutually agreed-upon personal development plan will be implemented. Regular progress reviews are also carried out.

Employment Sector/Industry for General Manager (Hotel)

A hotel general manager can work in a variety of hospitality fields such as, hotels, holiday resorts, cruise liners, beach retreats, sports resorts, casino hotels, spa and recreation establishments, destination spas, bush/safari lodges and guest houses. The employment opportunities for hotel general manager in the various sectors or industries are immense. Few of the top sectors that require hotel general manager are listed below:

• MNCs

• Aviation

• Marketing

• Travel and tourism

• Retail sector

• Corporate businesses

• Teaching

• Event Management

• Consulting Firms

• Banking and Insurance 

Top Recruiting Hotels for Hotel General Manager

Some of the top hotels where a hotel general manager can find employment opportunities are listed below:

• Taj Group of Hotels

• Oberoi Group of Hotels

• ITC Group of Hotels

• Jaypee Group of Hotels

• Hilton Group of Hotels

• Casino Group of Hotels

• Le Meridien Group of Hotels

• Tulip Star Group of Hotels

• Welcome Heritage Group of Hotels

• Holiday Inn Group of Hotels 

Pay Scale/Salary of General Manager (Hotel)

The salary of a hotel general manager varies from sector to sector. Salary packages of a hotel manager are good if one is working with five-star hotels. With quality education and experience, one can make a good career as a hotel general manager.

Following are some relative salary figures for different job profiles of hotel general manager:

Note: The above figures are an estimate and may vary from individual to individual and company to company. 

Books & Study Material to Become General Manager (Hotel)

Hotel management is a vast field and its scope is plenty. To be in the field of hotel management, one should have right set of books in order to achieve a good score in various entrance exams conducted for hotel management course. Below are some of the best books and study material for career in the field of hotel management.

• Dharmendra Mittal’s 10 Mock Tests For Hotel Management Entrances

• Arihant Study Package for Hotel Management and Hospitality Administration

• R Gupta’s book for Hotel Management

• Hotel Management Entrance Exam Guide by Dr R P Datason

• Hotel Management Entrance Exam Guide by Gladvin Rego

• How to Prepare For the Hotel Management Entrance Examination by Thorpe

• Hotel Management Catering Technology: Entrance Exam, Guide by VVK Subburaj

• Hotel Management Entrance Exam Guide By Jawahar Book Centre

• Ramesh Hotel Management Entrance Exam Guide by RPH Editorial Board

Pros of becoming a General Manager (Hotel)

• The job of hotel general manager offers learning new career skills everyday.

• Being a hotel general manager helps you to develop the overall personality and one can be a specialist over a period of time in the desired department.

• The job of hotel general manager involves meeting new people that allows a lot of social interaction with people. 

Cons of becoming a General Manager (Hotel)

• There are no time limitations for hotel general manager, one has to work on weekends as well as national holidays.

• The hotel general manager have to be active all the time.

• If anything goes wrong within the department, all blame and liability falls on the manager of the department.

Career path for General Manager (Hotel)

Aspirants looking at how to become a hotel general manager must satisfy the minimum academic benchmark required to pursue a career in this field. The academic qualifications required for being a hotel general manager is mentioned below:

Subject Combination – Any stream