One day of shadowing a hotel GM

At my previous job as part of the training I had an amazing opportunity to shadow our hotel GM, Mr. Ray. Just to give an idea, our hotel is 1013 rooms five-star property located in Indianapolis and famous as one of the best convention hotels in America. At the same time, Mr. Ray was a multi-property GM as all the other hotel GMs in the area reported to him on a regular basis. It was truly an eye-opening experience that broadened my horizons and deepened my knowledge about hotel operations. Everything that I will cover in this article specifies particularly Mr. Ray’s style of leadership, therefore it should be used as an insight rather than a strict rule -book on how to be a hotel GM. As every GM may have their own style of leadership depending on the personality and the hotel’s needs.

Here is the short schedule:

Before starting the day the GM meets with all the directors. Following that he and the executive team meet with all the managers. Depending on the day of the week there is also a Revenue strategy meeting and many more meetings with the management of different properties and departments as well as different clients and ownership.

I realized how I underestimated the responsibilities of the hotel GM. In my initial understanding, I thought that the primary competence of the hotel GM lies in the realm of Sales, customer service and managerial finance. However, the more I observed the more I realized that it requires a myriad of different skill sets and knowledge and most importantly leadership to manage a 5-star property. Mr. Ray had to wear different hats throughout his work and be a jack of all trades to assist and motivate his team of directors and lead the hotel

Human Resources, their importance and the role it plays in upper management are often overlooked in educational material for hospitality. The development of talent is a core competence of director-level leadership as many things are managed indirectly.

Things that directors discussed

1. Staffing - Training - Planning and other HR issues.

2. If the hotel is ready to accommodate guests on certain days.

3. The financial situation in the hotel

4. Strategies and projects to be done

Usually, the team of directors consists of A-players in hospitality, people with a proven track record with several years of experience in the industry. Therefore, when interacting with them the hotel GM is more demanding and pushes them to be better versions of themselves. While the interaction with front-line employees is much milder and more about an inspiring presence that the GM provides.

Another facet of the GM is asking the right questions at the right time. The person has to be inquisitive in order to be fully informed and to set right expectations. One of the interesting tactics that can be used is asking questions that already set up the right expectations. For example, instead of just saying his expectations to the directors. The GM can ask:

“Do your associates have enough resources to do their job?”

“What is the reason behind recent call-offs?”

“What is the plan to solve the issue?”

“What is the approximate deadline for the new project?”

“Is there anything I can do to help you do your job?”

And etc. At first glance, the questions may seem aggressive, however, they are absolutely necessary to get to the bottom of things as the time of the hotel GM is very limited.

Apart from ensuring that short-term projects get done, the hotel GM is one of the people who is also responsible for the long-term vision of the property. Anticipating potential issues and preparing a fertile ground in advance. For instance, the financial planning shows that the hotel has contracts signed for up to 5 years. The GM is one of the few people who may inquire the Sales team to not forget about the long-term prosperity of the hotel and to start making necessary preparations to get new contracts coming or to start preparing a contingency plan with the Finance when the slower season arrives. I would express it as follows: front-line employees think about today and tomorrow, supervisors plan for the week, managers plan for months, directors plan for the next year while the GM thinks several years ahead.

Furthermore, the hotel GM has to work as a mentor nurturing internal talent in the organisation and going as far as to prepare the potential successors for the leadership roles of the higher management. Mainly it comes down to giving advice and helping with the career trajectory by cooperating with the leadership of Human Resources.

Finally, last but not least the GM has to be the face of the hotel. As he is the leader of the organisation he has to be its best ambassador and representative to other businesses and clients. He has to be an undoubted and qualified leader to ensure confidence across all levels of the hotel. As well as maintaining good relationships with shareholders and meeting their expectations.

Special regards and appreciation to Mr. Ray for sharing his knowledge and experience and allowing me to shadow him during the execution of his duties as the hotel GM and giving me a glimpse into the world of executive-level management.

Summary:

1. Auditing the work of all the directors and department heads and setting the right expectations.

2. Provide mentorship to the future leadership

3. Instilling confidence by showcasing leadership to all the associates

4. Ensuring long-term vision

5. Being the face of the hotel