Management in Business Industries: Hotel General Manager - Essay Example

Hotel General Manager Study Analysis Name Institution Hotel General Manager Study Analysis Ronald Van Weezel is the hotel manager of Hilton Sydney. He was appointed recently as the general manager responsible for managing and operating the 579-room hotel in Sydney. Van Weezel started his career 36 years ago working in Hilton Amsterdam. He rose through several ranks before becoming the general manager. In the 36 years working with Hilton hotel, Van Weezel complicated a good number of assignments across Australia, Indonesia and Europe. He once held a management position in Hilton Amsterdam, berlin and Brisbane. He is considered a hotel professional with great record in the tourism and hospitality industry. Hilton Sidney is one of the largest hotels in Australia which was built purposely for events and conferences (Hogben and Callaghan, 2014). The hotel has phenomenon innovation, and breath-taking design with approximately 579 suites and rooms. Anyone would love to become an employee of Hilton Sidney. This paper will analyse the responsibilities, duties, qualities and qualifications that a hotel general manager should have. The paper also highlights the significance of hotel general management position and the competencies related to this position. Management in business industries is a means of coordinating the efforts of employees in order to accomplish a set goal or objective using resources effectively and efficiently. Management may include planning, organising, controlling and staffing an organisation. A general manager is an individual who holds an executive position with responsibility of managing all the firms’ day-to-day operations of any business. The management structure of a hotel determines the line of duties and responsibility the general manager has. Independent hotels are not chained to any external brand and can therefore operate according to the owner’s instructions with no restrictions. If the owner of a hotel is not the general manager, he or she is also involved in the activities of the hotel and may have influence of the decisions made by the general managers (Jonesand Lockwood, 2004). Another factor that determines the duties and responsibilities of hotel general managers is the size of a hotel. As firms’ size increases, social control, management, communication and coordination become complex and difficult. This may create need to limit managerial independence. Thus, larger organisations implement oriented control through standardized and formalized communication to structure the information needed for control, organization and coordination purposes. Another reason why hotel size limits the responsibilities of a general manager is that huge hotels represent huge investments. Thus, with more money at risk, there will be a great desire to control the general manager’s behaviours and operations. It is very important to consider the job performance expected from the hotel general managers. Management performance in the hotel industry can be measured by management competencies (Key and Russette, 2000). Competency is the underlying characteristic or feature of an individual such as a motive, self-image, body of knowledge, trait to name a few. The term has been extended to put into consideration the training of a group of managers. Competencies are taken up at a national level to give a framework for instance, for developing management competencies in Australia. For excellence performance in a hotel business, a general manager is required to possess necessary competencies in order for the business to succeed. A hotel general manager should have competency in team building, in managing stakeholders, motivation, leadership, risk-taking, strategic orientation, planning and communication etc. Team building and communication skills are the most important competencies for hotel general managers. A hotel general manager is an individual who holds a management position in hotels, resorts and other related establishment. Hotel general managers are very important to the success of hotels (Mayock, 2012). They serve as executives and their duties vary depending on the size and ownership of a hotel. Hotel general managers contribute significantly to the profits of hotel business. The background and training of a hotel general manager varies with the management position, responsibilities involved and the size of operation. In order for a person to be a hotel general manager, he or she is required to have a university degree or diploma from a recognized institution in hotel management or any other related field. One should have years of experience. The hotel general managers are considered the senior executive although they may be required to report to owner of the hotel chain (Brookes and Roper, 2012). Hotel general managers are often exposed to long hours of working including weekends, holidays and late hours. They are also exposed to a fast-paced environment where there are constant interactions with investors, guests, workers and even other junior managers. However, at other instances, hotel general managers can enjoy better working schedule with normal business days, and holidays off. Typical responsibilities of a hotel general manager include assisting in a number of operational duties, coordinating employees’ performance, taking care of dissatisfied guests’ issues, organising work schedules, carrying out interviews, purchasing supplies, conducting inspections and other additional duties depending on the size of the hotel. The hotel general manager’s role may also include preparing budgets and monitoring expenses, planning the operational of the hotels and knowing all the events that take place in the hotel vicinity. They are required to attend department and management meetings and training seniors and other additional functions related to the hotel. There are qualities that a hotel general manager should possess. General hotel managers oversee all duties related to a hotel, from supervising employees to organising work schedules (Maxwell and Watson, 2006). Their work is to maintain their vicinity running smoothly as required while taking care of the emerging issues and problems with patient and positive attitude in order to keep the workers and guests happy. Some of the qualities they should possess include: people skill, critical thinking skills, communication skills, organisational skills, financial skills, and computer skills. A general hotel manager is expected to be a people person with skills that will keep both the guests and workers happy. They assist in greeting and welcoming the guests and handle any issues or complain that may occur. He is supposed to approach issues concerning the guests with patients and understanding even during stressful circumstances. In addition to satisfying the guest demand, he should be able to motivate the employees to work well and resolve any conflicts that may arise among the employees. In general, a hotel general manager should know how to listen well. In addition, hotel general managers are regarded professional trouble-shooters. They should be creative thinkers in coming up with solutions for problems and making decisions in the fast-paced industry. They are required to make critical decisions based on the organisation’s reports and concepts and professional experiences. Also, hotel general managers are required to know how to read, write, and speak effectively. To top it up, they should understand safety rules, industry trade manuals, and maintenance instructions; he or she needs comprehensive skills and efficient and effective reading and understanding. One of the duties of a hotel general manager is to write business reports, problem-solving templates and business letters. Therefore, they are expected to have good grammar and diction. Since, they give presentations to junior managers, guests and employees; they should speak well in public. Moreover, since hotel general managers have many responsibilities, they are supposed to be multitasks. They involve themselves in guest relations, housekeeping, employee’s management, finances etc (Aldehayyat, 2011). A general manager’s duty may range from overseeing food and beverage arrangement to attending meetings. He thus is required to be organised and keep every pending projects or schedule on track. Organisational talents are an additional qualification in managing a larger hotel since they have complex operations (Morrison and Conway, 2007). Computers are significant part of any hotel general management. Managers use software to communicate with employees. They may also use computers to oversee payroll and carry out reservations and operational management. As hotels change from one computer program to another, the hotel general manager should be able to pick upon the new implementations quickly. Every general manager also is supposed to possess financial skills. Since the success of any hotel depends on the general manager, he or should set room rates, distribute funding to departments, coordinate expenses and put together budgets. This is to say that, hotel general manager is required to keep track on the finances of a hotel. Conclusion A hotel manager is an individual who holds a management position in a hotel, resort and related facility. He is responsible for day-to-day operation of a hotel and staffs. He is accountable for financial management, planning, directing all services, housekeeping, management of guests and overseeing reservations. The duties and responsibilities of a hotel manager are affected by factors such as the size of a hotel, type of hotel and the management structure. The hotel general manager is required to have some qualities for the hotel to succeed. These qualities include computer skills, financial skills, organisational skills, critical thinking skills, communication skills and people’s skills. For an individual to become a hotel general manager, he or she should have a university degree or diploma from a recognized institution in hotel management or any other related field. One should have years of experience. Reference Aldehayyat, J. S. (2011). Organisational characteristics and the practice of strategic planning in Jordanian hotels. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 30(1), 192-99. Brookes, M., and A. Roper. 2012. Realising plural-form benefits in international hotel chains. Tourism Management, 33(3), 580-91. Hogben, P. & Callaghan, J. (2014). Leisure space : the transformation of Sydney, 1945-1970. Sydney: NewSouth Publishing. Jones, P., and A. Lockwood. (2004). The management of hotel operations. London: Thomson Learning. Kay, C., and J. Russette. (2000). Hospitality-management competencies identifying managers’ essential skills. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 41(2), 52-63. Maxwell, G. A., and S. Watson. 2006. Perspectives on line managers in human resource management: Hilton international’s UK hotels. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(6), 1152-70. Mayock, P. (2012). Brands vs. Owners: Who knows best? Hotel News Now, April 2. http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/articles. aspx/7876/Brands-vs-owners-Who-knows-best? (accessed January 24, 2014). Morrison, A., and F. Conway. (2007). The status of the small hotel firm. Service Industries Journal, 27(1), 47-58. Read More