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With the rapid growth of tourism, hospitality managers have been in high demand throughout the country to properly manage hotels and lead them to success. With so many Filipinos graduating with a major in hospitality every year (Top 10 most enrolled college courses in the Philippines), competition for those precious few hotel management can be fierce.
Of course, not just anybody can become a successful hotel manager. To do that, you’ll need to possess a certain skill set and mentality. If you are serious about rising through the ranks and becoming a hotel manager in the future, here are some of the key skills you should look to develop:
1. Communication is Key
In any industry, the key to success relies heavily on communication. With various departments and employee levels throughout a hotel, managers need to be able to communicate clearly and effectively. The ability to communicate observations and expectations will not only help you but also your team in achieving targets, objectives and goals. A tip to remember is that communication is not just about speaking clearly and explaining things well, but also comes in the forms of writing and an individual’s body-language.
2. Leadership to Uplift the Team
Apart from communicating effectively, the gage of a reputable hotel manager is the amount of respect one gets from their team, which stems from leadership skills. As a hotel manager, not only will you be managing a team but you will be leading and encouraging them to improve and succeed. A good leader must also possess good interpersonal skills to effectively handle complex situations among employees and guests, in the effort to keep everyone happy.
3. It’s the Details that Count
Attention to detail in the hospitality industry is a key skill to have, especially for a hotel manager. Ensuring guest satisfaction and exceeding expectations, while managing staff and delegating tasks is no easy feat. Organisation is crucial to keep an eye for detail, along with being able to manage checklists to warrant and verify that all the tasks that need to be done get accomplished within the set time frames.
4. Flexibility to Adapt and Adjust
Accidents happen. Hotels encounter many unexpected issues and problems throughout the day, and managers must constantly be on their toes to find quick solutions to adjust and adapt to multiple and varying situations. Whether it be handling guest complaints, resolving employee conflict or dealing with emergency situations, the skill of flexibility is very important for any hotel manager.
5. Experience Will Come in Handy
Having experience in your back pocket is something that will always come to good use. From knowing the ins and outs of the organisation, to working with computer systems and dealing with people, experience will not only allow you to move quicker and with more confidence, but will also be a boost of trust to your team knowing that they can rely on you and your experience to lead them. Enrolling in Hotel Management short courses will also be helpful in terms of learning new and current trends and learning from the experience of other hospitality professionals, which you can apply to your own work.