Hotel General Manager Job Description

He has to keep his staff motivated and driven, despite pressures. He leads from the front, to keep the hotel in its topmost form.

If you've ever stayed at a hotel, you would know the difference between a good and a bad one. Besides the aesthetics, the services provided by the hotel are the deciding factors of their hospitality. The job of a hotel's general manager is to ensure that the operations are carried out smoothly and efficiently.

He is responsible for overall activities of his staff and the services. Depending on the size of the hotel and the services provided by them, the hotel general manager job description can be generalized to a large extent. So let's take a look at what are the duties and responsibilities of a general manager.

• To be a general manager of the hotel, is basically to decide the structure of its operations. Thus, a general manager has to work out the finances, hiring of employees, and coordinating with the vendors and clients.
• Many times, a hotel general manager may have to go out to buy the required materials, such as exotic vegetables, spices and furniture. He must be able to negotiate with the vendors to get the best prices for the purchases.

• Every hotel has an assigned budget to ensure optimum utilization of resources. This estimation might have to drawn out from scratch every month and compared to the actual income and expenditure, to see whether they are in sync. 

A slightest difference can put the manager's ability to handle finances to test. Thus, he must know how to manage the finances of the hotel as well.

• In order to retain the existing clientele and add to the same, the general manager may have to come up with advertising strategies and campaigns. Thus, his non-verbal communication and analytical skills are tested too.

• The manager has to hire employees, assign them to teams, delegate work to them, and most importantly keep them motivated. The regular squabbles with the clients can upset the staff in the hotel. At such times, the hotel manager must intervene and stand up for his employees, while providing a solution to the client's problem as well.

• On several occasions, a general manager has to work all through the nights in case of parties and events. It is a job that makes a person work under extreme pressure and stress. Thus, one needs to maintain a stable mind and a calm composure, to perform with utmost perfection.

• He must also maintain an inventory of available stock and supervise the same at all times. This allows him to know the order that needs to be placed with the vendors for both, quality and quantity.

• The environs of the hotel must be maintained in topmost condition always. To ensure the same, the general manager must have a housekeeping staff and a maintenance workforce. The cleanliness of the hotel must be inspected all the times, to make sure that it meets the prescribed standards.

• He must actively participate in deciding the menu, arranging the complimenting cocktails with the same, and ordering for supplies to meet the menu demands.
• Lastly, the general manager must see to it that the hotel's activities are in compliance with the laws and in accordance with health and safety regulations.

The average salary of a general manager in a hotel will be around $50,000 p.a., which can go up to as high as $100,000 for experienced professionals. Also, factors like location and standard of the hotel can play in a big part in the package a manager gets.

The general manager of a hotel does not always directly interact with the clients. His job is to ensure that the staff under his control performs their tasks well. Running a hotel is a team effort, wherein the hotel manager plays the role of a leader, and his staff members are his teammates.

This it is a collective effort that needs to be performed in a synchronized manner for desired outcome. In case of a staff crunch, the hotel general manager may be required to handle certain front desk duties. It is a job that gives you the perks of a boss, but also demands you to work at par with your staff members, if the need arises.