Want to Be a Hospitality Manager? Here’s What You Need

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Working as an employee in hospitality can be a very rewarding and fulfilling role to take on. Being able to help others get through their day and providing warm, friendly service is all part of the package. Although working as a waitress, cleaner, bar assistant, barista, or even a cook, may interest you, you may eventually find yourself wanting to work towards a higher goal. Becoming a manager in the hospitality industry isn’t a hard-to-reach goal, and can certainly be an achievable feat! There are a few things you may want to consider first, however, if you’re looking to start filling the shoes of a great hospitality manager.

1. Be a great communicator

When working as a hospitality manager (or any manager, really) you need to be a great communicator. Whether it be face-to-face communication or emails and calls, you need to be able to connect well with others working around you. Not only will your staff be able to complete the jobs and actions requested of you as they understand what’s required of them, but you can also communicate appropriately with guest and clients to ensure their needs are met. Whether it be a special request the client has made for their room, or a complaint about their meal, communication is key to being a great manager.

2. Be organised

When working as a manager, you need to be organised. Having a personality that thrives on having everything managed and in order will make your job that much easier. Whether you’re working in a small rural motel or a large, popular hotel in Las Vegas, you need to be able to be coordinated in all of your tasks, and able to assist those around you to work to their full potential. If you struggle with discipline yourself, you may want to work on some ways to make yourself efficient and ordered while working towards your goal of becoming a hospitality manager.

3. Get an education

Although ‘on the job’ training may still get you to your promotion of hospitality manager, it will also help to get some qualifications or certifications in hospitality management. Knowing the theoretical basics of being a commendable manager will help you with your practical experience working within the industry. There are many courses you can take that will help you on your venture, from a short course to a four year degree.

4. Learn how to budget

Being able to estimate costs in the long run will help you to better run a business. Although there will be other people helping to determine budgets, such as owners and accountants, being able to work out basic costs on the spot is going to help you run the show a lot better. If you know and understand how wages will affect the daily budget, how the daily special will impact costs, and how providing a free bottle of wine to any of the guests will alter potential profits, you’ll have a better understanding of what is going on around you and whether or not you can afford to call in another staff member to work when it gets busier.

5. Share your knowledge

Although you may be working towards a promotion and feel like you may be in competition with your peers, the best option in this case is to share your knowledge. When working in the hospitality industry, it pays to understand more about other roles and other jobs around you. If you understand an aspect of a role that someone new in the job might not understand or hasn’t yet handled, taking the time to teach them how it is done and how to work in that position will not only help them, but you as well. Teaching others, sharing knowledge, and assisting with basic training of other jobs in the position will look very positive to your employer. It demonstrates that you have both the businesses’ and other people’s best intentions in mind.

6. Understand the industry

When it comes to any role, knowledge is power. Understanding how the hospitality industry is working, and knowing trends in the market will certainly help in a managerial role. It can be as small as reading a website or newspaper each day that talks about hospitality and hotel news, which will help you to understand the industry and always stay one step ahead. Don’t be afraid of changes to the industry, but rather embrace them and use them to your advantage. Knowing of impending changes or upcoming trends due to take off means you can have an innovative, forward thinking business that can help you gain a good reputation.

7. It’s ok to start at the bottom

If you ask a few hospitality managers how they started working in the industry, you will likely hear of their jobs as a waitress on weekends or a motel cleaner working split shifts. Don’t be afraid to start working in the industry as an entry-level worker. This kind of position in the industry will help you to get into the business, but will also help you as a manager to understand the kinds of pressures and jobs the entry level employees need to go through. Being patient, working hard in your current role, and gaining further education will help you to work through the ranks and be a great manager in no time.

If a career as a hospitality manager sounds like the right fit for you, check out the courses available from ICI UK today.

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Gladys Mae

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Gladys Mae serves as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute. Gladys holds a degree in Mass Communication - Broadcast Media from the University of San Jose-Recoletos. She joined ICI in 2010 and has over the past 12 years been instrumental in providing leadership and guidance to staff and students alike. Prior to joining ICI Gladys led a multifaceted career with key roles in the banking and business process outsourcing industries.