Hospitality Management: A Day in the Life of a Hotel Manager

If you envision your career moving towards hospitality management, but you’re not sure what the role of a hotel manager entails—and whether you’d be cut out for the job—this article is your perfect career advice that answers all your questions.

Read on as we explore the behind-the-scenes of hospitality management from check-in to check-out and outline the responsibilities and duties of a hotel manager, and what a typical day in the life of a hotel manager looks like.

What Does a Hotel Manager Do?

A hotel manager is a person in charge of both operational duties and management matters within a hotel.

Generally, a hotel manager’s job description includes tasks like overseeing a hotel’s daily operations, interacting with staff and guests, managing different hotel departments, creating financial reports, and more.

A hotel manager’s duties range from organizing staffing to coordinating fresh flowers for the lobby. Still, regardless of how (un)important the task may seem, all responsibilities that are in the hands of a manager work together towards making the hotel a seamlessly organized, comfortable, and appealing place to work and stay at.

Depending on the work arrangement between a hotel and its manager, a manager can, over time, take on additional responsibilities such as arranging contracts with vendors, negotiating leases with on-site shops, and upgrading the hotel’s appearance or services.

Of course, some of these tasks are on the day-to-day schedule of hotel managers, whereas others are more or less frequently part of the daily agenda.

But it’s not just the tasks where hotel managers need to be able to wear many hats.

A great hotel manager has to be a “people person” as the bulk of their daily activities boils down to working with people. From handling customer inquiries and complaints, and overseeing hotel operations to managing staff and ensuring guests have a pleasant stay.

Let’s get to know the job of a hotel manager better with an overview of a typical working day in the life of a hotel manager.

A Day in the Life of a Hotel Manager

Early Mornings

A hotel manager’s work day usually starts by going through emails, reviewing the reports from the night shift, and checking in with the front desk. In case any issues took place the previous night, they are addressed first thing in the morning.

The next task on a hotel manager’s agenda is to tour the hotel’s common areas, such as the lobby, swimming pool, gym, cafe, and restaurants. Separate departments are in charge of each of these areas, but it is the manager’s duty to inspect whether the staff completed their work and if everything is as it should be.

During this review tour, the hotel manager is expected to strike up conversations with staff members and guests. These casual chit-chats help guests and staff feel heard in their needs and wants and, on the other hand, allow the manager to read the room, identify and prevent potential problems, and pinpoint ways to improve the hotel’s service.

Late Mornings and Early Afternoons

In the late morning hours, hotel managers typically meet the heads of departments from the entire hotel to discuss existing problems, daily itineraries, staff assignments, and more.

Once the meetings with the HODs are over, the manager now has time to check off some of their tasks, including reviewing invoices, preparing reports, scheduling any staff training or meeting, etc.

After completing the administration duties, the hotel manager finally has some free time and usually spends it on a lunch break. On slower days, managers may even lend a hand to departments experiencing a busy period.

Late Afternoons

As the manager wraps up personal tasks, it is time for them to go back on the floor, meet with check-in and check-out guests, and ask for feedback about their stay.

In late afternoons, it’s time for managers to meet up with the representatives of different hotel departments, including HR, finance, sales, revenue management, and others.

During these meetings, the manager and the associates discuss management matters, strategic planning, as well as day-to-day details such as staffing matters, upcoming banquets, new policies, and so on.

Evenings

Hotel managers typically use the early evenings to respond to emails, review documents, check statistics, etc. In the late evenings, managers undertake a second tour of the hotel and enjoy casual talks with guests or create more business networking opportunities.

Commonly, a hotel manager’s shift totals around 12 hours; however, it isn’t unusual that managers are called in after hours in case a problem arises.

So, as a hotel manager, you’d be on the clock 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

To Sum Up

Hotel managers are in high demand nowadays. In small local hotels and grand seaside resorts alike, there are plenty of job opportunities for hospitality enthusiasts aspiring to take the lead.

However, being a hotel manager is one of the most challenging jobs in the hospitality industry, and it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Moreover, this is not your typical 9-to-5 job. As a hotel manager, you will often bring the work home—or make the hotel your home. It is a job that requires your undivided attention, ongoing work, and continuous learning.

To be a grand hotel manager, you must exude energy, enthusiasm, technical knowledge, and excellent leadership skills, and, above all, love your job.