If you have ever stayed in a motel, then you know the experience can either be a really good one or a really bad time. The difference between a really great hotel and a really bad may start at the top and work its way down to the bottom. When a manager forgets about what really matters the experience of staying there begins to suffer. If you are looking to make a difference and pursue a career as a hotel manager, then there are some things that you need to know in order to succeed.

How to Become a Hotel Manager

$46,880
High School or GED
1 to 5 years
None
51,400
8%
4,300

Find Related CareersSOURCE: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Begin your journey by getting hired on as an employee of a motel chain. Try and get on as a front desk clerk so that you can begin to learn hotel language and the way that things work. You will need the experience in order to be an effective manager.
• Finish your schooling by getting a hotel management degree and maybe with a focus on restaurant management. A person with a dual degree will be an effective hotel manager if they can do both jobs at once.
• Ask your college advisor about some kind of a work based study program that you can work with managers of hotels in order to gain more experience while getting your education.
• Once you are finished with your education try and get on and go through a hotel training program. During this time you will learn how the hotel chain operates and you will learn of all the possibilities that are before you.
• Be willing to work under a hotel manager for a period of time. Work with the person and learn from your mentor. There will be coming a day when you will be able to step out from under them and work on your own.
• Be willing to relocate. Very seldom will a position open up where you are living. People who are willing to move often get into the position faster than those who wait for a property to open in their home town.
• Make an effort to set yourself in a position to be noticed from the crowd. Keep your dress professional and your speech upright. The more you act professional the better you will be noticed.

What to Expect as a Hotel Manager

As a hotel manger there are some things that you can expect by way of benefits and things that you will have to do.

Benefits of a Hotel Manager

• As of 2010 the median pay for a hotel manager was $46,880 per year with an hourly average of $22.54.
• In 2010 there were 51,400 jobs positions available with an expected growth of 8 percent for the coming decade.
• Over the next ten years there will be an estimated 4,300 new jobs for people to choose from.
• Hours are plentiful when it comes time to put your time in. You basically can set your hours as the manager. You may have to fill in for an employee from time to time but overall your hours are set as you need them to be.

Duties of a Hotel Manager

As a hotel manager you will find yourself taking care of the following issues.

• You will have to make sure that all services of the hotel are marketed.
• Establish the right balance of sales, booking of rooms and reservations.
• Keep the hotel clean and updated.
• Keep the customers happy.
• Have a long term goal and a short term vision plan in place.
• You will need to keep people staffed and trained as well as remove people who are working with the set standard.
• Establish and maintain a code of conduct and standards for employees to follow.
• Approve the use of certain services of local vendors for the benefit of the hotel.