Although the hospitality industry is a booming sector, competition for hospitality management positions is fierce, particularly in luxury settings. Job openings at the top are limited, and the candidates applying for these administration spots are highly trained. Whether you are evaluating entering the hospitality management field or looking for the top in-demand skills that employers seek, these five strengths every hospitality manager needs will help you evaluate what it takes to succeed in the industry.
1. Highly Attuned to Details
The top priority of hospitality managers is to ensure that every guest has the best experience possible. This requires you to be hyper-vigilant about every detail from the top to the bottom, ranging from the fresh seasonal flowers in the hotel lobby to the intricately folded napkins on the dining table to the efficient check-in and check-out process at the front desk.
2. Efficient Problem Solver
Thinking quickly, making decisive decisions and responding sensitively to customers’ and employees’ questions and concerns are a hospitality manager’s most important job duties. A sympathetic ear and a genuine effort to fix an issue goes a long way in preventing problems that can quickly spread. You must also be able to anticipate issues and have a backup plan for when things go wrong — and they will on an almost daily basis! Staying ahead of the competition depends on you coming up with creative solutions and implementing visionary ideas using the tools at your disposal to offer the best service possible.
3. Excellent Time Management Skills
Being a manager in the hospitality industry requires you to have an organized, punctual schedule. However, you are often required to work long, unusual hours and must drop everything in your personal life to deal with an immediate crises at any moment. You not only need to be flexible and adaptable to the fast-paced, varying workload but also resourceful in how you handle all your responsibilities.
4. Be a Team Motivator
You are only as strong as the team you lead, so you must strive to be more than just a manager. Listening to your staff, implementing their ideas, sharing credit and owning up to your mistakes will command respect and maintain morale. As the manager, you should be willing to jump in and get the job done even when it is well outside the scope of your responsibilities or below your pay grade. When the need arises, you must take off your suit jacket, roll up your sleeves and then begin changing sheets, stocking shelves or carrying luggage. Leading by example teaches your staff that you value hard work and self-motivation and that the company’s only goal is to satisfy the customers.
5. Relate to Diverse People
Hospitality managers interact with an internationally diverse group of people. This job also requires you to work with people of all personality types. You need to be able to listen to what customers and employees are not saying and watch how they are behaving. Paying attention to these non-verbal clues will enable you to identify and deter concerns before they escalate into real problems. Anticipating the needs of your customers, even before they realize them, is the key to making them feel pampered.
Being successful in hospitality management requires ensuring customer satisfaction from the moment they walk into your doors until the moment they walk out while also keeping employees motivated to go the extra mile to provide exceptional experiences. When preparing your resume, make sure to highlight specific instances when you were able to successfully apply these skills in the workplace.