How to Become a Hotel Manager

Hotel managers oversee the hiring and training staff, marketing, handling unexpected issues, setting quality standards—and everything in between!

What Does a Hotel Manager Do?

Hotel managers take on the awesome responsibility of making sure that guests and clients have the best possible hotel experience. This means setting standards of excellence and customer service, training staff to quickly answer any guest questions, and ensuring that everything from the pillowcases to the complimentary bath soaps exceed the guest’s expectations.

Hotel managers watch for trends and changes in the industry and work with their marketing team to keep the hotel relevant and competitive. They also ensure that any promotional materials—from websites to Facebook to brochures—are a true and accurate reflection of their establishment.  The ultimate goal is keep past clients loyal to your establishment so they’ll spread the word about your hotel’s services to their friends or online via hospitality, hotel and social media sites.

Hotel managers establish and control budgets, set room rates and approve expenditures. They’re likely to have a say in which towels and bed sheets are selected, what food is served in the hotel restaurant, what amenities are complimentary and which cost extra, and network with local businesses to promote each other’s services. They also address any and all guest complaints, resolve issues quickly and follow up to ensure that they are satisfied with the resolution—which in turn means a positive review on websites like Expedia, TripAdvisor and Yelp, which many tourists depend upon as they plan their trip.

Is This Career Right For Me?

To become a successful hotel manager, you need more than a comprehensive knowledge of the hotel industry; you also require excellent management, time, communication and people skills. Although tasks are delegated, you are ultimately responsible for ensuring that every employee performs well and adheres to the high standards of service that you’ve set. You need a calm demeanour to respond to complaints in a helpful and composed manner, and be able to make quick decisions to resolve any issues that may arise. You’ll keep an eye on trends and changes in the industry to help market and promote your establishment and its services. Most importantly, you need to have stamina: hotel management requires you to be everywhere at once.

Where Are The Jobs?

According to PFK Hospitality & Tourism Business Advisors, hotel occupancy in Canada remained stable throughout 2013, with increases in Central and Western Canada. This is good news for the hospitality industry and good news for prospective students who are thinking of getting a degree or diploma in Hotel Management, Travel & Tourism and Hospitality. Professional, industry-savvy hotel managers who have great marketing ideas,  who tirelessly seek perfection and have experience in the industry—including experience gained through a work practicum and internship—can find work in hotels, motels, inns and B&Bs across the country.

What will I study:

These are some of the colleges that offer degrees related to Hotel Management:

• Canadian Tourism College
• Evergreen College
• Everest College
• Stratford Career Institute
• CDI College
• Vancouver Career College
• MTI Community College
• Sprott Shaw College
• Robertson College