An effective marketing and sales manager in a hotel should possess a variety of skills and qualities that can help to drive revenue and increase profitability. If the points below aren’t in the job description then maybe they should be. In addition, the points below need talking through to establish...
The GM’s Blog
LinkedIn Hospitality State Of Play Polls
Over recent months HGM polls have set out to get a picture around what’s going on in industry during these exceptionally turbulent times. But every business is different with the recipe for success for one business owner completely different to that of another. It’s because our industry is so dynamic...
What’s the difference between a good consultant/advisor and a poor consultant/advisor?
I We’ve all heard the old adage of the consultant who says ‘give me your watch and I’ll tell you the time’. Let’s face it consultants don’t always attract good press and it’s important that your consultant can demonstrate value to your business at all times. The difference between a...
Avoid Burnout! Why creative hobbies can support a creative job?
You’ve heard the saying, all work and no play leads to a pretty boring existence. But that’s not to say you’re hobbies can’t just be as creative or adventurous as your day job. However, if you work in hospitality and you work long hours, is there actually anytime for hobbies?...
Menu Drift – The 10 things that can degrade your menu quality and consistency.
We’ve all been there. The head chef creates a menu tasting launch event at which restaurant staff and management all sit down to coo over the latest creations from the kitchen. Such events are motivational and are often heralded as a big tick in a properties development. Quite often the...
The process of training is nothing without the inspiration of learning!
How do you assess training and learning in your business, and are both processes fully documented and defined? Training processes refer to a specific type of learning process that is typically associated with formal education, job training, or skill acquisition. It often involves a structured approach to teaching that includes...
AI 2028 – The Hotel GM of the Future?
There’s no doubt that how we operate hotels today is greatly enhanced by the continued transition from analogue to digital, a process that affects all hotels to a greater or lesser extent. Whether you’re advanced on this analogue - digital journey or not will deeply affect your competitive operating capability...
Youth v Experience. And the winner is…?
Amongst the top five cosmological questions yet to be answered include ‘What is the meaning of life?’, and ‘does youth trump experience’? This blog focusses on the latter conundrum and how your operation can benefit from the best blend of youth and experience within a multigenerational workforce. When it comes...
How AI Will Emerge In Hospitality, and Why You Need to Be Ready
The advent of AI is set to transform hospitality over the next 10 years with unimaginable features driving team efficiency and operational management/control, whilst propelling the guest experience to new heights of intricate and impressive personalisation. Are you ready? The list below outlines many facets of hotel management already established...
How Company Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast
Every GM has at some point the passion and desire to make changes for the better in their property. Whether this is a small move or a sizeable Capex project it's rare that change doesn't take place unless clear benefits are discussed and agreed in advance. We've all been in...
Where are you sitting within the digital revolution? And why it’s important to know.
There's a lot to be said for the digital age and how it affects our personal and professional lives. But how well we leverage digital capability varies greatly with advances in domestic facing technology (agile and flexible) competing with commercial capability (big and cumbersome) for the first time. Where does...
What’s acceptable banter in the work place to avoid upsetting people?
Banter and leg-pulling in the hospitality setting can be a tricky topic, as what is acceptable can vary depending on the context and the individuals involved, as well as the pressures of intensive working patterns. Here are some general guidelines (include in your employee handbook) to consider when it...
How to ask your boss for a pay rise in such a way you’ll get it.
There's never been more scrutiny on staff payroll but equally, there's never been a greater desire to retain key staff (like you) during a staff shortage crisis. How do GM's balance off these two factors, including asking for a pay rise yourself? Asking for a pay raise can be a...
The top 10 bad things that happen when you don’t effectively train your staff.
When any business doesn't take the training of its staff seriously, it can have negative consequences for your hotel of restaurant. The list below may be symptomatic of where you sit fully or partially and if you recognise any of these points you may need to assess your training policies...
10 benefits of how trust and togetherness of the ‘work family’ can achieve stunning success.
The trust and togetherness of a close knit work family can be a super powerful force that can help achieve great things. It's a paradigm worth considering if you don't think your team are fully connected. Activities such as company events/parties, employee feedback and employee benefits all add to the...
Six signs that you may have been in your job too long!
Hospitality is a fairly dynamic and fluid industry with many staff moving around after a few years. Many see the diversity of experience as being important in the development of their career. But some staff can inadvertently hang around and spend decades in the same company. Being in a job...
What are the advantages of leaving a job in which you’re happy?
Leaving a job in which you're happy can be a difficult decision, but there may be some advantages to doing so. I was once told that leaving a job when you're unhappy gives you odds of 2:1 AGAINST being happy in your next job because it will be as bad,...
How to develop a program of continued professionalism development to nail that next promotion.
Let's face it. The only person truly interested in your career is you. You're the person that's got to pay for that next foreign holiday, your bigger car, the detached house, and maybe the financial demands of a growing family. Working in hospitality is a great industry of opportunity. Developing...
How to motivate change in senior long serving staff.
Change and strategic adaptation is a challenge at the best of times. Motivating change in senior long serving staff can be an even more delicate and challenging task. These employees may have a strong attachment to the way things have been done in the past, and may be resistant to...
Seven tips to operating a hotel or restaurant when you’re short staffed!
You're short staffed. Deal with it. Operating a hotel when you're short staffed can be a challenging task, but there are some effective strategies that can help you manage the situation. Here are some tips already being deployed by operators: 1. Prioritise key tasks: Identify the most critical tasks that...
