Really successful Hoteliers demonstrate a passion for EVERYTHING
There’s a saying that I’ve parroted for the last 20 years or so that perfectly sums up kitchen culture in hotels – ‘What a chef cooks is an extension of their personality’. This saying predisposes the notion that any increase in quality, broadening of cooking style, or any cooking activity to keep up with industry trends involves both professional and personal development. Chefs unanimously agree with this.
Taking a broader view, independant hotel owners and GM’s work to similar model albeit with slightly more nuanced approach that manifests itself by the businesses majoring in what Owners and GM’s have a passion for. Some examples of this…
- An owner passionate about design sees the revenue management function way down the list of priorities. They just hope revenue management works.
- An owner passionate about design and has no interest in people development.
- The foodie GM who puts everything into the F&B operation and takes minimal interest in housekeeping.
- The sales driven GM who is all over the sales function and hopes F&B development and growth can take cate of itself.
- The owner who loves capital projects and has a maintenance team twice the size one might expect.
- The finance/P&L driven Owner/GM who leave HOD’s to simply muddle through and hope for the best.
In these scenarios and within others too, the independent hotel culture and thus the operational effectiveness becomes imbalanced. When this happens some of the following tends to takes place.
- Limited scope for full breadth commercial growth.
- The hotels reputation will be inconsistent depending on which area of the business any given guest intersects.
- Departments can become silos with varying levels of moral and motivation.
- Owner/GM relationships are more productive with some managers than others.
- Can lead to staff churn if a given department is lack lustre, offering limited training or career curve capability.
- Can switch-off leaders.
Where groups predominantly get this right (assuming they’re not asset stripping or dressing for disposal) is that there is (or should be) a focus on all areas of the business to max out. Shareholders and Directors expect optimal departmental performance along with a rationalised narrative on why budgets sit where they do, along with why some departments exceed or fall below forecast.
A key focus of our unique HOD training and how HOD’s link into the wider culture focusses on levelling up, allowing the strengths of the hotel to remain strengths whilst developing departments to contribute more richly. We work with or through GM’s to deliver our training so that our frequency is in tune with what you already do.
Our training rationalises departmental performance, investment in people, commercial expectations and applies the correct mechanisms to deliver dynamic growth. We do this within the context of your hotel which is different to getting in non hotel specialists or consultants. We train on what we know works and your teams will understand and relate to the language of progress in what they do, even though you may not be able to fully contribute. You can though support the process.
If you’re looking for a departmental levelling up get in touch today info@hotelgeneralmanagers.com
