Very few industries and organizations exist that don’t rely on teamwork in some capacity to run effectively. Within hotels, teamwork is absolutely essential for successful operations – within departmental teams as well as the organization as a whole. Because of this, the strongest organizations and their leaders prioritize fostering a collaborative and supportive environment for their team members.
Creating this collectively positive and engaging environment takes intentional effort on the individual and leadership levels alike. However, successful and well-functioning teams agree that this is only possible with continuous and collaborative teamwork.
Successful Teams Work via Collaboration and Teamwork
The smoothest operating hotel teams provide a seamless experience for guests from booking to check-out at the end of their stay. Much of that requires teamwork and collaboration behind the scenes. Each employee within a hotel brings their own talents and expertise to contribute daily. It’s critical that their work doesn’t happen in a silo as that can easily lead to communication breakdowns or hiccups in daily operations. Teamwork in hotels is beneficial for a number of reasons including:
More Informed Decision-Making: The management team isn’t the only one making decisions daily within a hotel. Even entry-level positions require problem-solving and regular decision-making. Teams lacking in collaboration don’t make the most informed decisions, as individuals only see, hear, or know what they’ve witnessed themselves. Open communication among teams and between departments ensures those making any type of decision do so with as much background knowledge as possible.
Heightened Employee Morale: For employees to enjoy coming to work each day, they need to feel both supported and empowered by those around them – both management and colleagues alike. Strong collaboration and a sense of comradery among staff means a healthier and more satisfied workplace. Empowered individuals pursue growth opportunities and ways to contribute to organizational goals on a higher level – potentially leading others in the way they’ve been led. This can only be a positive for any hotel.
A Solid Guest Experience: As previously mentioned, hotel guests tend to enjoy their stays when the team supporting the hotel during that time functions well together. Employees and departments are more productive and proactive about creating a great atmosphere for guests. Any issues and/or complaints are handled faster with collaboration as well.
How to Foster a Culture of Teamwork within Hotels
Teamwork doesn’t flourish without strong leadership in place – those who intentionally strove to create an environment where staff work well together. Behavior modeling – which refers to learning through observation – plays an important role. Within hotels, employees are most likely to repeat behaviors they see others showcasing – especially those in leadership roles. For teams to be successful collaborators, management must consistently demonstrate collaborative behaviors themself.
Employee engagement is an important consideration as well. The more engaged employees are in their role and their place in the overall success of the operation, the more likely they are to support others in that same effort. Rewarding achievements, clear communication, and opportunities for growth are all ways in which hotel leaders can keep team members engaged in the workplace.
Celebrating individual and team achievements also boosts team morale among hotel staff. Even small “wins” celebrated together as a team can even further boost the atmosphere in the workplace. However, for wins to occur – metrics for success must be clearly identified. This comes down to clearly defined job descriptions and responsibilities and equally defined team goals. Management plays another role at this point, and they must delegate effectively based on the strengths of those on their team and provide ongoing coaching, feedback, and support. Doing so means that employees are not guessing when it comes to their performance in the workplace and teams (and those contributing to them) have a clear picture of overall hotel success and opportunities for growth and improvement.
Interested in Leading a Hotel Team?
Management-level positions within a hotel are generally the highest-paid hotel jobs. However, providing clear expectations and communication channels, motivating others, and fostering a sense of comradery among a team isn’t what every member of the workforce is looking for in a position. Those who are excited about leading others in a collaborative and iterative effort to be successful are generally best suited for a leadership role. That might be a departmental leadership position like a housekeeping supervisor or a more senior role like a hotel general manager.
Within the Westmont Hospitality Group, we believe that teamwork is essential for well-functioning hotels and satisfied guests. With locations across the country looking for motivated individuals to serve as team and organizational leaders. Such positions are ideal for those with at least some industry experience and a proven track record of leading teams toward common goals.
For those looking to gain that industry experience, there are plenty of entry-level roles available as well. That combined with our comprehensive training courses for new team members means those entering the industry can build a solid foundation of expertise and hands-on experience needed to succeed and grow in their careers.
No matter what type or level of role job seekers are looking for, our database of current opportunities makes finding those potential jobs (and applying for them) a simple and quick process. Apply for your next role in a matter of minutes – it’s a great time to explore a new career!