Securing a role as a hotel GM (General Manager) is a huge accomplishment for someone within the hospitality industry. This role essentially oversees all aspects of hotel operations, including the front desk, housekeeping, maintenance, sales, and security. While each department or function generally answers to a departmental leader, the GM works closely with those team leaders to ensure effective management of their respective areas.  

Getting hired into the role of GM and succeeding in the position are two entirely different accomplishments. Thriving as a general manager requires commitment, strong leadership and communication skills, and the ability to motivate and inspire others to work toward a common goal. Unfortunately, some GMs fall short and hotel teams struggle as a result. Many of the hiccups GMs experience in their leadership tenure can be attributed to a few common mistakes.

Failure to Remain Receptive to Feedback

Most candidates hired into a GM position come with years of experience working in hotels, usually in a number of different positions. However, it’s unreasonable for GMs to assume they know everything about hotel operations and can always make the best decisions for the establishment and its employees and guests. It’s a huge mistake for GMs to close themselves off from the opinions and expertise of others – be that staff members or guests.  

Feedback is critical for improvement and employees and guests both offer unique perspectives. If GMs aren’t regularly creating opportunities for these stakeholders to share their experiences and feedback (including questions and concerns), they are doing the business a disservice.

Opportunities to provide feedback come in a number of formats. To understand guest experiences, GMs can look at public reviews on booking platforms and/or offer review cards for guests during their stay to encourage them to share what went well and any disappointments with their stay.  

Gathering employee feedback can be a bit trickier as employees may fear repercussions from expressing their thoughts or concerns. Effective GMs both create the space for feedback (during meetings and 1-1s) AND encourage staff to share by reassuring them feedback is helpful and not punishable – even when constructive.

Lack of Ownership Over Hotel Success

A hotel or extended stay accommodation’s success comes down to a GM being able to effectively lead and manage others towards a common goal of guest satisfaction and profitability. One major mistake a GM can make is blaming the failure of the establishment on an individual or team contributor.

Strong leadership looks for the root causes of any issues that arise, preferably before those issues have a chance to escalate. GMs need to create regular opportunities to touch base with departmental leaders and individuals in order to do so.

Often, root issues come down to a lack of training, poor communication of job responsibilities and expectations, or a lack of empowerment from management. Mistakes happen, especially in an industry as fast-paced as hospitality. Acknowledging errors or struggling organizational functions and implementing solutions to prevent them from reoccurring or continuing is critical for the success of a GM and their organization.

Communication Breakdowns

Most leadership positions require strong communication skills, and the role of GM is no exception. This remains true for interactions with both guests and employees alike. When communication breakdowns occur, the whole team (and guest satisfaction) suffers.

It’s critical that GMs create open lines of communication between themselves and department heads and ensure those leaders do the same with individual contributors on their team.

Failing GMs have often failed to create those communication channels or encourage staff to utilize them to ask questions, express concerns, or simply build relationships. Encouraging effective communication within a hotel or extended stay establishment begins prior to employees even being hired.

Clear job descriptions are crucial for prospective employees to understand and agree to the requirements of the role prior to accepting it. From there, communication during onboarding and training should be clear and comprehensible by all staff. Workers learn in multiple ways, some absorbing information better verbally and others preferring to have all information written down.

To best avoid communication breakdowns, offer important company and role-specific information to employees in multiple formats.

Looking for a Hotel GM Opportunity in an Extended Stay Hotel?

Avoiding the mistakes above may not guarantee success as a hotel GM, but it certainly increases the chances of success. For those with multiple years of hospitality experience, a drive for success, and strong leadership skills, the next career move might be securing a role as a General Manager. If that’s the case, there are hotels and extended-stay accommodations around the country looking for talented GMs to join and lead their team.

We’ve created a comprehensive database of hotel job opportunities to make it easy for those looking to make a change in their careers to find what’s available. Along with competitive salaries, all locations offer compensation packages that include:

• Health insurance
• Dental/Vision Insurance
• Employer Paid Life Insurance
• Paid Time Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401K with Employer Match
• Sign-On Bonuses (depending on location)

The role of General Manager isn’t easy, but it is rewarding. Those who dedicate themselves to motivating others, prioritizing both the guest and employee experience, and growing as a leader are sure to be successful.

To find current GM opportunities near you or to explore other hospitality career options, we encourage you to view the current opportunities within our organization! Your next career move is simply a few clicks away!