10 Common Hotel Management Mistakes and How to avoid them.

It is the dream of every student pursuing Hotel Management that they become the best manager there ever was. A job in hotel management is both demanding and rewarding. Just like any job, a job in hotel management industry comes with its own sets of challenges. It is very easy to make mistakes. Here are a few things you should be mindful in order to become a good hotel manager.

  1. Lack of Proper CommunicationRunning a hotel is not an easy task. A hotel is a system that needs all its parts to function properly, lest the system would fail. What keeps this system running is proper communication. It is vital to to effectively share information in order to increase productivity. For a hotel to be successful, the communication between management and the staff must be clear and appropriate.Having proper communication helps you keep track of everything that is happening in your hotel. Clear communication also helps you prepare for any real or potential challenge coming your way. At Shri Ram Institute of Hotel Management, Dehradun, the best hotel management institute in India, the we teach our students how to have coherent and unambiguous conversations to minimise miscommunications.
  2. Ignoring What Others Have to SayCommunication is a two way street. To have a proper line of communication, it is imperative to listen. Merely giving out orders will not do; you will have to be more receptive of others’ ideas and proposals. The more you listen to your team, the more you will learn about their needs and concerns. Once you know their concerns, you can easily resolve their issues and take relevant decisions. In the hotel management industry, a successful manager should give their time to the employees and pay attention to what they have to say.
  3. Not Building a Great TeamHotel Management is all about working as a team. As emphasised earlier, it is important in hotel management for a manager to communicate and listen to their staff. At Shri Ram Institute of Hotel Management, Dehradun, the best hotel management college in Uttarakhand, we teach our students team building skills that later helps them in not only fitting in with a new team in the beginning of their career, but also in building a team of their own later in life.Hotel management has a simple rule for success – work as a single unit. As a proficient manager, you must share with your staff your expectations that they should meet. To keep the team morale high, have regular team meetings, post updated team news and track the performance of your team.
  4. Not MotivatingMotivation is what makes ordinary people extraordinary. Your staff is a key resource that helps lay down the success blocks and it is vital for the hotel management industry to keep them happy and motivated. You should reward them with personal and individual recognition. If your team is loyal to you and has a high morale, it reflects in their performance which will profit your hotel in the long run.You must recognise the accomplishments of your team members and, as mentioned earlier,  reward them for it. You can give your team proper incentives, extra holidays, short vacation, discount coupons amongst other things.
  5. Having a Worm’s Eye ViewIt is important for a manager to look at the larger picture. You must, as a manager, explain to your team what hotel management is all about. From the very beginning, you should let them know the quality of service that both the guests and you are expecting from them.Looking at the larger picture gives a better understanding of everything, including what areas are not working as well as others, making managing various departments easier. You must remind every member of your team of their individual tasks, the benefits upon achieving them and their importance. Explain to your team what everyone’s individual contribution means to the overall development of the hotel and how their combined effort will contribute to the overall big plan.
  6. Not Setting Specific GoalsHaving lofty ideas in your mind and not accomplishing any of them is a waste of your time, energy and resources. You must break down those ideas into several smaller parts which are easy to accomplish. Effective management comes from setting goals and then motivating every individual to work towards it.Proper hotel management requires you to set specific goals and encourage your team members to strive for it. A good manager should make a habit of having frequent discussions with each member of their team.
  7. Not DelegatingDelegation is all about entrusting your authority to others with the faith that they will carry out the work with the same or better efficiency as yours. This can be a bit scary because if not done properly, it can create differences between members of the team. However, delegation has various benefits as well. It provides an opportunity for them to develop their abilities and leadership skills. It also prevents you from micro-managing and leaving you with spare time which you can use to focus on other, more important things.
  8. Unable to AdaptSurvival of the fittest – it is not limited to the animal kingdom, but is also applicable to hotel management. Adaptation is a long-held rule of nature, failing which species cease to exist. Similarly, in hotel business, one can be tempted to stick to the well tried and tested methodologies, but don’t forget to consider the value of change.Change is inevitable and everything changes. You cannot avoid the changes that are coming up at the moment and those that will come up in the future as well in the hotel management industry. The best way out is to control the change. Invest continuously in learning and experimenting. If you don’t adapt to the beat of the change, you’re doomed to run out of the competition.
  9. Being IrresponsibleBeing a hotel manager, ultimately, you will be responsible for the overall functioning of the hotel. Even if you are a team member or a staff of the hotel, you will have your own share of responsibilities to take care of. You need to be always ready to carry the responsibility for whatever happens or what may happen.
  10. Not Taking Proper BreaksWorking constantly takes a toll on you. As the saying goes, ‘All work and no play, makes a Jack a dull boy.’ Running a hotel is not an easy task and there will always be tremendous pressure and load. However, you need to keep in mind that your staff members are also humans, and though they may love their job, it is a job at the end of the day and not their whole life.You must therefore allow them to have a world of their with their family, friends, hobbies and past times. Give them adequate time to enjoy themselves and rest, and provide them with necessary remunerations. Your staff will perform far ore effectively when they are happy and satisfied than when they are unhappy and unsatisfied.

Colleges on top of their game like Shri Ram Institute of Hotel Management, Dehradun, the top most hotel management institute in Uttarakhand, inculcate in their students proper knowledge, ethics and values that help them avoid such mistakes and become a successful hotel manager.