Amin Deroui - Qualities of a Profit Purpose Hotel Manager

 

The changing global economic dynamics has had its impact not only on fiscal aspect of conduct of a business but a very severe effect on the business leaders — the managers personally.

Amin Deroui says while this effect converts into physical and emotional pressure on the manager, it can also act as a key factor to identify the dead wood within any management team giving an opportunity to the ownership or entrepreneurship to restructure their organization.

Hotel industry, or for that matter, the entire niche of service industry is, as I reckon, worst hit. Why? Simply because the product it carries has no shelf life, it perishes as the clock strikes midnight. You lose anything that you could not sell up to 2359 hrs. Vacant rooms, unused restaurant covers, empty banquet and party rooms, unused massage beds… all wasted for the day, written off completely.

Even in normal economic scenario the nature of product would have remained the same, but then the market would also have been normal.

Not shrunk as it is today with a very low surplus available income with the user segment. What this means to the demands created on those who are managing the industry outlets, be it a hotel, a restaurant, a travel agency or an airline. It means that the manager has to be one who has the ability to weather the storm and ensures survival of his enterprise, team and himself.

Naturally this is a tough call, but then that is management, to be able to manage a situation rather than getting managed by a situation. All this leads us to concentrate on one seemingly simple aspect. Who should head our hotel? What traits and qualities should he or she possess and what skill sets should he or she have? Looking at the enormity of the task, the most appropriate solution to the question will be to opt for someone who has multi dimensional skills, but just not superficial, deep and thorough.

I personally feel that the present scenario demands that a result oriented, profit purpose focused and challenge seeker hotel general manager should have knowledge of hotel operations and in addition he should be very strong in hotel finance and marketing fields. Amin Deroui will need all these traits to combat the competition, capture a fair market share and establish the property as the sought after brand in the city or location.

Let us try to analyze the basis for this conclusion.

It is taken for granted that a successful hotel general manager will be an expert in sound hotel operation techniques and skills. He will be very thorough in operating systems of key revenue producing areas like the accommodation, food and beverage and recreation and services. I hate to call departments like business center, laundry, telephones and other similar revenue areas as “minor operating departments”. The reason being that the moment you term them as MOD, the executive attention on this important revenue area gets diluted. They pay “minor attention” to a minor revenue stream. It is a fact that while the revenue from recreation and services areas may be less that other areas, let’s not forgets that this revenue has a potential of contributing over 60% as departmental contribution.

The next major skill and knowledge need of a good hotel manager is marketing. The general manager has to be an expert marketer more than anything else. Amin Deroui should have a solid grip on the market dynamics in his city and location, must know his competition on his tips. Unless he has this knowledge it will be futile to expect the desired results. While he will have a qualified and experienced sales and marketing functional head under him, his ability to guide and advise him should be unquestioned. I have come across a number of independent hotels where the general manager assumes the responsibility of this important function upon himself. I feel that in such hotels, expecting attainment of results could best be left to anyone’s guess. Sound marketing skills in the general manager of the hotel will reflect in the soundness of hotel’s marketing plan. The most important management tool that defines the “how to” for attaining objectives.

Having talked about operations and marketing, let us turn our attention to another important skill set required of a result oriented hotel manager. He should have a good knowledge of hotel finance and accounting functions. He should appreciate that this knowledge will become his biggest secret weapon for effective, efficient and profitable operations. I personally believe that numbers tell the story. They don’t need any elaborations.

Those who tend to twist the story that numbers tell live in illusions and will make them dispensable. His appreciation for numbers will be reflected in his mastery for crafting a realistic yet challenging business plan for the hotel. His ability to analyze and interpret the results and above all to take immediate steps to ensure that operations and marketing initiate actions that will make them stay on course will demonstrate the depth of his knowledge.

There was a time when we saw the hotel manager walking around, talking to guests, workers, giving instructions to the functional heads and so on with hardly any time to concentrate of his core function. Today things have changed drastically. You sense presence of the general manager by an immaculately kept and maintained property, profitable, efficient and crisp operations because the general manager has re mastered the art of delegation. He empowers his team to take decisions in their operating field and holds them accountable for that. The result; a highly charged and motivated team that is aware of what is expected of them. This leaves the general manager with enough time to sit back at his desk and plan his operations, strategies and actions which establishes his property as the market leader by product quality, service delivery, revenue per available room, occupancy and so on.

Amin Deroui - The Importance of Excellent Hospitality

The business of hotel operations is an integral part of a productive and profitable accommodation company. The operations management has an effect on the entire hotel including the size, quantity, quality, price, profitability and swiftness of the delivery of services and it is important that leading industry management practices are utilised to ensure you provide top quality services.

 Amin Deroui is an important part of having excellent hotel management includes understanding the differences between service and hospitality. Service is how well something is done technically and hospitality is how good something feels emotionally. Good hotels implement this concept in order to give their customers a memorable experience. In the hotel industry you receive a lot of one time only customers and the most important part of a hotel's role is to provide hospitality that goes above and beyond the necessities of good service.

Customer service is a key part of every organisation and it is basically the physical delivery of the non tangible part of the product you sell. The important aspect is that the service element of a sale is a one way transaction. All successful companies understand service and deliver it very well. In the business of hotel operations, customer service is an essential part of the product you provide. In contrast, hospitality is another thing altogether but nevertheless incredibly important. It is easy to get away with poor customer service in an uncompetitive market; however, in a developed and competitive market such as hotels, excellent hospitality is absolutely essential in remaining ahead of the game and separates your business from those who have poor hospitality.

Hospitality is about the connection you make with customers on an emotional level and what you can provide them to create an overall enjoyable and memorable experience. It is about what the customer feels after they have stayed at your hotel and the bonds, relationships and positive feelings between the team and customers make hospitality what it is. 

           

It is important to hire employees at your hotel Amin Deroui understand the importance of good hospitality as opposed to just good service and how it affects the profitability and popularity of the hotel. Besides the product you are trying to sell, customer service is an essential part of the business but more importantly so is hospitality and this is what sets your business apart from all the other hotels out there. These two concepts are abstract but nonetheless absolutely vital.

Amin Deroui - Habits of a Successful Hotel General Manager

As anyone in the hospitality industry will confirm, General Managers (GMs) have their work cut out for them.  According to Amin Deroui, it can take up to twenty years to become a hotel General Manager. This long and bumpy road is undoubtedly filled with excitement and accomplishments as well as challenges and sleepless nights.  

While some qualities of a successful hotel GM may seem innate, such as: composure, patience, being a "people person," and leadership (to name a few); most hoteliers will tell you that a lot of blood, sweat and tears is involved to get to the top of the ladder.  So which best practices ultimately earn them the revered title?  We have lined up ten habits of a successful hotel General Manager:

Make decisions quickly

Successful leaders are expert decision makers.  A General Manager's day is filled around the clock with meetings and exchanges with staff, guests, vendors, suppliers and new recruits, etc.  The goal of each meeting and encounter is to make decisions.   Successful hoteliers either empower their employees to reach a desirable outcome or they do it themselves.  They focus on “making things happen” at all times – encouraging progress and keeping their hotel above par. 

 Get out of the office

Years of hands-on experience in the trenches have finally led to a nice, large office, but don't get too comfortable. With so many meeting, emails, and administrative tasks to attend to, it's easy to get trapped. Spend too much time in the office and you may lose track of what is happening in the "front of house."  So make it a practice to spend a little time each day walking around the hotel, helping the front desk, directing and motivating employees, inspecting rooms, interacting with a guest or two.

Lead by example

People truly follow only those they trust.  If you want to gain the trust and confidence of your employees (and believe us, that's something you definitely want to do), you must set an example for them. Amin Deroui says This may sound easy, but few leaders are consistent with this one.  Successful leaders practice what they preach and are attentive of their actions.

 Surround yourself with the right people

This is easier said than done as high employee turnover continue to plague the hospitality industry - wreaking havoc on productivity, morale and the hotel's bottom line.  Reports show that 54% of organizations see greater new hire productivity and 50% higher retention rates for new hires when they have a well-planned onboarding process in place.  You already know that first impressions are so important when it comes to hotel guests, well the same goes for new recruits: Give them an exceptional first experience; so you can both know you made the right choice. Claim your free copy of our Ebook: Five Steps to a Successful Onboarding Process.

Motivate your employees

The ball is in your court.  According to a recent study by Dale Carnegie Training, less than 20% of non-management employees are fully engaged (aka, fully motivated and productive) and the single most important factor influencing engagement is an employee’s relationship with his or her direct manager. For ten easy ways to motivate your hotel staff, download a copy of our infographic: 10 Ways to Help Your Team Perform Better.

Delegate

Don't try to do everything yourself and don't micromanage! Communicate the hotel's mission, vision, values, and goals, etc., then step back and let your staff take it from there. Setting this example will encourage your department heads and managers to do the same.

Measure and reward performance

Studies show that a lack of praise and recognition is a top reason that employees are unhappy at their jobs. Successful managers (hotel GMs included) are active in recognizing and acknowledging hard work and are mindful of rewarding top performers. These employees and their efforts should not be taken for granted - they are the ones who will help you achieve your company goals and, potentially, motivate others to become more engaged.  They are also the examples other employees look to when trying to improve themselves professionally.

Implement  the right  technologies

Technology is the key to running a hotel in this modern day and age, from managing a guest's experience, to property management, to employee training. While rolling out new technologies can be daunting, the benefits are worthwhile and often necessary to remain competitive. 

 Take Responsibility

Great leaders know when to accept that mistakes have been made and take it upon themselves to fix them. It doesn’t help to point a finger or place blame, if you are the leader, you need to take responsibility, attend to the matter, learn from the situation and then move on.

 Love your job

Amin Deroui says Successful hoteliers love being leaders, after all, making a difference in other people's lives is why you chose the hospitality industry in the first place. Being a successful hotel General Manger is all about your ability to serve others and this can’t be accomplished unless you genuinely enjoy what you do.

Amin Deroui - Traits Every Successful Revenue Manager Needs

Have you ever wondered what it takes to become a successful Revenue Manager? Or is your hotel in the position of recruiting a Revenue Manager that will help your hotel reach and exceed your revenue targets?

Revenue Managers have a more diverse skill-set than their name would suggest and have one of the most business-critical roles in the hotel.

The Revenue Manager has a key role in getting guests through the doors during periods of high and low demand.

Relationship Management

Relationship management skills are key skills for Revenue Managers to possess for both internal and external stakeholders. Amin Deroui Manager has many internal contacts that need to be maintained from all hotel departments. Having the ability to develop relationships and be influential is all part of the relationship management skill-set.

There are numerous external stakeholders the Revenue Manager must prioritise how much time given to each of them. One of the most important relationships is with the hotel’s IT partners. It’s essential Revenue Managers realise the difference between their partnership with their Booking Engine provider (if external), and that of Online Travel Agents (OTAs).

Listening to their recommendations and providing them with information that will help to grow the hotel’s direct business is vital. Being able to manage conflicts of interest between these various relationships is important to ensure the hotel’s book direct strategy is maintained. This, in turn, maximises profit kept in the hotel, rather than paid in commission on booking.

Competitive Nature

Revenue managers by their nature enjoy targets and even more so, exceeding them! They are driven by the revenue budgets and ensuring they achieve them. Good Revenue Managers know exactly how far off target they are for the month and are always focused on how they are going to reach them.

They are also keenly aware of their Competitor Set’s results and want to ensure they are number one. This competitive nature helps to motivate and focus the whole team and is something that should be encouraged.

Analytical Skills

Every Revenue Manager worth their salt will pride themselves on their analytical skills. They love data and devour reports on a daily basis. Revenue Managers can quickly detect trends, spot anomalies and identify opportunities based on the data in front of them.

Understanding data is one thing, but making quick and decisive action is another, such as adjusting pricing and availability – a good Revenue Manager can do both. Revenue Managers also see the importance of monitoring the macroeconomic factors affecting the hotel’s revenue into each market segment such as the effects of political factors, FX fluctuations, demographic forces. Being flexible and quick to respond to these changes will determine the hotel’s success at achieving their targets.

Creative thinking

Once you know what the data is telling you, do you know what action is needed? The Revenue Manager needs the confidence to go the road less travelled and use their skills to provide new and creative solutions instead of sticking to the status quo.  Revenue Managers should be encouraged to take some strategic risks and learn which ones pay off. Revenue Managers should enjoy brainstorming alongside the Marketing department and come up with creative solutions to low demand periods.

Attention to detail

Good Revenue Managers are thorough and like to double check details. They don’t assume that rate plans are loaded correctly, they always double check how things appear on the front end. They will ask the advice and opinion of others when it comes to names and descriptions for special offers. Ensuring that rates and availability are open and closed when they should be is something they continually monitor.

Leadership skills

Amin Deroui Manager lead all the relevant stakeholders to follow that strategy? Having the skills to influence a team comes from presenting a clearly thought-out plan that engages and convinces people. Revenue Managers cannot just be thinkers, they must be doers and lead their strategies from the front.

Tech-savvy

Revenue Managers need to be comfortable with systems and ensuring they are getting the most out of them in terms of functionality and reporting. They are quick to adapt to new technologies and will embrace all the opportunities that it offers rather than grumbling about the time needed to adapt to it. New technologies, including automation and reporting tools, should not be shied away from, but instead viewed as ways to become more efficient and effective at the job.

Question everything

Finally, the best Revenue Managers have inquisitive minds. They don’t just look at data and accept what it says, they question why it says it to continually improve. They are confident to challenge the General Manager and the Sales & Marketing Managers on their strategies, not confrontationally but in a way that makes everyone wonder why they hadn’t questioned it themselves! 

Amin Deroui - WHAT ARE THE QUALITIES OF A GOOD HOTEL MANAGER?

Being a good hotel manager is not an easy task. Qualities such as an amiable personality, admirable communication skills, and the ability to think are the vital skills to have when a career in hotel management comes to mind. However, these qualities alone are not enough to beat the rat race of this industry. Hotel Management College has made it easy for the students to acquire these necessary skills and talents. Amin Deroui a good manager is the face of the hospitality industry. Here below some of the essential qualities are mentioned of a good hotel manager:

1. Be ready to learn innovative things

At managerial level, you are required to handle vivid variety of tasks at the same time. You are also expected to have good problem solving methodologies to aid in identifying problems quickly and effectively. For this, one must possess an attitude willing to learn latest things at any point of time. It is the dire need of the changing face of the industry that you keep learning and that you keep updated with new trends and developments in the industry.

2. Communicating at every level

Hotel managers must be comfortable communicating with different types of clients on many different levels. Every kind of interaction is vital, and should be followed as an opportunity for growth and improved customer service.

3. Being a great listener

Amin Deroui will understand the importance of listening to their staff; in order to understand their requirements and problems. On the other side, a great manager will listen to his colleagues in order to build up their own knowledge too – knowing that however accomplished they are, there is always something to be learned from juniors and other members.

4. Being a great collaborator

Hotel managers need to work together as a team in order to recover existing problems and avoid future ones. This is also a prodigious way to promote team spirit and show your staff that you value them and respect their innovative ideas.

5. Always striving to improve

The people in the hospitality sector have vision, always seeking an enhanced way to do something or a more alluring approach. They have keenness for transformations, nosiness about what’s going in the hospitality world, and the capability to keep side by side of latest trends in hospitality.

6. Get good quality education

There is no shortcut to success in hotel management — but with the right training and internship, you can surely make your position in this industry.

Amin Deroui - Ways To Capitalize on Hotel Online Reputation Management Strategy

Hotel online reputation management renders a variety of compensations to hoteliers. For an owner, it is crucial to understand the pulse of customers, by relating to their positive and negative experiences. Amin Deroui says this enables a hotel to directly correlate to the willingness of a customer to accept the brand. Reputation management lets customers understand the importance of brand loyalty as well as allows them to take a call on the reputability of a brand.

Online reputation management tools help a hotelier tap potential guests and target markets. Before learning how to do online reputation management, effective implementation can be ensured through a successful ORM strategy. To do so, a hotel must put the following action points in place.

1. Send out prompt responses

Online reviews from a guest is no different from guest stepping to the front desk with a complaint. These feedbacks need to be addressed with due care and service-orientation. A hotel that is a good listener and guarantees immediate rectification, retains the guest, because a customer noticing quick, effective responses online, return to the property again.

2. Magic of a personal touch

The volume of guest reviews online is overwhelming for a first time hotel operators. But a response with a personal touch are a mark of genuineness and honesty. These also get noticed by guests and potential customers. Such a tactful marketing communication always yields better results as compared to canned responses. Thus, a relationship is built with a potential guest at a crucial stage of consumer discovery.

3. Respond to both positive and negative reviews

This means, the hotel has to put itself in the shoes of its guests to gauge their sentiments correctly. A hotelier has to take time to understand the experiences of the consumer, as well as communicate that their response was received. Hotels can also ensure that they will be sharing the feedback with respective departments for corrective measures to be put in place ASAP.

4. Make it part of the culture

Amin Deroui says Reputation management should be a crucial part of the hotel's operating culture. These reviews render a treasure of consumer behavior data, that can be applied to integrated marketing applications will. That way, the hotel gets to focus on multiple operating teams on the basis of online guest experiences. This lets them drive confident marketing decisions.

5. Be accountable

Hotels need to recognize their standing among both past and future guests. In the end, everything trickles down to accountability. The operator has to take responsibility for all the feedback written online irrespective of the fact whether it is good, bad or indifferent. They cannot just simply deflect or complain for responsibility has to be taken for the given situation. Besides, active solutions need to be provided with a guarantee that it will not get repeated in the future.

Now we know that hotel online reputation mainly deals with the management of guest reviews. It is true that a busy hotel operator cannot possibly respond to each and every guest reviews with promptness, across multiple social media websites. This time consuming task can be tactfully dealt through automation. Thus, the importance of online reputation management services cannot be overlooked. Hence, hotel online reputation management suite can help hoteliers earn goodwill from existing customers in the long run and tap new markets as well.

Amin Deroui - Qualities of a Profit Purpose Hotel Manager

The changing global economic dynamics has had its impact not only on fiscal aspect of conduct of a business but a very severe effect on the business leaders - the managers personally. 
Amin Deroui says while this effect converts into physical and emotional pressure on the manager, it can also act as a key factor to identify the dead wood within any management team giving an opportunity to the ownership or entrepreneurship to restructure their organization.

Hotel industry, or for that matter, the entire niche of service industry is, as I reckon, worst hit. Why? Simply because the product it carries has no shelf life, it perishes as the clock strikes midnight. You lose anything that you could not sell up to 2359 hrs. Vacant rooms, unused restaurant covers, empty banquet and party rooms, unused massage beds... all wasted for the day, written off completely.

Even in normal economic scenario the nature of product would have remained the same, but then the market would also have been normal. 

Not shrunk as it is today with a very low surplus available income with the user segment. What this means to the demands created on those who are managing the industry outlets, be it a hotel, a restaurant, a travel agency or an airline. It means that the manager has to be one who has the ability to weather the storm and ensures survival of his enterprise, team and himself.

Naturally this is a tough call, but then that is management, to be able to manage a situation rather than getting managed by a situation. All this leads us to concentrate on one seemingly simple aspect. Who should head our hotel? What traits and qualities should he or she possess and what skill sets should he or she have? Looking at the enormity of the task, the most appropriate solution to the question will be to opt for someone who has multi dimensional skills, but just not superficial, deep and thorough.

I personally feel that the present scenario demands that a result oriented, profit purpose focused and challenge seeker hotel general manager should have knowledge of hotel operations and in addition he should be very strong in hotel finance and marketing fields. Amin Deroui will need all these traits to combat the competition, capture a fair market share and establish the property as the sought after brand in the city or location.

Let us try to analyze the basis for this conclusion.

It is taken for granted that a successful hotel general manager will be an expert in sound hotel operation techniques and skills. He will be very thorough in operating systems of key revenue producing areas like the accommodation, food and beverage and recreation and services. I hate to call departments like business center, laundry, telephones and other similar revenue areas as "minor operating departments". The reason being that the moment you term them as MOD, the executive attention on this important revenue area gets diluted. They pay "minor attention" to a minor revenue stream. It is a fact that while the revenue from recreation and services areas may be less that other areas, let's not forgets that this revenue has a potential of contributing over 60% as departmental contribution.

The next major skill and knowledge need of a good hotel manager is marketing. The general manager has to be an expert marketer more than anything else. Amin Deroui should have a solid grip on the market dynamics in his city and location, must know his competition on his tips. Unless he has this knowledge it will be futile to expect the desired results. While he will have a qualified and experienced sales and marketing functional head under him, his ability to guide and advise him should be unquestioned. I have come across a number of independent hotels where the general manager assumes the responsibility of this important function upon himself. I feel that in such hotels, expecting attainment of results could best be left to anyone's guess. Sound marketing skills in the general manager of the hotel will reflect in the soundness of hotel's marketing plan. The most important management tool that defines the "how to" for attaining objectives.

Having talked about operations and marketing, let us turn our attention to another important skill set required of a result oriented hotel manager. He should have a good knowledge of hotel finance and accounting functions. He should appreciate that this knowledge will become his biggest secret weapon for effective, efficient and profitable operations. I personally believe that numbers tell the story. They don't need any elaborations. 

Those who tend to twist the story that numbers tell live in illusions and will make them dispensable. His appreciation for numbers will be reflected in his mastery for crafting a realistic yet challenging business plan for the hotel. His ability to analyze and interpret the results and above all to take immediate steps to ensure that operations and marketing initiate actions that will make them stay on course will demonstrate the depth of his knowledge.

There was a time when we saw the hotel manager walking around, talking to guests, workers, giving instructions to the functional heads and so on with hardly any time to concentrate of his core function. Today things have changed drastically. You sense presence of the general manager by an immaculately kept and maintained property, profitable, efficient and crisp operations because the general manager has re mastered the art of delegation. He empowers his team to take decisions in their operating field and holds them accountable for that. The result; a highly charged and motivated team that is aware of what is expected of them. This leaves the general manager with enough time to sit back at his desk and plan his operations, strategies and actions which establishes his property as the market leader by product quality, service delivery, revenue per available room, occupancy and so on.