A hotel is a complex enterprise with hundreds of employees, thousands of processes, and a million moving parts. Transitioning such a detailed entity from owner to owner or brand to brand is something that needs to happen all at once -’at the stroke of midnight’, or whenever the bankers and brokers have decided. As the General Manager your job is to quickly get your arms around it all, have an acute helicopter view and to move it all forward with great rapidity towards a pre-determined pro forma destination.
Like a crime scene the best window of reality is the first 48 hours. The clues you discover are invaluable, those precious first impressions are often right and leave an indelible mark. Burned out light bulbs, room service trays in the hallways, outdated promo pieces in the elevator tell you a whole lot about different departments but more so of the overall morale of the property. You also get to see who are the everyday heros who shine through even in the midst of dynamic change. You have to be aware that many of the staff feel abandoned by the outgoing flag. They have worn this corporate identity and wowed many customers in the name of the ‘brand’. Now some of them feel like foster children being sent back to the orphanage. Your job is to give them a fair sense of purpose and security so that they can focus on the job at hand and deliver the hospitality promise to your guests.
In a few short days the staff have an invisible GPS tag on you, a boss radar. They know you are coming before you turn a corner and suddenly what you see is a show for the boss. All the reason more to take advantage of those first few days. Be on the loading dock at 5:00 am and find out who is dropping what produce on your dock and who if anyone on your side is checking it in. Then check with the night auditor to find out what happened after midnight, then a coffee in the employee cafe with the incoming morning team to see who starts their day with a smile, and whose kid is sick.
Remember it is a two way arrangement, as you are judging the staff they are judging you. You will be remembered for your modesty, your manners, or your arrogance, long remembered will be your commitments of those first few days.
davidmalcolmgibbons@gmail.com
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Like a crime scene the best window of reality is the first 48 hours. The clues you discover are invaluable, those precious first impressions are often right and leave an indelible mark. Burned out light bulbs, room service trays in the hallways, outdated promo pieces in the elevator tell you a whole lot about different departments but more so of the overall morale of the property. You also get to see who are the everyday heros who shine through even in the midst of dynamic change. You have to be aware that many of the staff feel abandoned by the outgoing flag. They have worn this corporate identity and wowed many customers in the name of the ‘brand’. Now some of them feel like foster children being sent back to the orphanage. Your job is to give them a fair sense of purpose and security so that they can focus on the job at hand and deliver the hospitality promise to your guests.
In a few short days the staff have an invisible GPS tag on you, a boss radar. They know you are coming before you turn a corner and suddenly what you see is a show for the boss. All the reason more to take advantage of those first few days. Be on the loading dock at 5:00 am and find out who is dropping what produce on your dock and who if anyone on your side is checking it in. Then check with the night auditor to find out what happened after midnight, then a coffee in the employee cafe with the incoming morning team to see who starts their day with a smile, and whose kid is sick.
Remember it is a two way arrangement, as you are judging the staff they are judging you. You will be remembered for your modesty, your manners, or your arrogance, long remembered will be your commitments of those first few days.
davidmalcolmgibbons@gmail.com
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