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Top Questions Hotel Executives Should Ask Before Accepting a Job Offer

As a hotel executive, the decision of accepting or rejecting a job offer holds significant merit. It’s important to be expertly prepared when deciding whether or not the role being offered is the right opportunity for you – now or in the future.

We’ve compiled a list of the most important questions hotel executives and upper-level hotel management professionals should consider when negotiating and accepting a job offer. [We’ve assumed the basic job offer questions about the position, responsibilities, and hotel culture has been asked.]

With the assistance of these questions, you will be able to uncover helpful information about the hotel, the team, and your future success.

The Job

When learning more about the job itself, look beyond the responsibilities of the role. It’s vital to learn how your leadership role within the hotel will fit in with the organization’s overall strategic plan. You’ll also want to learn more about the specific parameters of the compensation package, potential challenges, and anything additional that will give you insight about the inner workings of the job.

Questions to ask about the job:

• What are the main challenges of the position in the first 6 months?  After 6 months?

• What did the previous person in the position struggle with/what could they have done better?

• What role does the position play within the hotel’s strategic plan?

• How will your success be measured?  What are the specific goals?  How will you be evaluated?

• What are the exact parameters of the compensation package?

+ Base range
+ Target bonus & measurement metrics
+ Short- and long-term incentive plan
+ Equity, and the mechanics around its distribution
[To find out where your hotel executive salary ranks amongst the competition, download our FREE Hotel Executive Salary Guide.]

 

The Hotel

Getting a sense of the hotel’s structural organization is incredibly important. It will give you unparalleled insight into the mind(s) of the hotel owner(s) and leadership, and how they view the hotel and its employees. Questions around why they believe visitors come to their hotel, what the exit strategy is, and whether they have a leadership succession plan, will give you valuable information you can use to evaluate the job offer.

Questions to ask to ask about the hotel:

• Have there been any recent structural changes, reporting changes, or realignment of business units?

• What is the ownerships’ end-game/exit strategy? Are they looking to grow, maintain, or sell?

• Why do visitors come to this hotel?  What’s this hotel’s key differentiator/value proposition in the market?

• What is the financial health of the hotel?

• Have there been any recent leadership changes?

• Do you have a leadership succession plan?

• What types of personalities flourish here?

• What is the hotel’s current strategic plan for the future?

• What training and development, if any, do you offer your hotel employees?

 

The Industry

Whether you’re simply moving hotel’s or completely switching into the hotel industry, questions regarding the hotel industry will give you insight into how they view the future of the hotel industry, and how they plan to outperform the competition and continue to grow.  [For the newest hotel industry trends read our previous blog post “Salary Trends in the Hotel Industry – 2015”.]

Questions to ask about the industry:

• On what stage of the industry lifecycle do you see the hotel industry?

• How do you address impact from the competition?

• Who are your biggest competitors in the hotel industry?

 

While not every hotel may be willing or able to provide detailed answers to all of the above questions, asking the deep questions will show your future employer your seriousness about the role, and will also allow them to provide you insight about their hotel that will (hopefully for them) further convince you that this is the right opportunity for you. Whether you receive full responses or “we cannot disclose that”- type of responses, it’s asking the tough questions that will help you in your pursuit of the ideal next role. Don’t be afraid to ask hard questions.

Are there any other questions you would recommend adding to this list?

 

Sources:

Burton, N. (2015, June 16). 10 questions you absolutely must ask before accepting a job offer [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/10-questions-you-absolutely-must-ask-before-accepting-a-job-offer
Cobert, A. (n.d.). 6 things to consider when accepting a job offer [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/6-things-to-consider-when-accepting-a-job-offer
Smith, A. (n.d.). The questions you must ask yourself before accepting a job offer [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-questions-you-must-ask-yourself-before-accepting-a-job-offer