Choosing the right General Manager is pivotal for the success of your hotel. A GM needs to be just about ready for anything, so you want to bring on the best.
Here are 4 ways to secure the best candidate for the job:
1. Focus on your interview questions
A good candidate will be able to provide a clear demonstration of their prior skills. If you’re not asking the right questions, you could be missing out on key information. It is advantageous to hire a general manager who has prior experience delegating work, staying on top of employees, and ensuring that target goals are met on time. You’re looking for questions that give the candidate the opportunity to provide examples of the strategies they’ve implemented to meet their goals.
2. Find someone who has brand experience
This is why many companies choose to promote from within. Creating a culture where people feel like they can tactically climb the latter brings in top talent. If you’re hiring through a recruitment firm, you’ll want to emphasize brand experience, so the appropriate candidates come through. Each brand has its own semantics, and while it’s great to branch out, there’s more reassurance in an experienced candidate. Beyond a brand, a candidate’s experience in the hotel’s segment may be important. Select service GM’s role is going to differ from that of a full-service GM.
3. Find someone that’s people-oriented
Your company’s culture starts from the top and trickles down. People are the heart of hospitality and this should be reflected by the GM’s management style. A great question to ask during the interview process is how they react to negative criticism and complaints.
Being at the top of the food chain, they set the precedent for how other employees are going to respond to guests. The goal should always be to satisfy guests even after they walk out the door.
4. Invest your time
Finding the best people is time-consuming. Fight the temptation to skip through the process and invest time in getting to know your candidates. Your hotel is worth millions, so consider how the candidate will improve profitability. The wrong hire will end up costing you way more than it’s worth.
If you want to get the most money out of your time, you can hire a recruiting firm to find the best talent for you. They’ll be working out of their database to find the best candidates for you. You can learn about JDI here.