Hotel Manager Job Description
Hire an experienced Hotel Manager to run day-to-day operations, deliver outstanding guest experiences and protect profitability across all hotel departments.
What does a Hotel Manager professional do?
A Hotel Manager is responsible for overall hotel operations, staff leadership, guest satisfaction, financial performance and regulatory compliance.
Hotel Manager job description template
Use this employer-ready example as a starting point, then replace the placeholders and adjust the content so it accurately reflects your vacancy.
Hotel Manager (Property/Operations Lead)
About the role
[Employer name] is seeking a hands-on Hotel Manager to lead our [number]-room property in [Location]. You will oversee front office, housekeeping, maintenance and food & beverage teams to ensure excellent guest experience, efficient operations and strong commercial performance. This is a full-time role offering [salary or 'competitive salary'], responsibility for P&L targets and opportunities for professional development.
Key responsibilities
- Lead daily operations across reception, housekeeping, maintenance, F&B and services to maintain consistent guest standards.
- Recruit, train and develop department managers and frontline staff; conduct regular performance reviews and rota planning.
- Manage budgets, control costs and produce regular financial reports and forecasts for ownership/management.
- Set and monitor KPIs such as occupancy, average daily rate, RevPAR, guest satisfaction scores and cost-per-occupied-room.
- Oversee health, safety and food hygiene compliance, risk assessments and timely maintenance work.
- Coordinate sales and marketing activity with in-house or external teams to maximise bookings and group business.
- Maintain supplier relationships and negotiate contracts for goods, services and capital works.
- Handle guest complaints and incidents with discretion, ensuring timely resolution and appropriate follow-up.
Essential skills and experience
- Proven experience managing a hotel or comparable hospitality operation (properties of similar size or standard).
- Demonstrable leadership and people-management skills with experience of recruiting, coaching and developing teams.
- Commercial experience managing budgets, producing forecasts and controlling departmental costs.
- Strong customer service focus and experience handling guest feedback and complaints effectively.
- Good working knowledge of health & safety and food hygiene responsibilities relevant to hotel operations.
- Flexible approach to working hours, including shift patterns, weekends and holiday cover.
Desirable
- Experience with revenue management, direct sales or working with OTA/channel management systems.
- Formal hospitality qualification (e.g. HND, NVQ) or industry training courses, where held.
- Experience of managing multi-department teams in a staffed hotel environment (F&B, housekeeping, maintenance).
- Project or contract-management experience for overseeing refurbishment or supplier works.
- Experience with property management systems (PMS) and basic reporting tools.
What we offer
- Competitive salary (insert your banding here)
- Pension scheme
- Paid annual leave (specify entitlement)
- Performance-related bonus or commission structure
- Staff meals and discounted accommodation where available
- Training and development opportunities
How to apply
Apply with your CV and any additional information requested. Make the interview process, closing date and any assessment stages clear where known.
Use this as a starting point rather than a final advert. The strongest version will reflect the real role, salary, location, systems, responsibilities, benefits and working arrangements.
What is a Hotel Manager role?
A Hotel Manager coordinates all departments of a hotel to provide safe, welcoming and profitable hospitality services. They combine people leadership with commercial management — setting operational standards, managing budgets, overseeing guest services and ensuring compliance with health, safety and licensing rules. The role typically requires regular reporting to owners or regional management and close liaison with sales, marketing and maintenance teams.
Role type
Full-time senior operations role responsible for property performance and guest standards.
Team size
Typically manages all department heads and a frontline team; team size varies by property.
Hours
Shift patterns including early/late, weekends and holiday cover are common.
Location
Position usually based on-site; some travel to group offices or local suppliers may be required.
Typical Hotel Manager responsibilities
Responsibilities should reflect the real scope of the vacancy rather than every task someone in this profession might ever complete.
Lead daily operations across reception
Lead daily operations across reception, housekeeping, maintenance, F&B and services to maintain consistent guest standards.
Recruit
Recruit, train and develop department managers and frontline staff; conduct regular performance reviews and rota planning.
Manage budgets
Manage budgets, control costs and produce regular financial reports and forecasts for ownership/management.
Set and monitor KPIs such as occupancy
Set and monitor KPIs such as occupancy, average daily rate, RevPAR, guest satisfaction scores and cost-per-occupied-room.
Oversee health
Oversee health, safety and food hygiene compliance, risk assessments and timely maintenance work.
Coordinate sales
Coordinate sales and marketing activity with in-house or external teams to maximise bookings and group business.
Maintain supplier relationships
Maintain supplier relationships and negotiate contracts for goods, services and capital works.
Handle guest complaints
Handle guest complaints and incidents with discretion, ensuring timely resolution and appropriate follow-up.
Hotel Manager skills and experience to look for
Keep the essential list focused on what the person really needs to perform the role. Move useful-but-trainable experience into desirable criteria.
Usually worth prioritising
- Proven experience managing a hotel or comparable hospitality operation (properties of similar size or standard).
- Demonstrable leadership and people-management skills with experience of recruiting, coaching and developing teams.
- Commercial experience managing budgets, producing forecasts and controlling departmental costs.
- Strong customer service focus and experience handling guest feedback and complaints effectively.
- Good working knowledge of health & safety and food hygiene responsibilities relevant to hotel operations.
- Flexible approach to working hours, including shift patterns, weekends and holiday cover.
Useful where relevant
- Experience with revenue management, direct sales or working with OTA/channel management systems.
- Formal hospitality qualification (e.g. HND, NVQ) or industry training courses, where held.
- Experience of managing multi-department teams in a staffed hotel environment (F&B, housekeeping, maintenance).
- Project or contract-management experience for overseeing refurbishment or supplier works.
- Experience with property management systems (PMS) and basic reporting tools.
See our guide to what to include in a job advert before publishing.
How to write a Hotel Manager job advert
Small role-specific details can make the advert much easier for suitable candidates to assess.
Be specific about property scale
State room count, star rating or property type (boutique, resort, budget) so candidates can match experience.
List measurable KPIs
Include the key performance metrics you expect the manager to own, such as occupancy targets, RevPAR or guest-score goals.
Clarify shift and on-call expectations
Outline typical shift patterns, weekend frequency and whether the role requires out-of-hours incident response.
Highlight people and commercial priorities
Emphasise whether the role focuses more on team development, cost control, revenue growth or a balance of these.
Hotel Manager salary considerations
Hotel Manager pay varies widely. Rather than a single figure, consider the factors that influence salary when setting a competitive band for your vacancy.
depending on experience
- Use a genuine range
- Separate variable pay
- Avoid “competitive” alone
- Match salary to seniority
What Hotel Manager candidates will want to know
Practical details can influence whether a suitable candidate applies, even when the title and salary are attractive.
What are the typical working hours and shift patterns?
Candidates will want to know rota structure, weekend frequency and expected out-of-hours/incident cover.
Is staff accommodation provided or subsidised?
Accommodation availability or allowances are a major factor for candidates relocating or working unsocial hours.
What KPIs will I be measured against?
Be clear on commercial and service targets such as occupancy, RevPAR, guest satisfaction or cost control metrics.
Who does the role report to and what support is available?
Candidates expect to know reporting lines, available central support (HR, finance, marketing) and decision-making authority.
Are there training and development opportunities?
State whether you offer management training, industry courses or career progression within a group or property.
Where to post a Hotel Manager job
For Hotel Manager vacancies use a mix of broad UK job boards and hospitality-specialist channels to reach both general managers and experienced hospitality professionals. Post on sector-focused sites and LinkedIn for senior candidates, and advertise locally (tourism boards, regional colleges) if staff accommodation or a rural location is relevant. Consider targeted outreach to hospitality groups, recruitment agencies and local hospitality courses for experienced hires.
Related hospitality job descriptions
Recruiting for a slightly different role? These templates may be a closer fit.
Hotel Manager job description FAQs
Should I include a salary range in the advert?
Yes. Publishing a clear salary band improves applicant quality and transparency. If you cannot give a precise figure, indicate a competitive range and mention bonus or benefits separately.
Do I need to require formal hospitality qualifications?
Not always. Practical management experience and demonstrable commercial results are often more important. You can list formal qualifications as desirable rather than essential unless they are required for your organisation.
Is staff accommodation commonly provided?
Staff accommodation is common in remote or high-tourist locations but not universal. If you offer it, state whether it is included, subsidised or subject to availability.
How long does hiring a Hotel Manager usually take?
Senior hospitality hires can take several weeks to a few months depending on candidate availability, interview stages and notice periods. Allow time for thorough shortlisting and reference checks.
When should I advertise as 'Hotel Manager' versus 'General Manager'?
Use 'Hotel Manager' for property-level operational leadership. Choose 'General Manager' when the role includes wider corporate responsibilities, multiple properties or executive-level strategic duties.
Ready to advertise your Hotel Manager vacancy?
Use this template to create a clear vacancy listing, then distribute across broad and hospitality-specific channels to attract experienced candidates. If you need help posting to multiple sites, consider specialist hotel recruitment services or local hospitality agencies.
