As we approach graduation day at Les Roches Marbella, I thought it would be the time to share my insights with the soon to be graduates of both the BBA and Postgraduate in International Hotel Management.
It was indeed a great pleasure guiding them throughout this journey, and because they are about to embrace a new journey, I would like to leave them with a selection of the top 5 tips for future hotel managers based on my own experience in hospitality.
1. Be passionate and have fun: Passion is an emotion that comes from within you, it is your enthusiasm, your drive and your motivation. Regardless of the industry, being passionate will make your life easier and will help you to face the difficult situations in the workplace. Moreover, being passionate about your job will make you more visible.
2. Find a Mentor and watch this person closely: Mentoring is important, not only because of the knowledge and skills you can learn from mentors but also because it will give you a clear guideline for the journey you are about to start. Once you settle on a mentor or role model, watch this person closely. Pay attention to how she/he follows through on their promises, how she/he learns from their mistakes and sets things right, and how she/he goes the extra mile to make visitors and staff happy.
3. Be competitive, always aim higher: It’s not enough to be a Receptionist, a Supervisor or a Manager. I always aimed to be “The main Receptionist”, “The main Supervisor” and “The main Manager”. I always aimed to be the one making the difference regardless of the position I was in. Whatever you will be doing, always aim higher.
4. People are the main asset of any business: One day you will become Managers and unfortunately a lot of people, once they are Managers, forget how it feels to be a staff member. Regardless of your position, always remember that people are or should be the main asset of any business. Look after them and they will look after your customers and eventually do more than you expect.
5. Always leave room to learn and improve: Throughout my career, I have always asked more questions than usual. Around three months after starting as a receptionist, I felt I already knew all my duties. With the support of my FOM, I started to learn my Supervisor’s duties and on my 8th month, I eventually started to learn part of my FOM’s duties. Most of my colleagues never understood why a receptionist was so interested in spending extra hours learning what they used to say were “not your duties”! Two years later I returned to that same hotel but this time as a Manager. Regardless of your position, don’t let yourself get too comfortable in it, there are always new things to learn or improve.
On a final note, congratulations to all of the Spring 2016 graduates of Les Roches Marbella for their achievement and I look forward to hearing about their future accomplishments.
