A hotel management career can be an exciting one with opportunities to travel, develop leadership and management skills and take on interesting and varied roles.
Working in hospitality management as part of a hotel management company is a great way to gain experience in various top hotel chains, acquire invaluable managerial experience in different environments and develop new industry connections in the hospitality sector.
What’s a hotel management company?
Hotel owners hire hotel management companies to take on responsibility for all essential operations and services associated with running a successful hotel.
This typically includes handling day-to-day responsibilities like staffing, building maintenance, payroll, housekeeping, front of house and marketing.
Outsourcing hotel management means hotel owners can focus on the real estate side of running a hotel business as well as benefiting from more efficient management of hotel operations.
What benefits does a hotel management company provide?
Hoteliers will have different needs of hotel management companies depending on the size, location and facilities offered by the property.
Typical responsibilities outsourced to a hotel management company include:
- Recruiting new staff, handling payroll, HR systems and processes.
- Developing and managing budgets, financial analysis and reporting.
- Managing all operational activities including front of house, building maintenance, housekeeping, catering, food and beverage, events, and any gym or spa facilities.
- Managing contractual relationships and payments with suppliers and vendors.
- Ongoing property maintenance to keep the hotel in good order and up to safety standards.
- Managing revenue maximizing activities such as adjusting room rates and running special offers and promotions.
- Implementing marketing strategies and managing marketing and social media campaigns and presence, including responding to online customer reviews and complaints.
- Project managing any onsite renovations or building work which is needed to expand the property.
A hotel management company wouldn’t typically be involved in any real estate discussions or issues; and wouldn’t normally expect to be involved in decisions about buying or selling hotel properties.
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Top hotel management companies to work for
There are many different hotel management companies. Some specialize in specific brands like Hilton or Marriott hotels, others specialize in different types of hotels like luxury, spa or golf resorts.
It’s also possible to find hotel management companies that specialize in particular geographic areas.
So whatever your particular interest, there is sure to be a hotel management company to suit.
Let’s take a look at some of the top hotel management companies:
- Aimbridge Hospitality
The biggest hotel management company in the US has an impressive portfolio managing Hilton, Marriott, and Hyatt hotels across America and the Caribbean. It has over 1,500 properties and boasts more than 182,000 guest rooms under its expert management. - Hyatt Hotels
Remarkably for a large hotel brand, Hyatt also manages the majority of its own hotel properties, making it a big player in both the hotel property and hotel management industries. With Hyatt hotels in 70 countries across the globe, it has an impressive 370 plus hotels under its management portfolio. - Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Similarly to Hyatt, IHG also has a hotel management arm that manages some of its own hotel properties, although it manages a much smaller percentage of its 5,800 plus hotels, including its Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza branded properties. - Highgate
As the biggest hotel management company in New York, Highgate has 10% of the hotels in the big metropolitan city under its management. It has an exciting mix of over 530 branded and independent hotels in its portfolio. - Crescent Hotels and Resorts
Managing a mix of branded hotels like Marriott, Hyatt and Hilton, and independent properties like the Los Angeles Mayfair and Palm Beach PGA National Resort, Crescent Hotels and Resorts specialize in higher end and luxury hotel management. - HEI Hotels and Resorts
This hotel management company also has big-branded hotels like Marriott and Hilton in its portfolio as well as other independent properties. With 79 hotels across the United States, it manages a range of lower-end to luxury hotels.
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