I have been reviewing 4 & 5Star hotels around the globe since 2015. One fact I will always know is that hotel problems happen due to bad management. How management treats their staff in the past has always not been favourable towards employees. It is for this reason, the hospitality industry is struggling to recruit back the staff they let go during Covid 19.
During this pandemic, I have noticed that hotels are struggling to recruit staff. Most hotels have been closed for 17months and fired every staff member. The message was clear, no loyalty or respect for most staff members during this Covid 19. It seems most managers got paid to stay home as hotel managers.
The hotel industry is notorious as managers for treating staff badly. Poor working conditions, long working hours and poor pay.
You reap what you sow.
This is wonderful news for staff returning back to hotel work, now 2021. For the first time in most countries staff, have the power to hop and choose the best hotels to work for. Hotel staff no longer will put up with poor working conditions and poor managers passing the buck.
Managers Reviewed
I have noticed over the many years of doing my hotel reviews. That is the mentality of managers towards their staff is poor. It’s common that managers have a mindset of not leading by example. Dictating to staff what to do. Ignoring logistical problems. And having a dated mindset that they are the boss, and they seem to think they own the hotel. Therefore treat their staff members with an entitled mentality of authority.
I am happy to inform you that this attitude will no longer be tolerated by staff. I see it with my own eyes this year. And I am all for it.
Let me give you two recent examples of how managers did not take responsibility for dealing with my problem. It was left to me and the staff to solve the problem.
Breakfast Or No Breakfast?
I had two major issues regarding the check-in and breakfast at different 5star hotels. In a nutshell, no staff member could tell me if breakfast was included in the booking. What was the problem?
It took three days to sort out. The manages were notified from day one and just couldn’t be bothered to see what the problem was. The problem we found out, that the manager in small print explained my breakfast was included. The manager did not tick the breakfast box, which is the normal way of booking breakfast.
Thanks to the managers this resulted in me being very stressed about the bills that kept coming my way for breakfast. Also ending up having breakfast in the wrong area of the hotel. It took six different staff members, over three days, who I asked to confirm breakfast. No one took the responsibility to see why is, Gracie, asking for breakfast all the time?
A junior new recruit sorted it out. She could see the dialogue of me asking do I have breakfast? She explained that no one asks for breakfast confirmation as much as I did. She wavered the bill. Apologised for the stress I had for three days.
Unlike the manager who explained to me in an email, the rules were clear. I made the mistake and I had to pay for it.
In fact from the onset, I was never told about breakfast. Even when I checked in. This is down to poor management.
Inexperienced Staff
What I am finding is that new staff are being recruited for the most part. Thanks to poor management, they have no clue how to serve people in five-star settings. The training is obviously quick, and poor. The manager is nowhere to be seen on the first week of opening of hotels after 17months. They should be physically present watching how operations on the floor are working or not working?
The recent hotels I reviewed just opened up after 17mths, two days after I arrived.
The hotel’s I review on average are 20% full. Why are the staff not been trained properly?
Let’s face it we are all rusty, traumatised by lockdown and can’t possibly perform at our best. Unless management is taking the bull by the horns. I am not seeing this at all.
Management has this ideal mindset that they are the boss and can pass the responsibility on to inexperienced staff members.
That old world order, will not be tolerated now.
Managers Everyone Is Replaceable
The days of full hotels are over. Mass travel is not here for at least another year. So if you want to be performing at your best as a manager. Guests are going to be brutal regarding customer service.
The competition for hotel stays is massive. Hotels are fighting at reduced prices to get the guests staying at their hotel. If managers are not seeing this new world order, then as far as I am concerned they need to be replaced.
Customers pay your salary and the customer no matter what, is always right and a priority. Even if we are rude and wrong. The game is always the same. Treat the customer as your salary.
Ignoring The Vomit
How is it possible that for 15hours of vomit was ignored by many cleaning staff and hotel staff? Who should wear the responsibility? I deliberately said nothing as I wanted to see how this fully staffed large hotel handled vomit in a public corridor? I also noticed breakfast dishes left for hours in the corridor. Who is managing this problem? Why are the managers ignoring vomit? During this pandemic, buffets are no longer in action. So breakfast is served within the rooms.
Most hotels are not coping with this new way of serving breakfast. Did you know boiling eggs is time-consuming? Different egg orders resulting in delayed breakfast. As a result, I am noticing that the staff are serving food late and cold.
Guests are leaving dishes outside the corridor. And managers for hours are doing nothing about it. Why is the management not leading in this? What is the problem? Is it inexperienced staff? Which is common amongst hotels right now. How do you teach staff no matter who they are not to walk past vomit in a corridor?
It all comes down to poor managers.
You Are Paid For Pressure
As a manager, your salary reflects the pressure. You are in that position to take as much heat off the staff. If you are not leading your staff, directing them to handle common sense hotel day to day logistics. If you are not teaching your staff how to solve problems and take responsibility without coming to you as a manager. You are not the right person for the job. As a manager how you train and treat your staff is a reflection on you.
Treat others as you would like to be treated.
Italy is terrible when it comes to CEO or management roles, across all workforces. The dated mindset leaves most staff in fear and walking on eggshells.
It’s is cultural and I am not sure if this will ever change? I did however see young staff operating at a small hotel, in Venice on their own and they were trained so well. The owners were not from Italy, they were from Austria.
Yelling At Guests
Who in their right mind as staff member would yell at paying guests in a Five Star hotel? It must come from leadership and management.
Conclusion
I am excited to hear that restaurants can’t find staff around the globe due to staff not wanting to return under poor management. I am excited that hotel managers are poaching excellent staff from other hotels paying them more. I am laughing that for the first time in many years, managers can no longer have a mindset of telling staff what to do and knowing they can get away with it.
If you are brilliant at your job. Remember you can command better working conditions and a salary. Go where you are welcome and treated best. The result could be you running and managing the hotel yourself.
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