The Boutique Hotel Manager

Boutique Hotel. Just go get the words of the imagination. Even before the dog-eared pages of the hotels in the hip? Herbert Ypma s first reserve the world of boutique hotel features fascinated me. ¿?? how cool would be the CEO of a cool boutique hotel? ?? I often found wondering as I flipped through the pages of his magnificent photos. Working hard to make a career out of the hotel industry, convinced me that I just had to be involved with a boutique hotel someday.


That came true one day when I was invited in 2004 to become the director general of what was and am still one of Palm Springs most boutique hotels of the hip. I left another huge opportunity just to be a part of this amazing world. Art, design, vibe. He had never really worked anywhere with a? the vibe?. A year later and I knew, I knew what not many do in the hotel business? as what is really being the gm of a hip, cool boutique hotel. He? s not for everyone and surprise for many.

There is a mini storm brewing in the world of boutique hotel, one that I put on? t think the more involved in this industry is aware of. With an increasing number of boutique hotel operators entering the courtyard, you are making the hiring decisions increasingly bad. The general manger duties are working in hotels incorrect. Like a square peg and a round hole, some things just do not work. Who is to blame and what can be done?

The boutique hotel

First let me first tell you that I have a very narrow view of what really constitutes a boutique hotel. I think? the boutique? the term when used to describe a hotel is often misapplied. A boutique hotel is not defined by just a hot design, both discussed.
In my opinion, a boutique hotel is a feature that is only significant in four ways:

1. Architecture and design.

2. A high level of service. A feature should not exceed 150 guest rooms, enhancing the guest to staff ratio.

3. Sale to a specific demographic.

4. It is owned and operated independently (this is where some will disagree with me).

A boutique hotel should be a separate operation. The hotel should not be part of a collection that is more than say, 10 features. Beyond this you get to have a hierarchical corporate management style that required under the direction of a big company and maintain consistency of brand. Take for example W Hotels. In my opinion these are not boutique hotels. They look like a boutique hotel, even feel like one. Many boutique hotels strive to be as large as a W. But a W hotel is operated and managed by a massive corporation. The level management feature makes very few decisions about what services are offered and how the feature works. A boutique hotel should be run as close to the actual physical operation as possible. The? s of W and the like is staggering, but in my opinion put the? t fit the definition of a boutique hotel. The boutique hotels are also being constantly reinventing, make sure your guests never get bored and moody looking to stay at the latest new, hip and cool feature.

Boutique hotel guest

Travelers chose to stay at a boutique hotel because of the story, or experience. The experience is very important and should be something unique and cutting edge. The general demographic data are individuals 20 to 50 years old work in more creative fields like advertising or hospitality and appreciate a high level of service. When Ian Schrager joined the market with what many consider to be the first boutique hotel, this demographic discovered that he could use his travel budget gets you a room in a cool, hip hotel something a qualified mid-level feature generic . And the boom began.
The boutique hotel guests enjoy the experience, unique architecture, cutting edge interior design and in some cases an urban location. The market is expanding and the demographic model explained earlier is beginning to bleed into another. You might very well find a Fortune 500 CEO staying in a boutique hotel. It's hard to ignore the hype.

Against boutiques Brands

The luxury hotel operators are scrambling to avoid losing market share to the world of boutique. Some hotels are taking? of the brand? their marketing and are really streamlining their operations so that its characteristics are authentic boutique. Take the Kahala Mandarin Oriental for example. This feature famous luxury Mandarin Oriental recently removed so that they could operate and compete in the new market for independent hotels. Now they are just? the? Kahala and are working hard to be truly local and independent identification of a major brand. I think others will follow.

Director general of the boutique hotel

For this publication, I will use the luxury hotel as compared to the boutique since it most closely associated with a boutique hotel with luxury travel. So what is so different about being a CEO in a luxury hotel into a boutique hotel? Can it really be that different? The basics are the same. The CEO is responsible for the entire daily operation, hiring decisions, marketing, budgeting, forecasting, strategy of the tariff, the? maintenance of the facility so the key for both types of service characteristics is the interaction between host and guest. The guest in a luxury high-end hopes to interact with the general manager of the hotel, as guests of a boutique property. It's all high touch.

The difference is that a CEO of boutique hotel uses just a few more hats than the CEO of luxury. A boutique general manager was able to prepare complex spreadsheets on the budget outlook at 10am and at 10:30 is by clearing the towels around the plunge pool of salty water? s hotel. When was the last time you saw the general manager of the Peninsula Beverly Hills with an arm full of towels? The? Don t get me wrong, I know that the director general of the peninsula did this in a second if they had to. The CEO of a boutique hotel has to, because there is nobody. The one server working the restaurant is also probably responsible for taking care of the pool, taking room service orders, delivering orders and without cease?. The CEO of a boutique hotel is sometimes also the director of the time and breaks the counter agents. If gm is in California then the gm could be breaking just about every position just to avoid getting sued and fined!

Take this example: you are the GM of a boutique hot property in the desert. The temperature is pushing 118 degrees. Since the occupation in the summer is very low, you will encourage your team to take a long vacation so you can get that accumulation of the vacation of your books. One of those it takes up in this is its chief engineer, one of two engineers for its entire five-acre property. He goes home to his country, Germany for a week. Now just because? s hot does not mean that you do? t have customers. Some tourists seem to love the heat, and so it was with this particular hot day in August. As the sun begins to set, your guests make their way to pool their bungalows. The darkness and 100 degrees, each full blast turns its aging air conditioners so they can cool down. His only other engineer has gone home for the day. It's about this time in which the calls start coming. AC units are freezing up. The old units will freeze up when turning on full blast. Many circuit breakers blow. So there you are, in your office that makes the outlook for corporate weekly report called the front desk when called in a panic? that guests are flipping out screams? his new agent at the counter. You check out the calls and see that you need your engineer back of the property, but its prepaid cell phone (you cannot afford a cell phone produces for him) is out? time it reaches you cannot! What do you do? You head to the rooms to see if you can fix them. Web Site by you tackle the challenge of explaining to your guests sweaty and angry why cannot turn your AC on full and that it will take at least two hours for the ice accumulated around the coils to melt. Then you start looking for circuit breakers, which are scattered all over the property of 60 years. By the time you reach the last room guest who answered the door almost screams at the sight of the general director sweaty, dirty holding a toolbox with a dazed look on his face. ¿?? Wasn t the? this the same guy who poured us the Mimosas in the pool this morning honey? the? asked host as you begin your repairs. Once the madness is over you get a call on his cell phone. Yes, it is his engineer who returns your call. ¿?? you trying to overtake leader? ??. The next day, while in his audio you hear a speech about how CEOs need to spend more time with your guests something that in their offices. Duh, you think as you try to wash the sand out from under her fingernails.

The financial realities of a boutique hotel is unique. The service aspect of three to five stars, with a budget of two stars is the norm, and? s the gm gets caught in the middle. The boutique hotel just does not have the staffing budget as a luxury property real and everyone must pull their weight. GM that it does not there long and hates every second of their lives.

Along with the sweat and the additional frustration of being a boutique hotel gm are the rewards. For the right guy will find that the entrepreneurial management style is required of them by allowing highly. The gm can make many decisions on their own, the decisions in a larger corporate hotel required approval or discussion of the worst? . committee! The fact that some towels need to be picked up and maybe a drink or two is mixed and dispensed is really fun to them. The rewards always be ahead of its guests what they want most? GM s anyway, but many are not really ready for him when in charge to make that happen daily.

What kind of person would do as well as CEO of a boutique hotel? Answer these questions if you can say yes to each answer then you will probably really like the challenge. Please note that I am assuming you are responsible and experienced and qualified to be CEO.

The 51 questions

1. You do not need routine to feel successful at work.

2. You can delegate without worry.

3. You can make decisions without the committee's recommendation.

4. You may spend long hours at work. For me it means long up to 14 hours at a time.

5. You does not have any?? No problem passing the night in the property to make sure everything is okay.

6. You put the? t have a problem delivering luggage to guest rooms (you probably will not have buttons to do this for you).

7. You can valet park a car.

8. You can reprogram the host keys using the key card system.

9. You actually enjoy talking to her? . REALLY of the guests.

10. You can mix a drink and you know who Mr. Boston.

11. You can work with a commercial washing machine.

12. You can reset a circuit breaker.

13. You can change a flat tire, jump start a car.

14. You can reset your router. If you put up? t know what is now one router then stop and rethink every thought you have to be a boutique hotel gm. You will not be responsible on a site to help you!

15. You can reach out to a host system using the central office.

16. You can process credit cards and payments to various folios fracture.

17. You can run the switchboard at the counter.

18. You can order using sonar in a position of the restaurants.

19. You can adjust the position of the restaurant.

20. You can program a digital surveillance system.

21. You can type your own notes, send their own emails and answer their own phones (this should be true of ANY gm today).

22. You can jump from one project to the next without hesitation.

23. You know what to do when someone has a heart attack in his hallway.

24. You know what to do when someone chokes on his menu.

25. You can explain your restaurant menu items as well or better than their servers.

26. You can brew coffee using a commercial coffee machine.

27. You can draw a good cup of espresso.

28. You know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino.

29. You know the temperature requirements for without knocking and refrigerators. If you put up? t know what is a no call, stop here and think about your career choice.

30. You know what to do when the health inspector appears. Indirectly, it is not grab a handful of cash!

31. You know who to call if your phone system suddenly stops working.

32. You can read the history of an electronic lock of the host site.

33. You can do a bed and their best housewife.

34. You know what should be the level of pH in the clarification of the wash.

35. You know to check the chemicals in your pool and Jacuzzi.

36. You know what are the interfaces for each of their computer systems from the hotel.

37. You know how to get online using their guests wireless Internet service.

38. You know the difference between a p & l and balance.

39. You can run a commercial dishwasher.

40. You know its receivables and payables.

41. You know where your purchase housewife sources.

42. You know the city ordinances as they apply to your property.

43. You can deliver a room service order.

44. You can clean a bathroom with five-star standards.

45. You can fold a towel as their housewives.

46. You know where are the water and diesel, and close them off.

47. You know every one of its type host site.

48. You does not have any?? No problem befriending her business and nearby residents.

49. You can write a report researched and accurate month end well.

50. You know calculate crosses.

51. Have a number for two people who can answer these questions, too.

Taking the many boutique hotel companies ask these questions of candidates gm during the interview process. I know you save time, frustration and lower their turnover rates (higher for general manager positions in boutique hotels).

If you are a boutique hotel company that would also ask that you make sure you do the following for their general managers of the hotel, ensuring success and lowering its turnover gm:

1. Rental of? Don t luxury general manger of the experience (non-boutique hotel) unless you can answer yes or really learn to trust the answer to each of the 51 questions.

2. Train, train and train your new? gm s of the property that will a. Make sure they know everything before you do? turn them loose?.

3. Pay them a fair wage, maybe even a little more than fair. The boutique hotel companies seem to think they can attract new? gm s of which were probably a number two in a larger property, which is the convincing? cool? to be a part of their company and pay less than the industry standard. This just makes their new GM is beginning to hear those headhunter calls (call portion? SA of gm hotel!) Offers much higher salary move backwards in the area? of convenience? of a qualified hotel.

4. Understand what goes on in the life of a boutique hotel gm. Most of the corporate personal boutique hotel has never been a gm in a true boutique hotel and has no idea as what it is. Familiarize yourself with what happens in property.

5. Insist that your? remove gm s of time. It's easy for your gm get wrapped up in the operation and start working 7 days a week. It's just off. Imagine a way to get them time with their families who need to stay healthy, the? Married 6. Gift of the etc.? t call them on their day off unless an emergency. If you put up? t know what day is his? gm s of then shame on you.

7. The? Don t be double-minded. The? Don t get a day and regan @ a gm for pool deck resurfacing needed and then two days later came down on them to apply for funds to repair the property.

8. Give them realistic budgets, and if you sell a premium during the interview process, make sure it is realistic.

9. Give them the same gratifications? the? that? s of gm hotel features large succeeds. You can skip the car license, but at least offers privileges dry cleaning and travel in their other characteristics.

10. Talk to them often. Actually talk to them, they talk of? t on them. Listen to what is going on.

11. If you tell them that? us is a? entrepreneur and the company? s the gm can? make your own? decisions and then second guess every decision they make him the need to rethink their message.

12. Make sure you give them the ability to use a # 2. strong. One of the reasons your license? s of gm for other companies is because most companies put the boutique hotel? t give their characteristics budgets have a number two, so I have no one to take his place if up other internal opportunities. This is the old and? too tired to have to lift out the move? dynamic that kills us in the hotel industry.

13. That brings me to this point --- set out to develop strength of the bank. Be leaders waiting in the wings to take positions as you grow. If you put up? t you will end up? that borrows from the leaders? each of its features to open its newest. This leaves its existing characteristics, lean and current management with a group out of excessive work and stress and staff leaders. Make this a priority.

14. Thank her? S. the gm. This is a no brainer but a very important task forgot hotel company. THANK HER? S. GM. This goes for any hotel company. Their CEOs get beat up a lot. For the staff, guests and you miserable. You hit them with? constant notes? how to perform better. Be sure to balance training with praise.

The point?

So what is the point to all this? The CEO of boutique hotel, in my opinion is a completely different job that a CEO of a feature luxury full service. But unfortunately the two entangle themselves together in a basket full of unattainable expectations.

I think the general director of boutique hotel should have a? the new Title I leave it to the boutique hotel companies and creative genius driving their brands.
At the end of the day, a certificate is not really important, but expectations are. Make sure you understand your role as CEO of boutique hotel or the role that their general managers play in their boutique hotels. Make sure as you take a job or hire them, they know what a boutique hotel manager really.