The Hotel industry is extremely time-sensitive and thus Hotel Managers have to ensure that the biggest time wasters are avoided in the Hotel premises by the team members. In this article, we have listed some of the top time management tips for hotel managers.
Hotel Managers arguably have one of the toughest jobs. Managing a hotel or a big team is not everyone’s cup of tea. Plus, every department in a hotel is pressed for time.
Intentionally or unintentionally we all waste a lot of time. Knowledge of the biggest time wasters can be handy to help manage time better.
One of our other posts covers 7 top habits for success for hotel general managers. Have a look at that but let’s first look at time management tips.
Here are the best tips that can help hotel managers save a lot more time and become more productive.
1. Stay away from time-wasting activities
As per research, the biggest time wasters are:
- Constantly checking your e-mails (this is a unanimous pick for the biggest time waster)
- Multitasking or doing more than one thing at a time actually decreases productivity
- Worrying and unnecessary planning
- Lots of meetings
- Gossips
That’s not all. Here’s research by the job site Career Builder and reported by CNBC about productivity killers. These are based on the reply of 2200 Human Resource Managers and Human Resource Leaders.
Have a look.
2. Maintain a To-do-list to be a successful hotel manager
It has been observed that people who schedule their tasks and manage a to-do list are more productive and successful in their profession.
It is one of the key time management techniques to become a successful hotel General manager.
It is important to get organised and understand that time management is an art that needs to be mastered using science and technology.
We agree to this and this is even more important for Hotel Managers.
A Hotel Manager has strict deadlines for everything. For the year-end target to the next buffet meal for a group. A banquet or a business lunch; a hotel manager has to adhere to strict deadlines.
Managing time is crucial for hotels and thus scheduling comes into play.
We all know about this basic thing about scheduling work or maintaining a to-do list but how many of us actually do it on a daily basis? Only a very few.
This should be a part of the culture in the hotel industry and the Hotel Managers must ensure that a system is in place for everyone to follow.
3. Understand the reason why we waste time
So, here comes the next question.
Why do some employees waste time? Here’s what Paychex has to say about this.
Distraction, procrastination, and no allotted work are a few among many others as mentioned in the below image.
You can certainly think of a lot more reasons.
Understanding the reasons can give us a clear direction to help us work around them and increase our productivity. It is even more important for hotel managers as they are always busy and it is difficult for them to understand what the time-wasters might be. The below image might be of some help.
So, we fight procrastination, boredom and more. Technology can be of great help here.
4. Embracing Technology to save time
Technology is being embraced by all sectors. Innovation holds the key to success in the Hospitality industry.
Technology is more of a partner now for successful hotel managers.
Various Hotel Management Software is readily available to Hotel Managers to automate a lot of tasks.
Technology can also be used in training and empowering employees.
Hotel Managers can use technology to automate a lot of tasks.
In this era of technology, this is one of the most important time management tips for Hotel Managers.
5. Prioritise Important Tasks and Time Box them
One of the most important time management tips for hotel general managers is to prioritise important tasks.
Hotel Managers should create a Priority Matrix for Hotel Operations. One of the samples of a Priority Matrix is provided by Skills you need.
This should then be followed by proper time boxing.
Timeboxing is allocating a fixed time slot to each task. It is easier to keep a journal of time spent to decrease the wastage of time and to increase productivity.
6. Ensure a Buffer Time for Rest and Realignment
Hotel Managers don’t have one of the easier jobs.
Hoteliers have to put 50, 60 and at times even 70 hours a week during the busy season.
To remain productive, the mind and body need rest.
It’s the duty of the Hotel Manager to ensure that the workforce is duly rested.
A buffer time must also be created by the Hotel Managers to ensure they have some time to rest their brain and reflect on the tasks at hand. If realignment is required, it is this buffer time that helps the most.
Thus allocating a buffer time is never counterproductive and is a super useful time management tip.
