Top 10 Hotelier Salary Survey 2012 findings
Nearly 500 hoteliers from the region participated in the 2012 Hotelier Middle East Salary Survey.
Click through to the following pages to reveal the top 10 findings.
Hoteliers’ wages have increased
It would appear that the dramatic increase in people earning less than US $3000 witnessed in the 2011 survey compared to the 2010 survey has made a U-turn.
The percentage has fallen from 47.5% last year to 35.9% this year, almost returning to the 2010 level of 35.1%.
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Nearly half of respondents received pay rise in the last six months
This welcomed figure can be partially explained by the fact that 42.7% of our respondents had received a pay rise in the last six months with a further 13.7% having a pay rise six months to a year ago.
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Average monthly wage for GM: $11,359-$13,900
The average monthly wage for a GM ranged from $11,359 to $13,900 with a third of general managers responding that their wages were between $7500 and $10,500 a month.
The average was brought up by the 39.4% of GMs who earn more than $10,500 a month and a lucky, but we are sure well deserving, 12.1% earning $15,000 to $30,000 a month.
The top end average monthly wage for a general manager saw a $793 increase from last year.
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Nearly 8% forced to move hotels due to unrest
Last year’s survey began to record the effects of the regional unrest on the hospitality industry and this year’s survey continues to highlight the impact on hoteliers.
Of those surveyed, 7.7% were forced to move because of the unrest and a further 5% said they thought it was likely they would be moved. On top of this, 14.3% claimed that they had to make adjustments, although one person wrote that the impact on their hotel was “more business”.
The fortunes of those destinations not affected by unrest have been well documented by Hotelier and it appears that those surveyed have also noted the trend.
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Regional unrest impacted entire Middle East
Despite this, 78.7% of those who responded believed that the unrest had impacted the whole region rather than just those witnessing unrest, although the survey didn’t signify whether they considered this impact to be positive or negative.
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45 hoteliers had contracts terminated or forced to take sabbatical
Those that said their job had been affected by the Arab Spring were asked to specify in what way it had been affected.
Sixty one respondents said that their company had relocated them either on task force or on a permanent basis.
An unfortunate 17 had their contracts terminated, while 11 hoteliers were asked to take a sabbatical. A further 28 resigned.
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Fewer hoteliers believe ‘value’ is key to winning back business
Like the 2011 survey, the most popular method of attracting visitors back to the region was ‘promoting destinations that haven’t been affected as much’ — a view which is largely held by those not working in an affected area.
However, unlike 2011, where 21.4% of all respondents felt offering value was the way forward, only 16% of respondents held the same opinion in 2012.
The second most popular method for attracting tourists was increased marketing (25.2%).
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More hoteliers think rates should be slashed
There was an increase in those recommending slashing rates (6% compared to 4.8% in 2011); the largest single group recommending the move were Egyptian hoteliers.
Also noted was a slight rise in those wishing to establish a Middle East tourism board (11.7% in 2011 with 12.4% suggesting the same in 2012). Of this 12.4%, 90.3% believed the unrest had affected the whole region, a marked increase on the view of the entire respondent base.
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Hoteliers think grass is greener
We asked which hotel company operating in the Middle East — with all things considered, such as salary, career development, reputation and security — respondents considered to be the best employer.
The results contained most of the major players in the region; Hilton, Fairmont, Rotana, Starwood, IHG, Jumeirah. Ritz-Carlton, Mövenpick, Four Seasons, Rezidor, Radisson, Accor, St. Regis and Jebel Ali Golf Resort all got a mention. Near enough all the above were also mentioned as the lowest payers, as well as the highest.
A healthy 43.7% didn’t believe they worked for the best employer, with 14.4% adding that they didn’t work for the best employer currently, but had done previously.
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Number of happy hoteliers slumps
The number of people who are completely happy in their job has also dropped from 22% to 18.5%, but this is still up from the lowly 6.3% which we reported in 2010 — hopefully reflecting the gradual recovery of the Middle East hospitality sector following the 2008-2009 recession.