“He reviewed them and saw that they related to specific areas of timing of breakfasts and basic items missing.
So he took the initiative to put together with room service management a refresher training, and attended himself, explaining how critical it is for guests to have breakfasts bang on time and attention to detail was everything. Over the following three months guest satisfaction scores rocketed.”
When it comes to leadership, the ability to inspire is often seen as crucial.
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“The hotel business is all about getting the guest experience right and there is no better way to deliver such an experience than through a motivated and inspired team,” says Sayess.
And Bellinger believes the person to do this is a leader who is clear about their own values and those of the organisation.
“They do not compromise,” she continues. “Is this always right, no, but does this make them a good leader, absolutely. Leaders do not get bogged down with the day-to-day stuff; they look at the big picture and set the vision and direction for the organisation.”
So what is the difference between a good manager and a good leader?
One popular way to explain the differentiator is ‘a manager does things right, whereas a leader does the right things’.
“Leading a team is about developing an understanding of the team’s value to the organisation; leading a department builds understanding of how the department contributes to the hotel’s success,” Miserra asserts. “As a manager the focus is on answering the question ‘how to get there’ – what tools, what equipment, what processes, what skill levels are required to achieve the tasks.”
However, with so many challenges in hospitality, managers need to be leaders and leaders need to be managers.
“Only very few have the luxury of being able to afford leaders who are not also managing at least part of the business,” observes Miserra.
Sayess concurs and adds that management and leadership “must complement each other”.
“Strong managerial skills are only as good as strong leadership skills, because one needs to be able to inspire others to follow one’s lead while at the same time supporting individual development,” he continues.
Piers Schreiber, spokesperson for Jumeirah Group, argues a good manager is someone who ensures that the people reporting to them get the right jobs done in the right time frame “according to the right standards”.
“A leader is someone who inspires the people around him to make the right decisions and carry out the appropriate actions because they trust his judgement,” he continues.
The ultimate reflection of the success of this strategy are the Customer Satisfaction Index scores, Schreiber explains.
And that is the crux of good leadership and management – it has to filter down to improve the guest experience. It is frustrating to speak to a member of staff who is unable to deal with an issue due to a lack of empowerment.
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