James Reeves, general manager, Desert Palm by Per Aquum
Reeves became GM of the Desert Palm resort in September 2011, having previously held a number of senior positions at Starwood Hotels & Resorts properties, as well as wth a destination management company in Vietnam.
TIP 1:
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The key to becoming great at anything is practice. Becoming a general manager requires practice as a hotelier and the only way is to put the hours in. The hours when you start out in your career are the most important; you will not get time later on as you climb the ladder. These hours are not the 'lobby lizard' hours of just being present, these are the hours you spend working with your teams and speaking with your guests.
Only through this can improve your judgement, take risks, make mistakes and learn. You have to be able to think on your feet. Take an active interest in other departments too, even if it means cross training and extra hours. It will bode you well for the future. There is no shortcut or magical formula. The best footballers had talent when they were 10 years old, they did not become great until they were in their mid to late 20s. The 10,000 hour rule applies to everything.
Continue to the next page for Reeves’ second tip…
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