UAE general managers are the best paid regionally

General managers in the UAE are the best rewarded in the GCC, according to our very own Hotelier Middle East Salary Survey 2009, which took in almost 500 hoteliers across a range of roles and countries.

Regionally, the average monthly salary for a GM is around $9,900, but this figure falls to $8,750 for GMs of properties that have three stars or less, while rising to an average $12,000 for five-star GMs.

The 2009 Salary Survey discovered very little difference in the average salaries of GMs working across business, city and resort hotels; however, one factor that does make a difference is the country in which the hotel is located.

Although at the heart of a tourism boom, GMs in Kuwait can expect an average monthly wage of $7,875, while their colleagues based in Saudi Arabia will take home $10,750. At the top of the heap are GMs working in the United Arab Emirates who average a monthly salary of $13,370.

“It is very interesting to see the salary variants for GMs in the different locations,” commented Hospitality Graduate Recruitment MD Jeff Ross. 

“One could perhaps argue that it is tougher to run a hotel in Kuwait that it is in the UAE; therefore, the salaries are not 'fair'. It is surprising that the variants are so large between these destinations, although is also likely there are many more highly-paid five-star GMs in the UAE than in Kuwait, of course.”

In figures – regional GM earnings:

$3,000 – $4,500:     4.8%
$4,500 – $6,000:        4.8%
$6,000 – $7,500:        0%
$7,500 – $10,500:    28.6%
$10,500 – $13,500:    4.8%
$13,500 – $15,000:     14.3%
$15,000 – $30,000:    19%

Regional average - $9,900
Three stars or less - $8,750
Five-stars - $12,000
Saudi GM: $10,750
Kuwait GM: $7,875
UAE GM: $13,370