Hiring and firing in hospitality.....the danger of politics and impact on service.

Stephen W. Ayers

I have been thinking a great deal lately about the hiring and firing process in the hospitality industry, and I am worried. Throughout my career as general manager and hotel chain manager, I always tried my level best to hire the right person for the right position. Notice I said person and not ‘man’ for the right position.

Yet even then I believe that I was in the minority, and I fear that the minority has shrunk even further. The explosion of brands, from the expensive to the cheap, has meant that not all general managers and executives are the right person for the right position. Expectations of new graduates are that they are on a fast track to the top. Their ambitions do not allow for sufficient length of time in different positions on the way, and this inevitably leads to insufficient experience in management.

How often during my career have I called in the ‘young guns’ and offered advice on the wisdom of following the correct stages on their advancement through the hotel in different departments. I do remember how I agonized for ten days before accepting my first position as general manager at thirty-three. I was worried about my capabilities.

Back in the day people proved themselves as they strove for promotion. Today, however, with the explosion of hotels across the globe, executives are parachuted into jobs and positions that they are not ready for. The sad part of this is that if they fail after being appointed as general manager too early in their career, they become damaged goods.

The reason I wrote about ‘seeping politics’ is the following. Because of their lack of experience, and because they have become gm’s too early, their unfounded ‘ultra’ confidence in their abilities can endanger their property. They basically know it all and think that any advice, even from their department heads, is superfluous. They do not know that they don’t know! Hiring and firing for them becomes commonplace, something that endangers reputations and spreads like wildfire.

They set about building their executive team much like political leaders in these troubling times. They will look for loyalty, (not to the hotel or their position), for people willing to work long hours and cover them when absent, and for relatively inexperienced people that cannot become a threat. Sound familiar?

During the past government turmoil in the UK, I kept reading about the ‘trusted and loyal’ lieutenants brought into cabinet positions by both Truss and now Sunak. Nowhere did I read about the quality, experience and suitability of any of the incoming ministers. Ministers are elevated due to their party ranking, loyalty to the PM and successful political lobbying. Cabinet ministers are sacked regardless of their success or failure in their position, but because of the perceived threat they may be to the incoming PM. It is terrifying to think that whole countries are mismanaged by a bunch of ill-suited politicians dividing the cabinet posts ‘pie’ according to loyalty.  Just look at the UK!

Sadly, this tendency has infiltrated the hospitality sector. Sure, there are still really great and experienced managers out there who run operations that are efficient, profitable and with executives chosen for the position. These are general managers who are experienced and look for a great team that will help them become even better and successful general managers. They are not into loyalty for themselves, but for the hotel, the brand and the position they occupy. They do not fear politics, do not occupy themselves with it, and are not afraid of internal coups. They use this time for the betterment of their properties.

Unfortunately, many of the ‘new’ general managers are now fully occupied with their internal struggles, and in full pursuit of the statistics and profitability as demanded by their bosses and in their budgets. Genuine hospitality has gotten somewhat sidelined in terms of priorities and has become less important as a way to achieve better results.

One of the reasons for this, I humbly believe, is that modern hospitality has become less a ‘hotel business’ and more a real estate business. Ever since the huge divestment of properties by the big brands from around 2008 and on, hotels have been bought by independent investors, corporations and firms not connected to the sector prior to their entry. They hold onto the properties until they have appreciated sufficiently and then cash in on their profits. During the time that they own the property, the general manager is expected to bring decent operating profits so as to improve the sale position. Real hospitality is not in the equation here, only real estate, statistics and numbers.

I am not saying that true hospitality is nonexistent, but it is sorely lacking in my mind. If the saying ‘what goes around comes around’ is true, I am hopeful that we will see a return to the real pillars of hospitality, of which the most important is the correct team of executives and staff.

My strong recommendation to general managers is to hire only those who are deemed experienced enough to fill the position successfully. Disregard petty politics and infighting and build the best team around you who can help you do your job better.

You will soon see that you have enough time to do your job as you should, and your team will elevate you to great success.