Me and my hospitality career; Would I do it again?

I have had so many conversations and discussions with colleagues in the industry about whether we would do it all over again if we had the choice.

I think that the subject comes up much more in the hotel business since I believe that the sacrifices in terms of hours and days we are called on to make are greater than those in a ‘normal’ nine to five job. 

My answer would be yes, but with quite a few regrets, and with a few changes....

If I had said no, then friends would quickly point out that had I not become a hotelier then I would not have met my wife, and I would not have my wonderful children. Many of my colleagues met their better halves in our industry. Working so many long hours will do that for you.

So perhaps we should consider the following question: Would you do it all again if you knew that you would meet your wife in another profession? 

Now the question becomes a lot more difficult to answer. 

So, if we put this aside, we can look at the answer from a perspective ‘free’ of that question. We can concentrate on the career and life of a hotel executive, and why I qualified my answer by a yes but with quite a few regrets.

Speaking generally, today the hotel business is vastly different than the one that I ‘grew up’ in. Today the hotel industry is overshadowed by the large brands that have made the industry a ‘cookie cutter’ hotel industry. This has led to ‘cookie cutter’ managers whose only aim is to earn as much as possible as soon as possible and become ‘managers’ as soon as someone is willing to offer them that possibility. Mostly, they do not care for self evaluation and experience, and believe that they can run a hotel shortly after they have left the professional school of their choice.

Most of them may be able to run a hotel………….into the ground! 

Many brands and individual owners promote these ‘managers’ since they demand less salary than the experienced alternatives, and that must be ‘good’ for the bottom line. Yet what these managers are in reality are operational managers whose sole responsibility is to make sure that the hotel runs smoothly. That is not real management.

Back in the day we were all fully committed and invested in all the aspects that make for a great property. We put our heart and soul into our jobs. We did not look at the clock. We spent days and nights making sure that the guests were well taken care of in the best and most creative way. We worked at the hotel as if we knew we would spend our entire careers at the property, such was our love for the profession.

And herein lies is my biggest regret. 

Spending so much time at the hotel has meant that I have missed out on the one thing that most careers have; time to share and be with their children as they grow up. 

Of course I was at ‘home’, but in reality I often came home when the children were sleeping and left before they woke up. 

And we worked without getting paid for it in a very real sense! 

Indeed, if you divided our pay by the hours we invested you would find that we were on a level with many of the line employees. We were never paid for overtime, our was an inclusive agreement. Today that is history, and in some countries even General Managers note down hours and extra days spent in order to get it paid.

So what was it that drew us into the business and made us ‘addicted’ to it?

If you do not like people, and constant interaction with them whether guest or employee, do not become a hotelier. The best part of a career in the hotel industry has been the incredible privilege of working and meeting so many people from so many different cultures and walks of life. I have learned so much from them and they have made me a better human being.

Hotels back then were more of a ‘family’ in many ways, even the larger ones.

Today employees are basically numbers whose work adds up to the total payroll. They are the largest part of the statistics that today drives all decisions in a hotel. It is all about numbers and number ‘crunching’. Revenue management. Profit and loss scenarios. Continuous budgeting. There is no time left to enjoy the profession which is supposed to be centered around ‘hospitality’.

And this is my second point. I would not do it all again if my career was to start today.

Yes, meetings are very important, and studying the results in order to improve has always been important. But today they seem to be the only driver behind decisions about virtually everything in the hotel. 

Everything also seems to be outsourced in order to satisfy the continual search for less expenses. 

Room attendants? Outsourced.

Service staff? A large part outsourced. Back when I started, waiting was a profession, a proud one that was practised over generations by certain families.

Stewarding? Outsourced.

Cooks? Many outsourced.

I am not saying that we did not outsource staff in the past, but this was mainly when necessary for banqueting and events. Today you see new faces on a daily basis, and that makes it hard to get to know your staff. It makes it harder to train your people, and harder to achieve great guest satisfaction.

Quality of food is sacrificed on the altar of ‘what is cheaper’. Many kitchens are run by whatever makes the numbers better. Much of the products are outsourced, such as desserts, salads, bread, and even some ready to serve dishes. It’s cheaper.

While prepared foods are cheaper, no one can argue that they are anywhere near in quality or taste to food prepared caringly in house. 

The same is true of many aspects in the hotel; Towels that used to be large and of good quality are now smaller and ‘skinny’.

Amenities that used to be chosen to ‘spoil’ the guest are now at the minimum possible and the cheapest possible.

Looking around the ‘cookie cutter’ brand hotels everything seems to be the cheapest possible, as if the whole place, atmosphere included, was made in ‘China’.

Managers change hotels with alarming speed, accepting offers that either get them higher on the ladder or get them more money. 

Loyalty to an owner or a property has been replaced by loyalty to your position and the number of dollars on your payslip. 

It’s as simple and as sad as that.