R. vanProoyen - Hotel Ready or Not?: The GM Chronicles

To find out more about the book
or to contact the authors, please visit:

www.vividpublishing.com.au/hotelreadyornot

Copyright 2017 Di Marca Brand Performance Melbourne, Australia

Published by Vivid Publishing

ISBN: 978-1-925515-63-3 (ebook)

Ebook conversion and distribution by Fontaine Publishing Group, Australia

www.fontaine.com.au

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Hotel Readyor Not?

The GM Chronicles

(Real world experience of Hoteliers)

Contents:

About the Authors

Steven Alley, Co-Founder of Di Marca Brand Performance who has developed and facilitated Di Marcas international marketing, branding, culture and sales workshops. Steve develops sound marketing programs for sports, entertainment, hospitality, and education, with large global companies right through to entrepreneurs with big ideas. These have included brands such as Formula Grand Prix, Fosters Australian Pub Company, MAPA (Melbourne Academy of Performing Arts), The University of Melbourne and Etihad Stadiums 5,000 seat multi restaurant Medallion Club which is run like a 5 Star hotel in a 56,000 seat world class sports and entertainment stadium.

Ron vanProoyen Di Marca Brand Performance marketing and hospitality branding consultant, with over 35 years as Hotel and Restaurant builder, Hotel G.M. for soft and hard openings, F&B director, airline catering, registered International Building Inspector, Health and Safety inspector for hotels and casino F&B and is the author of the original Bali and Jakarta Hotel Ready1996-2014 sales manager and employee induction books for ASEAN countries and the emerging Pacific Rim Tourism and Hospitality industry.

Introduction:

Hotel Readyor Not?

To come right out with it, this is a politically incorrect chronicle of our real-life hospitality marketing and operations experiences, the things they may not tell you in Hospitality Class and youre wondering; How the Hell did I get myself into hotels? Am I really sure I want to be a GM?(The Heroes of this report.)

This is not a text book. Its a realistic and salty chronicle of day to day operations which can take the mystery out of making your Hotel or Hospitality career profitable and enjoyable.

Youll want to come to work every day.

This chronicle is written from decades of catching our own and others mistakes and learning experiences in international hospitality marketing; and making Hotels work. Its written for you the GM or budding hotelier commanding hundreds of crew and thousands of passengers like the Captain of a cruise liner. Its about the things people dont usually want to hear.

Its purpose is to report our personal stories of marketing ourselves and our properties. If youre already an Hotelier and dont get upset over our non PC treatment of the holy hospitality industry, then you may already be in the right profession.

We had fun writing it because it all worked out for the best. Some of our learning experiences were horrific and some were brilliant. All of it is true but some of it may not work for Politically Correct Hotel Management. Heck, we enjoyed challenging political correctness to make things all the better for our Properties and Employees and bank accounts. You can take the bits that work for you knowing theyve been used successfully had a few close calls but we didnt crash. Have fun.

Preface

Hotels are Cool !

What?That 20 story tourist trap of whacked-out characters, illegal aliens, bed bugs and drunks washing dishes? Crack addicts at the front desk working through their second ten hour shift on sore feet, gorillas holding one hand out for a tip as they grab your bag with the other hand; the General Manager with food stains on his necktie. College student night auditors playing on-line war games (while they try and balance your confidential credit details); procurers, Ladies of the Night, and other assorted players, cruising you for more than where you put your wallet, room key and passport; and you were thinking of a career in the Hotel Industry?

Is This Real?

No, not anymoreespecially in 4 and 5 star chain propertiesit doesnt work that way in the New Millennium, especially after the Global Financial Crisis. Those nightmare scenarios are the themes of old detective movies and dont represent todays hotel and hospitality industry. Why? Because no one dare allow whack-jobs in to hurt the bottom line.

Besides, for people in todays high unemployment countries a hotel job is envied and worth fighting for as one of the safest, cleanest and friendliest places to work in. Its where you dont normally get mugged, raped or terrorized. You will enter a separate environment as you walk through the glass entry manned by a uniformed security gorilla; you can work calmly in a friendly, safe place. And the guests are safer too. Lets not forget the guests in this picture.

Today, hotels are like safety zones walled off from the animal life roaming the streets just outside and the incredible amount of investors money almost guarantees you will find these civilized workplaces anywhere in the world which arent just located in some strange country on the other side of the planet. Modern, high energy Hoteliers are needed everywhere even in your own home town in West Wup Wup, where bright, clean-minded people run these hotels with no low-lifes encountered. The investors and GMs wont let low life deterioration happen. If ambience, safety and family values start to slide, the bottom line starts to slide too, and industry minders jump on the causes of a slide in a New York Minute. (Meaning) Now, damn it! In some cultures, people could lose a hand for dumb money moves.

You want to be a manager now or even the GM. Remember when you first started a few years ago? What was it? Bellman? Chef? Front Desk? What made you not give up through all those learning experiences? was it mini skirt uniforms? Shagging the maids? Having to shower and shave every day? Free mints on the pillows? Or was it what nobody likes to talk about because its not politically correct? Like the myth that Hoteliers are sissified bellhops? Or your friends think its weird because you like people and get a good feeling that youve made the world a better place for somebody today?

Customer satisfaction is a two way street. For some reason you too feel satisfied when you make complete strangers pleased with the hotels service. Theyre happy when served by a trained team of employees. This hidden, non-PC attitude is now at the top of the Hoteliers employee search list for a healthy community and healthy bottom line. Of course theres still a few swash-buckling jobs left in hotel work which is still not for sissies, (nor pirates either), which seem to trigger a romantic ideal in us of living like a modern day Captain Jack, striding though endless corridors in a Tailored business suit carrying our magic master key, a bottle of champagne in one arm, guiding celebrities to the cocktail lounge or recovering lost baggage and basically protecting guests, kids, their possessions and their privacy while inspiring new Hires to not walk away with ruffled feathers on their first day. Theyre the sissies.

Foreword

Wheres the GM?

Job Variety:

What sort of work can I do on my path to hotel GM? You might think that a GM only thinks about room maids, food servers, cooks and baggage handlers making a hotel work. Well yes thats true, but its also true that the GM has developed a mind wide enough to just know whats happening in his entire 500 room