Improve Hotel Sales With Common Sense and Leadership

Common Sense and Effective Leadership: Keys to Improving Hotel Sales

Albert BarraAugust 13, 2018 · 4 min read

THE IDEA

Applying common sense to hotel management, building a strong and united team, and fostering effective leadership are essential to improving hotel sales and profitability. A healthy workplace, fair rewards and continuous team development help create the conditions for lasting results.

Read carefully, this statement could easily apply to a company in any sector and within the Western civilisation in which we find ourselves, despite certain political and social factors that, to say the least, some of us find intimidating. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? Applying common sense and making it key to ensuring that my business—in this case, a hotel—is profitable and improves its sales. Yet there are many cases in which this sense is becoming increasingly uncommon, leading to serious management mistakes that bring prolonged lean periods and a total lack of innovation to overcome the rut in which we occasionally find ourselves. This is not a post about magic wands or fleeting miracles, nor does it seek to sell empty promises or any other miracle solution. There are already other blogs for that, and people who consume them compulsively. What I intend to do here is draw attention to what the vast majority of people managing a hotel—from the general manager to the department with the smallest budget—already know, or should know and put into practice. I insist, because some may believe it is all stating the obvious, but these are facts that in many cases go unnoticed or do not receive the attention they deserve. Every single member of a company, whether large, small or medium-sized, must apply common sense when it comes to selling. And this means being permanently focused on my end customer—whether prospective or existing—and on selling my product. To whom? It is simple: to everyone. The person at the external firm handling my team’s payroll, the supplier chasing me for an overdue payment, or someone who may have dialled my number by mistake. You must always surprise people, at every opportunity; you must win them over, have commercial vision and analyse in detail what I did wrong with that customer and how I could win them next time. And once I have won them, how can I build their loyalty to my brand and my product? This is a fundamental key and commandment for any company: excellence in execution, proactive management and diligence in making corrections. But none of the above is of any use if we do not have a strong, united and well-trained team that enjoys a healthy working environment—under considerable pressure, yes, but one that receives rewards for a job well done. A good leader is not someone who dominates others, but someone who brings out the best in each person in the most direct and efficient way possible; this should never be associated with bad manners or misguided pressure. As the saying goes, if you use the stick, you must offer the carrot afterwards; or if you pull the rope tight, at some point you will have to loosen it, because it will eventually break. Naturally, the reward should go to the person who deserves it—the person who works and performs. What is the point of rewarding mediocrity if the results it delivers are not positive for us? Another essential question should be what kind of people I want working with me and forming that team, viewed from a leadership position—which does not necessarily have to be confined to a management role. And, above all, once that team has been assembled and its potential assessed, how can it be developed to the fullest and guided towards continuous improvement that ultimately enhances my own results? This requires tact and, ultimately, sensitivity. It may sound striking, but at least in my case, I have always managed to surround myself with teams built from the ground up, to whom—and among whom—we instilled a culture of effort and dedication, while preserving their essence, their friendly atmosphere, and without allowing unusual situations to sour them. This has simply been achieved through closeness, by rewarding effort and commitment, because a shared sense of purpose has delivered great results, making everyone feel like leaders in the project and nurturing that drive for self-improvement that is so necessary in today’s companies. And not just making them feel like leaders, but ensuring that they are and that they prove it. Without these people, companies would be nothing. Identify these people, who certainly exist within your company. Give them greater support, grant them trust and decision-making authority. Good results will come naturally, and you will become a stronger leader every day—but never set them aside. You will learn a great deal from them, because they will want to learn more and more every day.

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