Resort Management: Balancing People, Processes, and Profits

Job 1: Maximizing Customer Satisfaction

1. Guest Services Management: The GM oversees the entire guest experience, from check-in to check-out. This includes ensuring the front desk provides a warm welcome, quick and efficient check-in and check-out processes, and prompt assistance with any guest inquiries or issues.
2. Quality Assurance: The GM should ensure that all amenities and services meet or exceed the standards expected by guests. This ranges from the cleanliness and comfort of accommodations and quality of food and beverage services to the range and quality of recreational facilities and activities.
3. Problem Resolution: If guests encounter problems or have complaints, the GM must ensure these are resolved quickly and satisfactorily. This might involve working with different departments, like housekeeping or maintenance, and may require making decisions about compensation or other remedies.
4. Personalization: The GM can help enhance guest satisfaction by encouraging and facilitating personalized service. This could involve learning and remembering guest preferences, offering tailored recommendations for activities or dining, or arranging special surprises for guests celebrating special occasions.
5. Feedback Management: The GM should have a system for collecting and analyzing guest feedback. This could be through comment cards, online reviews, or direct conversations. Feedback should be used to identify improvement areas and recognize and reward staff providing excellent service.
6. Communications: The GM should ensure clear and effective communication with guests. This includes ensuring guests are well-informed about the resort's amenities, services, and special events or promotions and being transparent about any issues or disruptions that might affect their stay.
7. Relationship Building: The GM can enhance customer satisfaction by building guest relationships. This might involve personally welcoming and interacting with guests, following up after their stay, or recognizing and rewarding loyal customers.
8. Health and Safety: In the post-pandemic world, the GM is crucial in ensuring guests feel safe and secure during their stay. This includes implementing and communicating health and safety measures, emergency preparedness, and food safety.

Job 2: Ensuring Smooth Operations

1. Coordination of Departments: As the GM, you oversee different departments - front office, housekeeping, food & beverage, maintenance, etc. You must ensure these departments work together smoothly to provide a seamless guest experience.
2. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): The GM is responsible for establishing and enforcing SOPs for all resort operations. This includes everything from guest check-in/check-out processes to cleaning routines, maintenance procedures, and F&B services.
3. Maintenance and Facility Management: The GM must ensure that all facilities and equipment are properly maintained. This includes regular inspections, preventive maintenance, and prompt repairs. It also includes managing renovations or upgrades without causing too much disruption to guests.
4. Inventory Management: Managing the resort's inventory - from food and beverage supplies to linens and toiletries - is part of the GM's job. You should ensure that the resort has enough inventory to meet demand but not so much that it leads to wastage or unnecessary costs.
5. Technology Management: The GM oversees the use of technology in resort operations. This includes reservation and billing systems, guest service systems, back-office management software, and any guest-facing technology like app-based or in-room entertainment systems.
6. Quality Control: The GM should have systems in place for regular quality checks. This could include spot checks of rooms or facilities, monitoring the quality of food and beverage services, or other checks to ensure services are delivered to the resort's standards.
7. Crisis Management: The GM must be prepared to handle operational crises - minor issues like a power outage or more significant crises like a natural disaster. This includes having emergency plans and ensuring staff are trained to handle emergencies.
8. Supplier Management: The GM is often responsible for managing relationships with suppliers, including negotiating contracts and ensuring reliable delivery of supplies.
9. Environmental Management: As sustainability becomes more important, the GM also manages the resort's environmental impact. This might include waste management, energy conservation measures, and implementing green practices.

Job 3: Financial Management

1. Budgeting and Forecasting: The GM is typically responsible for developing and managing the resort's budget. This includes forecasting revenues and expenses, setting targets for different departments, and monitoring performance against the budget.
2. Cost Control: A key part of financial management is controlling costs. The GM should have systems for tracking and managing costs, from staffing and inventory costs to utilities and maintenance. They need to balance cost control with maintaining quality standards and guest satisfaction.
3. Revenue Management: The GM oversees strategies for maximizing revenue. This could involve setting and adjusting room rates, implementing dynamic pricing strategies, developing revenue-generating services or events, or upselling and cross-selling strategies.
4. Profitability Analysis: The GM should regularly analyze the resort's profitability. This might involve reviewing profit margins for different services, identifying profitable and unprofitable areas, and making strategic decisions to improve profitability.
5. Cash Flow Management: The GM must ensure the resort has adequate cash flow to meet its obligations. This includes managing accounts receivable and payable, ensuring timely billing and collections, and managing the timing of expenses.
6. Capital Expenditure Planning: The GM typically plays a role in planning capital expenditures, like renovations or new facilities. They need to evaluate the financial feasibility of these investments, manage the budget, and monitor the return on investment.
7. Financial Reporting: The GM is responsible for financial reporting, both internally to owners or corporate management and externally to investors, lenders, or regulatory bodies. They need to ensure financial reports are accurate, timely, and comply with accounting standards.
8. Investment Management: If the resort has reserves or surplus funds, the GM might manage these investments to ensure they provide a good return and are aligned with the resort's risk tolerance.
9. Tax Planning and Compliance: The GM needs to ensure the resort complies with all tax laws and regulations and should be involved in tax planning to minimize the resort's tax liability.
10. Risk Management: The GM should identify financial risks, like fluctuating demand, cost increases, or potential liability issues, and have plans to mitigate these risks.

Job 4: Staff Management

1. Hiring: The GM needs to ensure that the resort has the right people in place to deliver a high standard of service. This involves hiring competent staff, from front office personnel to kitchen staff, housekeeping, and entertainment teams.
2. Training: Once the right people are hired, the GM must ensure they're well-trained. This involves job-specific training and training in customer service, company culture and values, and health and safety procedures.
3. Employee Performance Management: The GM should regularly evaluate employee performance and provide feedback to help staff improve. This can involve setting performance targets, conducting performance reviews, and addressing performance issues.
4. Motivation and Retention: The GM should work to keep staff motivated and engaged, which can help reduce turnover and improve service quality. This can involve recognizing and rewarding good performance, providing opportunities for growth and development, and fostering a positive work environment.
5. Conflict Resolution: As in any workplace, conflicts can arise, whether among staff members or between staff and guests. The GM must effectively resolve these conflicts to maintain a harmonious workplace and avoid negatively impacting guest experiences.
6. Scheduling: The GM, often with the help of department heads, is responsible for creating work schedules. These schedules must ensure that the resort is appropriately staffed to handle varying levels of guest demand while considering employees' work-life balance.
7. Staff Welfare: The GM should be concerned with the welfare of the staff, ensuring a safe and healthy work environment. This includes addressing any health and safety issues, dealing with any instances of harassment or discrimination, and providing support for staff wellbeing.
8. Succession Planning: The GM should consider who can step in if a key employee leaves or is unavailable. Identifying potential future leaders and providing them with development opportunities is important to this role.
9. Legal Compliance: The GM must ensure that all staff management practices comply with relevant laws and regulations, such as labor laws, equal opportunity laws, and health and safety regulations.

Job 5: Marketing and Brand Management

1. Brand Strategy: The GM should define and maintain the resort's brand identity. This includes understanding what differentiates the resort from competitors and communicating this effectively to the market.
2. Marketing Strategy and Campaigns: The GM oversees the marketing strategy, including target markets, positioning, pricing, and promotional strategies. They should also oversee the execution of marketing campaigns and assess their effectiveness.
3. Online Presence Management: In today's digital world, the GM should ensure a strong online presence for the resort. This involves maintaining a user-friendly and attractive website, engaging on social media, and managing online booking platforms.
4. Public Relations: The GM should build positive relationships with the media and key influencers. They might also need to manage crises that could damage the resort's reputation.
5. Customer Engagement and Loyalty Programs: The GM should develop strategies for engaging customers and building loyalty. This could include email marketing, loyalty rewards programs, or special events for returning guests.
6. Partnership and Collaborations: The GM might work on building strategic partnerships or collaborations that can help promote the resort, like partnerships with tour operators, event organizers, or local businesses.
7. Revenue Management: While this can be part of financial management, it's also a key marketing activity. The GM should ensure the resort's pricing strategy maximizes revenue, considering factors like demand patterns, competitor pricing, and cost considerations.
8. Market Research and Analysis: The GM should monitor market trends, competitor activities, and customer preferences. This research should inform the resort's marketing and brand strategies.
9. Review Management: Online reviews can greatly impact a resort's reputation. The GM should monitor reviews, respond to negative feedback positively and constructively, and encourage satisfied guests to leave reviews.
10. Sustainability Marketing: As more travelers seek eco-friendly options, the GM should consider how the resort's environmental initiatives can be incorporated into its marketing strategy.

Job 6: Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management

1. Regulatory Compliance: Resorts are subject to a variety of laws and regulations. These include health and safety regulations, labor and environmental regulations, food and beverage regulations, and more. The GM must ensure the resort fully complies with all relevant laws to avoid penalties, legal action, or damage to the resort's reputation.
2. Risk Identification: The GM should regularly assess potential risks to the resort. These can include operational risks (like equipment failure), financial risks (like fluctuating demand), reputational risks (like negative reviews), and strategic risks (like changes in the competitive landscape).
3. Risk Evaluation: Once potential risks are identified, the GM must evaluate them, assessing their likelihood and potential impact. This can help prioritize which risks to focus on.
4. Risk Mitigation: The GM should develop strategies to mitigate significant risks. This might involve implementing preventive measures, purchasing insurance, developing contingency plans, or accepting the risk if it's low impact and unlikely.
5. Crisis Management Planning: The GM should have a plan in place for handling crises, whether they're operational (like a power outage), financial (like a sudden drop in bookings), or reputational (like a negative media story). The plan should outline who's responsible for what, communication strategies, and steps for getting operations back to normal.
6. Risk Monitoring: The GM needs to monitor risks and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies regularly. This might involve tracking key risk indicators, conducting audits or inspections, or reviewing incident reports.
7. Compliance Training: The GM should ensure all staff are trained in compliance requirements relevant to their role. This might involve training on food safety, fire safety, data protection, or harassment prevention.
8. Document Management: Many regulations require keeping records, like employee and health and safety or environmental impact records. The GM must ensure these records are properly managed and readily available for inspection.
9. Licensing and Permits: The GM needs to ensure the resort has all necessary licenses and permits and that these are kept up-to-date. This could include licenses for serving alcohol, permits for building extensions, or licenses for playing copyrighted music.

Job 7: Innovation and Improvement

1. Idea Generation: The GM should encourage new ideas from all sources - staff, guests, industry trends, competitor activities, etc. This requires creating a culture that values innovation and feedback and having channels for collecting and assessing ideas.
2. Technology Adoption: The GM should stay abreast of new technologies that could enhance operations or guest experiences. This could include things like new reservation systems, mobile apps for guests, automation technologies, or sustainable technologies.
3. Process Improvement: The GM should constantly look for ways to improve the resort's processes to make them more efficient or effective. This might involve streamlining check-in procedures, improving maintenance processes, or redesigning workflows.
4. Service Enhancement: The GM should seek ways to enhance the resort's services. This might involve adding new services based on guest feedback, improving existing services, or personalizing services to meet individual guest needs better.
5. Facility Upgrades: The GM should also consider improving the resort's facilities. This might involve renovations, new decor, upgrading amenities, or adding new facilities like a spa or fitness center.
6. Product Development: The GM could consider developing new products to offer guests, like unique dining experiences, bespoke tours, or special event packages. This can help differentiate the resort and add new revenue streams.
7. Guest Experience Design: The GM should consider the overall guest experience and how this can be enhanced. This might involve improving the ambiance, enhancing staff-guest interactions, or offering unique and memorable experiences.
8. Sustainability Initiatives: As sustainability becomes increasingly important to travelers, the GM should look for ways to make the resort more environmentally friendly. This could involve waste reduction initiatives, energy efficiency measures, sustainable sourcing practices, or initiatives to support the local community.
9. Pilot Testing and Evaluation: Before rolling out major changes, the GM should consider pilot testing them to assess their impact. They should also have mechanisms to evaluate the success of innovations and improvements.

Job 8: Sustainability

1. Environmental Policies: The GM should establish and enforce environmental policies for the resort. This could involve waste management practices, energy efficiency measures, water conservation initiatives, etc.
2. Sustainable Purchasing: The GM should consider the environmental impact of the resort's purchasing decisions. This could involve sourcing locally to reduce carbon emissions, choosing suppliers with strong environmental credentials, or buying organic or fair trade products.
3. Eco-Friendly Facilities and Operations: The GM should consider how the resort's facilities and operations can be more eco-friendly. This might involve installing energy-efficient lighting, using renewable energy sources, implementing water-saving devices, or using eco-friendly cleaning products.
4. Conservation Initiatives: The GM could consider initiatives to conserve local ecosystems. This might involve participating in local conservation projects, educating guests about local wildlife, or establishing green spaces within the resort.
5. Local Community Engagement: The GM should ensure the resort contributes positively to the local community. This could involve employing local staff, supporting local businesses, contributing to local community projects, or respecting local customs and traditions.
6. Education and Awareness: The GM should educate staff and guests about the resort's sustainability initiatives and their importance. This could involve staff training, guest information materials, or educational events.
7. Sustainable Event Planning: If the resort hosts events, the GM should consider how these can be more sustainable. This might involve reducing waste, promoting public transportation, or offering vegetarian or locally sourced food options.
8. Monitoring and Reporting: The GM should monitor the resort's environmental performance and report this to stakeholders. This might involve tracking energy usage, waste production, or carbon emissions.
9. Compliance with Environmental Regulations: The GM must ensure the resort complies with all relevant environmental regulations. This could involve waste disposal regulations, building codes for environmental sustainability, or regulations on water usage.

Job 9: Stakeholder Relations

1. Owner Relations: The GM typically reports to the resort's owners, who are vested in its financial performance and reputation. The GM must regularly communicate with the owners, providing updates on the resort's performance and seeking their input or approval on major decisions.
2. Investor Relations: If the resort has external investors, the GM may need to communicate with them regularly, providing updates on its financial performance and strategic plans.
3. Board Relations: If the resort has a board of directors, the GM typically reports and attends board meetings. They would need to provide the board with information necessary for decision-making and take their guidance and directives on board.
4. Staff Relations: As mentioned under Staff Management, the GM needs to maintain positive relationships with staff at all levels. This includes communication about the resort's performance and plans, addressing staff concerns, and fostering a positive work culture.
5. Guest Relations: While not always directly involved in daily guest interactions, the GM still plays a role in guest relations. This can include personally dealing with VIP guests or major complaints and overseeing the resort's overall approach to guest service.
6. Community Relations: The GM should also build positive relationships with the local community. This could involve supporting local events or charities, sourcing locally for goods and services, or addressing community concerns related to the resort's operations.
7. Supplier Relations: The GM needs to maintain good relationships with suppliers to ensure the reliable delivery of goods and services. This might involve negotiating contracts, addressing issues, or exploring new sourcing opportunities.
8. Regulator Relations: The GM needs to ensure the resort complies with all relevant laws and regulations, which might involve communicating with various regulatory bodies or local government authorities.
9. Industry Relations: The GM can also benefit from building relationships with others in the tourism and hospitality industry. This could involve participating in industry associations, attending conferences, or collaborating with other resorts or businesses.

The reward

The resort management team

• Hotel Operations Manager: This role remains central to the resort's daily operations, ensuring all departments function efficiently to provide excellent guest experiences. They manage front desk operations, housekeeping, and other guest services. They often oversee guest activities such as spas, sports, and other recreational offerings to ensure seamless integration into the guest experience.
• Commercial Director: This executive role is instrumental in driving revenue and business growth for the resort. The Commercial Director develops and implements sales and marketing strategies, manages relationships with business partners, and oversees public relations efforts. Additionally, they manage revenue - a strategic approach to pricing aimed at maximizing total revenue by balancing demand and supply and adjusting pricing based on various factors such as booking channels and time of booking. They are also tasked with creating enticing offerings or packages that will not only attract guests but also ensure an exceptional guest experience that promotes return visits and positive reviews.
• Food & Beverage and Banquet Manager: This individual oversees all food and beverage operations, ensuring high-quality offerings and service in the resort's restaurants, bars, and room service. They also manage banquet operations, coordinating closely with event planners to provide exceptional food and beverage services for events hosted at the resort. Their role in innovation can be vital, especially concerning culinary offerings, unique dining experiences, and creative event concepts.
• Chief Financial Officer (CFO): The CFO plays a critical role in maintaining the financial health and sustainability of the resort. They manage all financial activities, including budgeting, financial planning, analysis, cash flow management, and financial reporting. They work closely with other departments to establish budgets and financial targets and meet these goals. Managing the increasing Customer Acquisition Cost is a shared responsibility between the CFO and the Commercial Director.
• Facilities and Real Estate Asset Manager: This role is responsible for not only the maintenance and safety of all physical assets at the resort but also the effective management of the property as a valuable real estate asset. This involves balancing the property's long-term strategic planning and value growth with short-term operational needs and maintenance. They ensure the facilities are up to code and meet safety regulations. They also manage regular maintenance, repairs, and upgrades and can be involved in innovation when implementing new technologies or systems to improve facility management.
• Human Resources Manager: The HR Manager manages all staffing matters. They handle recruitment, training, conflict resolution, benefits administration, and compliance with labor laws. They play an important role in shaping the resort's culture and ensuring staff satisfaction, which impacts guest satisfaction.

The critical processes

1. Attracting Guests: This process encompasses understanding and analyzing target groups to develop effective marketing and sales strategies. It involves creating compelling promotions and packages, managing distribution channels, and setting optimal prices to maximize revenue. This process also involves maintaining a strong online presence, managing guest reviews, and leveraging partnerships with travel agencies and online booking platforms.
2. Guest Journey Management: As the heart of the hospitality business, this process revolves around the guest experience. It includes managing all touchpoints from pre-arrival to post-departure to ensure guests a seamless and memorable stay. This also involves establishing and adhering to standard operational procedures to deliver high-quality service consistently.
3. Staff Recruitment and Training: This process involves hiring people to contribute to and enhance the resort's culture and service standards. It also involves investing in staff development through continuous training, recognition programs, and a supportive work environment to retain the best talent.
4. Budgeting and Financial Management: A key process for the resort's financial sustainability include preparing budgets, monitoring financial performance, making strategic investment decisions, and ensuring the resort's financial activities comply with legal and regulatory requirements.
5. Maintenance and Facility Management: This process involves regular maintenance tasks, safety checks, and facility upgrades to ensure that the resort remains in top condition and provides guests with a safe and enjoyable environment. The condition of physical facilities significantly impacts guest satisfaction and the overall perception of the resort.

Demand Calendar: Easy Management for Profit Growth