What is hospitality leadership?
Hospitality leadership is a management approach used by hospitality industry professionals to guide their teams and enhance guest experiences.
What does a hospitality team leader do? Leadership roles in hospitality are similar to leadership roles in other industries, in that the focus is on training, guiding and managing a team. But one difference is how hands-on hospitality leadership can be – hotel managers tend to have more customer interactions than leaders in other industries, particularly at small-to-medium properties.
In this guide we’ll comprehensively discuss hospitality leadership to understand what roles are involved and how to do them better.
Why is hospitality leadership important?
The importance of leadership in hospitality cannot be understated. It motivates workers, fosters exceptional service and drives business success. Demonstrating leadership skills in hospitality is about leading from the front, through both actions and words.
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The 5 essential hospitality leadership skills
What are the characteristics and qualities of a good leader in hospitality? You need to be adept at resolving conflicts, managing guest interactions and motivating teams. In terms of skills, the 5 essentials of hospitality leadership are:
- Strategic thinking: The ability to plan and make decisions that align with long-term business goals.
- Effective communication: The ability to clearly convey information to team members and guests.
- Creativity and adaptability: The ability to develop innovative solutions and adjust to changing circumstances.
- Emotional intelligence: The capacity to understand and manage your emotions while empathising with others.
- Trust-building: Establishing reliability and credibility with staff and guests to inspire confidence and loyalty.
How to become an effective leader in hospitality
How do you become an effective leader in hospitality? Experience is key, but training can help you to develop faster. Popular hospitality leadership certifications, programs and courses include:
Hospitality leadership course
This training focuses on building specific skill sets or gaining specific knowledge within hospitality leadership, like customer service management, strategic decision-making or running a team. Courses tend to be short-term (from hours to weeks) and participants don’t gain an official certification. Examples include:
- A workshop on “Conflict Resolution in Hospitality Teams.”
- A webinar on “Effective Leadership Communication.”
MBA in hospitality leadership
This comprehensive, graduate-level program combines business management principles with specialised training in hospitality leadership, and is designed to prepare workers for senior roles.
Hospitality leadership program
Hospitality leadership programs, such as diploma programs, are a step down from an MBA, but still cover multiple aspects of hospitality leadership, including operations, finance, marketing, and human resources. Programs usually feature curriculums that take months to complete, but provide in-depth training on hospitality leadership.
Hospitality leadership certification
A certificate in hospitality leadership is a more formal qualification that can prove very valuable for anyone looking to build a successful career in hospitality. The focus is on validating your knowledge and expertise, and ensuring it aligns with industry standards. Completed over months, it’s something that you can take with you wherever you go in the industry. Examples include:
- Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS) by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI).
- Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA).
Exploring leadership styles in hospitality
What type of leader do you want to be? There are three main leadership styles to choose from – transformational, service/servant and innovative – although the very best hospitality leaders will be able to seamlessly transition between each depending on the situation.
Transformational leadership in hospitality
This style is based on inspiring and motivating your team. You set out your vision, then encourage team members to work toward it, both individually and collaboratively. This strategy is particularly effective in driving cultural change and achieving ambitious goals. It can also increase employee engagement and improve guest experiences along the way.
Service or servant leadership in hospitality
What is service leadership in hospitality? It’s where you lead by example and prioritise employee and guest needs over your own. This leadership style fosters trust, encourages collaboration, and builds a supportive work environment. It is best applied in boutique hotels or high-end restaurants where service is everything. When done well it can not only lead to service excellence, but higher levels of team satisfaction and loyalty too.
Innovative leadership in hospitality
Innovative leaders are always looking for fresh ideas and solutions, to create unique, unforgettable, stand-out experiences for guests. This leadership style helps a hospitality business to stay competitive in the market while adapting to trends and implementing difference-making technology.
Global hospitality leadership strategies
Next question: what strategies can a hospitality leader employ to get the most out of themselves and their teams?
Balancing hands-on management with leadership responsibilities
Hospitality leaders need to know when to take responsibility for a task, and when to delegate. Wherever possible you should empower your team to take responsibility, but in some situations – when time is a factor, when a guest is particularly upset – it can be important to step in.
Building a cohesive and motivated team
To build a cohesive, motivated team, you need to establish a culture where goals are clear, where workers feel trusted to achieve those goals, where they feel heard, respected and rewarded, and where interpersonal relationships are developed (like through team-building activities).
Developing leadership skills across all team levels
Tomorrow’s leaders are built today. When you nurture leadership qualities in front-line and mid-level staff, you’re more likely to entrust them with key responsibilities, clearing your plate so you can further help them, which creates a virtuous cycle. Deliver regular training, and set up mentorship or coaching programs for the most promising emerging leaders within the team.
Using technology to support leadership and streamline operations
Better tools help you to become a better leader. Digital tools for staff scheduling, internal communication, team performance and guest management can streamline systems and processes while revealing areas of improvement for both you and your team.
As a leader you know the importance of technology in modern hotels. But gaining maximum value from smart tools is only possible when they’re set up and used correctly – and it can be tricky for leaders to find the time for proper implementation and training.
And in SiteMinder, you have a tool that can seriously enhance the performance of leaders, their teams and the business at large.