keenresume
  1. Home
  2. Resume examples
  3. Hospitality & retail
  4. Hotel general manager

Hotel general manager resume example

A hotel general manager’s resume with twenty years in hotels and six as GM. Owners, management companies and brands hire GMs to grow market share and profit while keeping guests and staff happy, so the bullets lead with RevPAR index, profit and guest scores.

Hotel general manager resume example, page 1 of 2MALCOLM ESTERHUIZENHotel General Managermalcolm.esterhuizen@example.com · (305) 555-0152 · Miami, FL · linkedin.com/in/malcolmesterhuizenSUMMARYHotel general manager with twenty years in full-service and resort hotels, the last six running a 312-room upscale hotel with$42 million in revenue. I lead the market on RevPAR, run a profitable house for owners, and build teams that guests mentionby name. Certified Hotel Administrator.EXPERIENCEGeneral ManagerJan 2021 – PresentThe Coral Larkspur HotelMiami, FL•Lead a 312-room upscale hotel with 18,000 sq ft of meeting space, 2 restaurants and 260 employees; 8 department headsreport to me.•Raised the RevPAR index against the competitive set from 98 to 112 and revenue from $29 million to $42 million.•Grew gross operating profit margin from 31% to 38% through revenue strategy, labor planning and procurement.•Delivered an $18 million renovation of all rooms and the lobby on time and 3% under budget, keeping 70% of rooms openthroughout.•Moved guest satisfaction into the top 10% of the brand’s 140 hotels and cut team turnover from 64% to 39%.Hotel ManagerMar 2016 – Dec 2020Biscayne Grand ResortMiami Beach, FL•Second in command of a 480-room resort; led rooms, food and beverage and spa with $70 million in revenue.•Raised group revenue 22% by rebuilding the sales team with the director of sales.•Led the resort through the 2020 closure and reopening, bringing back 300 employees in phases.Director of Rooms, Front Office Manager and earlier rolesJun 2006 – Feb 2016Brickell Harbor HotelMiami, FL•Rose from front desk supervisor to director of rooms in a 350-room hotel; raised the hotel’s guest score from the 40th to the85th percentile.EDUCATIONB.S. in Hospitality Management2002 – 2006Florida International UniversityMiami, FLCERTIFICATIONSCertified Hotel Administrator (CHA)2018American Hotel and Lodging Educational InstituteMalcolm Esterhuizen · 1 / 2
Hotel general manager resume example, page 2 of 2SKILLSHotel P&L · Revenue management · Owner and asset manager relations · Brand standards · Renovations and PIPs ·Sales and group business · Food and beverage · Labor planning · Guest experience · Team development ·OPERA Cloud and IDeaSLANGUAGESEnglish Native · Spanish Fluent · Afrikaans NativeMalcolm Esterhuizen · 2 / 2
Hotel general managerUse this example

What recruiters look for

  • The hotel: rooms, type (select-service, full-service, resort, luxury), revenue, staff and outlets.
  • Market share: RevPAR index (or RGI) against the competitive set from STR data.
  • Profit: gross operating profit (GOP) margin, flow-through, and cost control.
  • Guests and brand: guest satisfaction rank in the brand, quality audits, online reputation.
  • Owners and capital: renovations, PIPs, budgets, relationships with owners and asset managers.

Writing the summary

Say the type and size of hotels you have run, your years as GM, and two results: one on RevPAR index or revenue and one on profit or guests. Add your CHA if you hold it.

The summary in this example

Hotel general manager with twenty years in full-service and resort hotels, the last six running a 312-room upscale hotel with $42 million in revenue. I lead the market on RevPAR, run a profitable house for owners, and build teams that guests mention by name. Certified Hotel Administrator.

Select-service or extended-stay GM

General manager with ten years in select-service hotels, running a 140-room property with 30 employees. I keep RevPAR index above 115, GOP margin above 45%, and have earned the brand’s top quality award three times.

Hotel manager or director of operations ready for a first GM role

Hotel manager with fourteen years in full-service hotels, now second in command of a 400-room convention hotel with $55 million in revenue. I lead rooms and food and beverage, and want my first general manager role.

Bullet points that work

Strong lines for this role, beyond the ones in the example. Borrow the shape and put in your own numbers.

  • Increased flow-through to 65% on incremental revenue by holding labor to a productivity model.
  • Repositioned a tired 200-room hotel after a $9 million renovation, raising ADR by $46 within a year.
  • Won 3 brand awards for guest satisfaction and quality in 4 years.
  • Cut energy costs by 18% with a building management system and LED retrofit, saving $380,000 a year.
  • Grew food and beverage revenue by 30% by turning the lobby bar into a local destination.
  • Led the hotel’s conversion to a new brand, completing a $6 million PIP and new systems in 5 months.
  • Built relationships with 3 ownership groups and presented annual budgets to their asset managers.
  • Developed 5 department heads who became general managers.
  • Raised group and catering revenue by $4 million a year by adding 2 sales managers for the corporate market.

Skills to list

Hard skills

  • Hotel P&L and budgeting
  • Revenue management (STR reports, RevPAR, ADR, RGI)
  • Sales and group business
  • Rooms and food and beverage operations
  • Brand standards and quality audits
  • Capital projects, renovations and PIPs
  • Labor planning and productivity
  • Hotel systems (OPERA, revenue management systems)

Soft skills

  • Visible leadership with guests and staff
  • Owner and asset manager relations
  • Developing department heads
  • Calm in a crisis

Certifications and licenses worth listing

  • AHLEI Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA): the best-known credential for hotel GMs.
  • HSMAI Certified Revenue Management Executive (CRME) or AHLEI Certified Rooms Division Executive (CRDE): useful for people moving up from revenue or rooms.
  • Brand leadership programs: worth a short line if you completed one.

Length and format

Two pages are normal for a general manager. Put your current hotel’s profile and three results (RevPAR index, profit, guest scores) at the top of page one. Earlier roles can be grouped to show your path through the departments.

Common mistakes

  • Leaving out RevPAR index. Revenue growth alone could just be the market.
  • No profit numbers. Owners hire GMs to grow GOP.
  • Naming owners or confidential budgets. Use ratios and indexes instead of private figures where needed.
  • Listing every department you managed without results from each.

Questions and answers

What metrics should a hotel GM resume include?

RevPAR index or RGI against the competitive set, total revenue, GOP margin, flow-through, guest satisfaction rank in the brand, and team turnover. Add renovation or PIP budgets you delivered.

Is the CHA worth it for a hotel general manager?

It is widely recognized and can help when you are competing for a first GM role or moving between management companies. Experience and results still decide most hires.

How do I show I am ready to be a GM?

Show you have led several departments, worked on the budget and with owners, and run the hotel in the GM’s absence. Use the second alternative summary above as a model.

Related examples

All Hospitality & retail examples

All resume examples