Most hotel general managers get there through operations. They start in one department, usually front office or food and beverage, run it, then take on more of the hotel until they're deputy or hotel manager, and then general manager. There's no single qualification that gets you the job. What owners and operators hire for is proof that you've run a profitable, well-reviewed operation and led the people in it.
Hospitality sits right beside retail in a lot of our client conversations, and hotel and site leadership is one of the areas we recruit for. This is the route we see most often, and what makes the difference at each step.
What a hotel GM does
The general manager is responsible for the whole hotel: guest experience, revenue, costs, the team and the building. In a branded or managed hotel they answer to an owner or an operating company, and they're judged on the numbers as much as on the reviews.
Day to day, that means working with the heads of each department and the revenue team, and spending time where guests and staff can see them. The best GMs are visible.
The usual route
- Start in a department. Front office and food and beverage are the most common starting points, because both put you in front of guests and teach you service under pressure.
- Run a department. Becoming a front office manager or F&B manager is the first real management test: rotas, budgets, recruitment and standards.
- Move across the hotel. Deputy GM or hotel manager roles give you responsibility for several departments at once. This is where people learn the commercial side properly.
- Take on a hotel. Many first GM roles are at a smaller or limited-service property, before a move to a larger or full-service hotel.
The gap people most often need to close is commercial. A strong operator who can't talk confidently about rate strategy and the profit and loss will struggle at interview for a GM role. If your background is F&B, spend time with the revenue and rooms teams before you apply.
What owners look for
When we talk to hotel owners and operators about a GM hire, a few things come up again and again:
- A track record of improving results, not only maintaining them.
- Strong guest review scores at the hotels they've run, and an explanation of how they got there.
- Leadership that keeps good department heads, because turnover at that level is expensive and visible to guests.
- Opening or repositioning experience, for hotels that are launching or changing.
Pre-opening experience is particularly valued. Opening a hotel means building the team and its standards from nothing, and owners pay a premium for people who have done it before.
What it pays
The Office for National Statistics' 2025 earnings survey puts median full-time pay for hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors at £36,419, with a quarter earning less than £28,893 (ONS occupation tables). That group includes owners of small guest houses as well as GMs of large hotels, so treat it as a floor rather than a guide. Pay rises with the size and positioning of the hotel, and most GM packages include a bonus tied to the hotel's results.
Talk to us
We recruit general managers and pre-opening teams for hospitality and leisure groups in the UK and internationally. Read how we recruit for hospitality and leisure, see our live vacancies, or register with us and one of the directors will call you.