Hotel Meetings Done Right

Efficiency is the mainstay of any sustainable business and it can only be achieved through effective communication within the company. A typical hotel has various departments that must function in tandem to carry out smooth operations. It is imperative that all staff members within these departments have all the necessary information and updates, daily, regarding the hotel and its guests. Meetings are a powerful medium through which all communication is affected, be it top down or bottom up.

However boring or cumbersome they may sound, meetings are critical. But more important is the way they are conducted. Poorly run meetings with wrong attendees and non-achievement of objectives or reaching conclusions can lead to serious wastage of time and productivity. It is advisable to structure the meeting beforehand based on the components of a typical meeting.

The title of the meeting indicates the type or the purpose of the meeting. Here are the various types of meetings that are held at hotels daily, weekly or monthly.

Daily Management Meeting

Daily Management Meetings, also called ‘morning meetings’ as they are usually held at the beginning of the day, are short meetings where a round-up of the previous day is accounted for and the statistics for the present day are discussed so that all departments are geared for the upcoming business day. They are also referred to as the ‘stand-up management’ meetings and they ideally last for less than 15 minutes. Daily meetings are routine and have a whiff of monotony. To keep such meetings alive and interesting, it is advisable to start the meeting on a positive note by highlighting the wins and employee appreciation for their noteworthy work. The daily management meeting is the daily review of where the hotel stands on that day, specific details of which would be taken up in later meetings if required. It is a recurring meeting that usually takes place every day in a designated meeting room with all department heads in attendance and the GM as the presider. If the GM is not available, they delegate their role to either the Resident Manager, Executive Assistant Manager (EAM) or to any other senior member of the management team. In case a department head is not available, the next person in charge attends the meeting. This meeting is usually preceded or followed by a quick intradepartmental meeting where the function heads discuss the daily business report with their respective team members.

Daily Hotel Rounds

This is more of an everyday meeting for the GM than anyone else. The hotel General Manager meets one of their direct reports – HR, Finance, Sales, Revenue Manager, Front Office Manager, F&B Director etc. - for a one-on-one discussion once a week. The meeting is a mix of in-room and walking meetings. They are focused on strategic issues and involve big-picture discussions. The purpose of these meetings is to understand the successes and failures of the department, the challenges, high potential employees, and the financial review of the department. The department head engages with the GM on what their and the department expectations from the management to be more effective in their performance. The GM also expresses their concern and feedback on the overall performance of the department. The GM often mentors and guides their direct reports to enable them to perform better. These interactions are crucial as they enhance the working relationship between the GM