11 years
so many things! If I would not be my own boss I would ask for more money :p
Thanks for the infos. Its a good description and a kind of checklist for new employees.
Job Description of a Hostel Manager
General Hostel Operations
In another thread irish_guy asked a question about what is involved in managing a hostel. This is a great question, especially because every hostel operates differently and may have vastly different requirements with the same job title.
Depending on the size of the hostel, the manager may be responsible for all of the following areas or for just a select few. We can pick and choose those items that apply to our individual businesses.
Staff Training and Management
- Train the staff
- Create specific task lists for each position
- Ensure team morale and motivation
- Request feedback and ideas from each team member
- Conduct performance evaluations
Sales and Marketing
- Designing flyers, website, posters, etc.
- Creating and advertising promotions
- Seeking out and contacting groups about accommodation
- Liaising with tour operators
Human Resources
- Staff selection
- Salary negotiations
- Issue work contracts
- Maintain files on all team members
- Facilitate conflict resolution between staff members
- Implement bonus plans for performance of staff and management
- Keep up to date on employment laws
Reception and Customer Service
- Conduct check-in and checkout procedures
- Interact with guests
- Provide local and regional information
- Respond to emails
- Assist with transportation requests
- Record and respond to guest concerns
- Maintain accurate reservation information
- Update bed allocation for online booking sites
Public Relations and Industry Relations
- Maintain customer contact lists
- Write and distribute newsletters
- Regularly update social media sites
- Submit press releases to local media
- Participate in local business associations
- Organize local community outreach and volunteer activities for staff and guests
- Participate in hostel industry events, conferences, and Hostel Management Unconferences
- Develop relationships with hostels in feeder cities
- Maintain a flyer exchange with similar properties
Housekeeping
- Ensure quality standards for cleanliness
- Conduct spot evaluations
- Make beds, clean and organize bathrooms, dormitories, and common areas
- Wash laundry and dishes
- Ensure that regulations for safety and sanitation are being met
- Organize and implement a rotating schedule for deep cleaning each area of the hostel
- Submit a list of maintenance issues that are found while cleaning
Maintenance
- Maintain the hostel facilities in proper working order
- Respond to guest and staff feedback regarding broken or malfunctioning items
- Arrange and implement a preventative maintenance schedule
- Conduct routine site inspections to identify and resolve problems with the facilities
Purchasing and Inventory Control
- Maintain a business relationship with vendors and suppliers
- Monitor inventory levels and place orders for products and supplies
- Research suppliers for the best prices, deals, and availability of products
Accounting and Budgeting
- Establish and follow an operational budget
- Maintain accurate records of expenses and revenue
- Pay bills and collect debts in a manner that maintains a positive cash flow
- Create monthly Profit and Loss reports
- Organize and distribute payroll checks
Entertainment, Atmosphere, Activities
- Create and follow a plan to maintain the desired atmosphere in the hostel
- Organize and execute activities and special events
- Record duties, expenses, challenges, successes and areas for improvement for each event for replication
- Engage guests directly
Quality Control
- Outline standards of quality and devise a method to measure and evaluate each one
- Conduct regular audits to ensure quality
Business Development and Strategy
- Follow trends in the hostel industry
- Ensure that the hostel identifies and meets the changing needs of guests
- Create and implement a written plan for growth and expansion to capture a) more market share, and b) new markets
This is a good start, but surely there are many important roles and responsibilities that are missing. Please contribute your suggestions to make this an exhaustive list!
- Comments
11 years
I saw this in Courtney Lochel’s blog about Task Lists and Time Management and thought it needed to be added here under the Job Description of a Hostel Manager.
If one of my biggest frustrations was not getting enough done, it certainly followed that one of the biggest reasons was all the 'unexpected' that came up daily.
…I don't think I gave the unexpected happenings of the day enough credit. They aren't part of managing a hostel, they ARE managing a hostel. Operations systems are in place to keep the smooth, daily flow of things. Staff are there to help and guide these systems to their maximum benefit.
…A manager is not there to oversee everything happening correctly, but rather to manage the unexpected.
…
If a hostel has been set up well, the day to day is going to run well. It's when the unexpected, the situations that were never a part of the daily systems, suddenly appear that a manager really needs to shine.
We'll need to add the heading "Crisis Management" to the list above
9 years
Good list! So many people who don't run a hostel seem to think our job is a piece of cake, but in my opinion it's one of the hardest jobs there is - I've acted as GM in a 4* hotel at times (holiday cover) and I was so surprised and frustrated by the one-dimensionality of the front-desk staff. A guest came down and complained that a lightbulb had blown in their room and they were told that it would have to wait until morning when the maintenance guy came in... I went up and changed it straight away for the guest and the front desk staff were shocked, but I just laughed - small example but highlights the difference in mindset I think!
I'd also add a section on IT, as in:
- Maintain websites
- Administrate public and private networks (as in free WiFi, oh how I hate complaints about the wifi).
- Maintain PC
I don't know how many hostels do this themselves, I just know that we (I) do this.
Also, possibly under the "Crisis Management" section(definitely a good section to add):
- Deal with problem guests
Also, dealing with licensing issues can be important depending on location - in Perth we have regular inspections by the council to ensure we are meeting their guidelines with regards to health and safety and licensing rules and when we recently increased the number of guests we can accommodate we had to ensure that we met their requirements for washing, cooking, etc etc.
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