Automatic

It’s a scenario business travellers know all too well. You arrive at your hotel after a long flight, luggage in hand, mind on tomorrow’s meetings. The hotel lobby looks welcoming, until the front desk asks for a credit card. Again. You explain it’s a corporate booking. You mention the virtual card. The staff dig through faxes or refresh emails. Minutes pass. Frustration rises. Your trip is supposed to be starting, but it already feels off. And it’s not just anecdotal. Recent research from Conferma, surveying business travellers across the UK, US, and ANZ, shows that hotels are still tripping over the very first hurdle.

Creating a financially engaged leadership team in your hotel is no different from creating a strong guest service culture or a team that has colleague and leader engagement as their mission. What you attend to grows, it’s that simple. What’s different with the finances is you and your focus. The picture you want to create needs to be clear, and you need to have a plan to follow and resources to employ to create financial leadership. It’s no different from guest service or colleague engagement. We would not expect these two disciplines to grow and prosper in our hotel on their own. No, we recognize that these require constant attention and nurturing. The financial leadership in your hotel is exactly the same.