Boutique hotel general managers have been honing their craft during the pandemic to better connect with staff, communities and guests.
Speaking during the 2021 online Boutique Lifestyle Leadership Conference by BLLA, Sergio Maclean, principal owner of hospitality management and consulting firm Mac&Lo LLC, described the general manager role at the properties his company manages as a "details manager" and "innkeeper."
Mac&Lo develops and manages properties including the boutique Shinola Hotel in Detroit. Maclean said his company curates a specific experience for each of its hotels to benefit the cities and ownership groups involved.
"The role of our [general managers] is very much a reflection of the role of our culture of our company and very much in line for the current trend of the general manager," he said.
Maclean said his general managers take an "old world" approach of being an innkeeper, taking care of everyone and every detail. The end goal is to sell an experience, not just a bed, he said.
Historically general managers were a bridge between the management company and the operations teams, he said. However, his company doesn't take that approach.
"To us, that's not it. It's more of an extension of the management company, the culture, the brand, the third arm that goes into the property and really moves everything from within," he said, adding the general manager must be involved from the "front line and not just managing from a desk."
Hemal Jain, general manager at the 65-room Alila Villas Uluwatu in Bali, said no two days in this business are the same, which has come to light even more this past year and a half.
To combat this challenge, he's focused on keeping all stakeholders together, staying positive and reacting to situations in real time.
"You continuously have to deal with negative emotions on the floor," he said. "It's all about how you're handling the emotions."
"Today's general managers all need to be innkeepers," he said. They must "roll up their sleeves and operate."
Internal Culture Building
To inspire and build trust within on-property teams, Maclean said it's all about showcasing empathy and unity.
"By empathy, I don't mean sympathy. It's understanding what your team is going through, what they're facing," he said. "Same for the customer."
He also suggests training the team to an extent that they don't have to think about systems, because a guest should never see the technical aspects of hospitality.
Nick Knight, general manager of the Siren Hotel in Detroit and ASH NYC, said taking care of staff first will lead to those employees taking better care of guests.
The pandemic has also shown that some barriers to good communication must be removed.
To accomplish this, The Siren Hotel reduced the amount of online communication and replaced it with face-to-face conversations, such as through daily stand-up meetings that include all teams at once.
"We've had good success with that," he said.
His team also prioritizes face-to-face communication with guests. Hoteliers have become so reliant on the different customer relationship management systems, but there's nothing like the old-school approach of setting up shop in the lobby and talking to guests as they come in, he said.
Advice for the Industry
Maclean said boutique hoteliers must not lose sight that their properties are a gateway to the communities they are in.
That starts with the general manager creating a sense of place and teamwork, he added.
Knight emphasized the importance of each general manager being mindful of their own well-being and temperament.
"We're all by nature just so focused on our team and our guests, but all of that stems from that general manager, make sure you're taking care of yourself.
"It's been a big thing for me the last six months to really be more mindful in myself and it's had tenfold results on the team," he said.
Jain said being a hotelier is a lifestyle, not just a job.
"We need to start focusing more on relationships, building relationships with our team members and guests," he said, adding that Michael Londregan, senior vice president, global operations, of travel adviser company Virtuoso, once told Jain that "When you sell a commodity, you always sell it at a price. But when you sell an experience, you always sell it on the basis of relationships."