It sounds like the ultimate dream job.
You get to work in a beautiful environment. You meet new people every day and you get to sample some of the world’s finest food and drink.
Yet more than half of British independent hoteliers are on the brink of burnout.
According to a study undertaken by Profitroom, nearly 70 per cent have considered throwing in their bathrobes due to skyrocketing stress levels, with Christmas and summer holidays the times of year when job anxiety peaks. Nearly one in seven have reached breaking point during these periods.
According to the research, out of all the hospitality roles, stress is particularly felt in the demanding general manager positions.
More than half of British independent hoteliers are on the brink of burnout
The job does have myriad challenges, from handling guest complaints to tackling staffing issues and dealing with rising interest rates and inflation – and the buck always stops with the general manager (GM).
Many GMs stated they would rather ‘get through the airport with their children’ (30 per cent) or ‘complete a tax return’ (23 per cent) than deal with issues such as hotel costs and online travel agent fees.
The research pinpointed seven top stress factors for hoteliers, with ‘adapting and implementing new technology’ cited by 50 per cent of those quizzed as their main cause of stress.
Next came ‘delivering great service’ (44 per cent), following by ‘driving revenue’ (39 per cent) and reviewing budgets and ensuring forecasts are accurate (36 per cent).
‘Sales and marketing strategies’, ‘recruitment and managing staff’ and dealing with costs and online travel agent fees were all named by 30 per cent of those polled as key stress-inducers.
According to a study , nearly 70 per cent of hoteliers have considered throwing in their bathrobes due to skyrocketing stress levels
The study researchers also asked hoteliers to name the top responsibilities they ‘don’t have time for’.
Boosting guest experiences came top (30 per cent), followed by managing new guest enquiries (27 per cent), integrating hospitality technology (25 per cent), building targeted marketing campaigns and addressing cart abandonment (24 per cent), building direct booking strategies (23 per cent), strategic and financial planning (20 per cent), and finally training and motivating staff (11 per cent).
The survey, in which 1,000 general UK hotel managers were quizzed, found that more than a third of hoteliers find the greatest satisfaction when guests book directly.
And when asked which tools would reduce stress, ‘booking system automation/self service’ came out on top (71 per cent), followed by marketing automation (67 per cent) and ‘a comprehensive channel manager to manage inventory, rates and online travel agents’ (60 per cent).
Patryk Luszcz, Profitroom regional director, said: ‘These findings are really concerning – our UK hoteliers are navigating some complex challenges and are currently feeling the heat.
‘We knew anecdotally that hoteliers were stressed but this study has unearthed just how bad the problem really is and the issues that are causing the most amount of worry and anxiety.
‘It’s a real wake-up call for those involved in the hospitality industry.’
He added: ‘I would urge hoteliers to wake up to what’s possible with a tech partner like Profitroom that guarantees an increase in direct bookings and reduces workload with low time and initial cost investment.’
