 Stephanie Ricca |
What a difference a year makes. Or two, or three or four. HOTEL & MOTEL MANAGEMENT did its first general managers' survey in 2005, and in this issue we bring you the fourth installment of our annual survey that polls the GMs in our readership on everything from their salaries to what keeps them up at night.
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Nearly 400 of you responded to the poll from our partners at Intellectual Capital Consulting this year. Some questions we ask every year, and others are new additions to reflect the current state of the lodging industry.
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This year, we reorganized the questions into two main categories: Up Close and Personal and Your Property.
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Before you flip right to page 36 for the answers to the salary question, let me point out some newsworthy items to note in this year's survey, along with trends we've noted over the past four years:
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL
GM Survey Results
Your outlook is dim ... on par with everyone else's: The overwhelming majority of you (71 percent) said the environment in the lodging industry is worse than it was a year ago, and that 2009 isn't looking much better. Last year at this time, most of you said you thought the 2007 environment was "better than it was a year ago" and you predicted 2008 would be about the same. In fact, most of you have had that attitude for the last four years, so this year truly is a turning point that shows us where we are in the business cycle.
You are optimistic about occupancy: Looking ahead to 2009, more than half of you forecast your property's occupancy will remain flat (about 32 percent of you say this) or increase a small amount (about 35 percent of you say this). According to both Smith Travel Research and PKF Hospitality Research's latest forecasts, those organizations predict occupancy to drop anywhere from 1 to 3 percentage points in 2009 [See story on page 4]. Let's hope your properties keep both occupancy and rate stable.
The gender divide isn't equalizing: On average, three-fourths of you are male. That's been pretty consistent since we started the survey in 2005. Does this 3:1 male/female ratio among GMs reflect the industry as a whole? At least it seems to reflect our survey year over year.
Age-wise, you're skewing a little younger: It's interesting to note that even though the gender gap still is present, you seem to be achieving the GM title at a slightly younger age than in past years. For the first two years of our survey, the slight majority of you fell into the 46-54 age range. Last year, that slight majority advantage went to the 35- to 45-year-olds. This year it's an even split, so I can't call this a trend, but I'll keep an eye out for the answer to this question next year.
The times are changing, but your average salary isn't: In 2005, most of you reported you made an annual salary of $50,000-$74,999. In 2006 most of you were in the $30,000-$49,000 range. Last year and this year, most of you are back in the $50,000-$74,999 range. The news isn't that most of you remain in that range, though. The news is that the salary bracket above that, $75,000-$89,999, is steadily growing: Last year only 10 percent of you fit into that category and this year nearly 15 percent of you are there.
Midscale without food and beverage leads the pack: Experts like to point out segments that grow and others that shrink, but the segment most solidly represented in our survey year after year is midscale without food and beverage. Interesting to note: Back in 2005, 4 percent of you reported your primary property was luxury. In 2006, nearly 5 percent of you reported yourselves in that category, but last year the luxury number dropped to only 2.7 percent of you. This year about 3.2 percent of you say your hotel is in the luxury segment, so you're gaining ground, but you're still the minority, most likely because your segment counts fewer properties.
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Interest in sustainability is growing: We've been asking the green question for three years. In 2006, spending on green/LEED-certified products was amongst your lowest-spending categories. Last year you still reported spending the same small percentage of your budget (0.2 percent) in that category, but the majority of you (about 54 percent) said sustainability was "somewhat important" to your average guest.
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This year, the majority of you (about 91 percent) classified sustainability as ranking from neutral to "very important" to your guests. Cross-reference that with the fact that most of you manage midscale properties, and the trends show interest in green isn't reserved only for the luxury guest.
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To close, I point out that year after year, you rank "retaining talented employees" as the item that has the most impact on your hotel's financial results. The labor issue isn't going away, nor is it minimizing in importance. Clearly, while you as a GM and the financial success of your property contribute to your job health, it's the people in your business who make the wheels turn.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's survey.
YOUR PROPERTY
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