Lodging managers ensure that guests on vacation or business travel have a pleasant experience at a hotel, motel, or other types of establishments with accommodations. Lodging managers also ensure that the establishment is run efficiently and profitably.
Lodging managers typically do the following:
A comfortable room, good food, and a helpful staff can make being away from home an enjoyable experience for guests on vacation or business travel. Lodging managers occasionally greet and register guests. They also try to make sure that guests have a good experience.
Lodging establishments vary in size, from independently owned bed and breakfasts to motels with just a few rooms or to hotels that can have thousands of guest rooms. Larger hotels with more amenities lead to a greater range of duties for lodging managers, such as granting access to a swimming pool, operating a casino, or hosting conventions.
Many lodging managers use online social media for marketing purposes.
The following are examples of types of lodging managers:
General managers oversee all lodging operations at a property. At large hotels with several departments and multiple layers of management, the general manager and several assistant managers coordinate the activities of separate departments. These departments may include housekeeping, human resources, room operations, marketing and sales, purchasing, security, maintenance, recreational facilities, and other activities. For more information, see the profiles on human resources managers; public relations and fundraising managers; financial managers; advertising, promotions, and marketing managers; and food service managers.
Revenue managers work in financial management, monitoring room sales and reservations, overseeing accounting and cash-flow matters at the hotel, projecting occupancy levels, and deciding which rooms to discount and when to offer special rates.
Front-office managers coordinate reservations and room assignments and train and direct the hotel’s front-desk staff. They ensure that guests are treated courteously, that complaints and problems are resolved, and that requests for special services are carried out. Most front-office managers are also responsible for adjusting bills.
Convention service managers coordinate the activities of various departments, to accommodate meetings, conventions, and special events. They meet with representatives of groups to plan the number of conference rooms to be reserved, design the configuration of the meeting space, and determine what other services the groups will need, such as catering or audiovisual requirements. During a meeting or event, they resolve unexpected problems and ensure that hotel operations meet a group’s expectations.
Lodging managers held about 48,100 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of lodging managers were as follows:
| Traveler accommodation | 55% |
| Self-employed workers | 34 |
| RV (recreational vehicle) parks and recreational camps | 2 |
The pressures of coordinating a wide range of activities, turning a profit for investors, and dealing with dissatisfied guests can be stressful.
Most lodging managers work full time. Because hotels are open around the clock, working evenings, weekends, and holidays is common. Some managers must be on call 24 hours a day, particularly if they reside at the lodging establishment.
Lodging managers usually take one of three education paths: a bachelor’s degree in hospitality or hotel management, an associate’s degree or a certificate in hotel management, or a high school diploma combined with several years of experience working in a hotel.
Most full-service hotel chains hire candidates with a bachelor’s degree in hospitality or hotel management. Hotel management programs typically include instruction in hotel administration, accounting, marketing and sales, housekeeping, food service management and catering, and hotel maintenance and engineering. Systems training is also an integral part of many degree programs, because hotels use hospitality-specific software in reservations, billing, and housekeeping management. The Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration accredits about 60 hospitality management programs.
At hotels that provide fewer services, candidates with an associate’s degree or a certificate in hotel, restaurant, or hospitality management may qualify for a job as a lodging manager.
Also, many technical institutes and vocational and trade schools offer courses that are recognized by the hospitality industry that may help in getting a job. Currently, some states and the District of Columbia offer high school academic training for prospective lodging managers.
Hotel employees who do not have hospitality management training, but who show leadership potential and have several years of related work experience, may qualify for assistant manager positions.
High school students can enroll in the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program (HTMP) offered by the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI). The HTMP is a 2-year program that teaches management principles and leads to professional certification. College students and working professionals can also obtain the Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA) through AHLEI.
Large hotel chains may offer better opportunities than small, independently owned hotels for advancing from assistant manager to manager or from managing one hotel to being a regional manager. However, these opportunities usually involve relocating to another city or state.
Business skills. Lodging managers address budget matters and coordinate and supervise workers. Operating a profitable hotel is important—as is the need to motivate and direct the work of employees.
Customer-service skills. Lodging managers must have excellent customer-service skills when dealing with guests. Satisfying guests’ needs is critical to a hotel’s success and helps to ensure customer loyalty.
Interpersonal skills. Lodging managers need strong interpersonal skills because they interact regularly with many different people. They must be effective communicators and must have positive interactions with guests and hotel staff, even in stressful situations.
Leadership skills. Lodging managers must establish good working relationships to ensure a productive work environment. This objective may involve motivating personnel, resolving conflicts, and listening to complaints or criticism from guests.
Listening skills. Lodging managers should have excellent listening skills. Listening to the needs of guests allows managers to take the appropriate course of action, ensuring guests’ satisfaction. Listening to the needs of workers helps managers keep good working relationships with the staff.
Organizational skills. Lodging managers keep track of many different schedules, budgets, and people at once. This task becomes more complex as the size of the hotel increases.
Problem-solving skills. The ability to resolve personnel issues and guest-related dissatisfaction is critical to the work of lodging managers. As a result, they should be creative and practical when confronted with problems.
Median annual wages, May 2021
The median annual wage for lodging managers was $59,430 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $35,530, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $103,780.
In May 2021, the median annual wages for lodging managers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
| Traveler accommodation | $59,430 |
| RV (recreational vehicle) parks and recreational camps | 50,570 |
Most lodging managers work full time. Because hotels are open around the clock, working evenings, weekends, and holidays is common. Some managers must be on call 24 hours a day.
Percent change in employment, projected 2020-30
Employment of lodging managers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 5,800 openings for lodging managers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Much of the projected employment growth in this occupation is due to recovery from the COVID-19 recession that began in 2020 and is likely to occur early in the decade.
The return to pre-pandemic travel spending patterns will translate to strong demand for lodging managers in hotels and other lodging establishments at the start of the projections decade.
Stays in traditional lodging establishments have been declining as short-term rentals have risen and offered competition. This decline is expected to limit overall demand for lodging managers.
| Occupational Title | SOC Code | Employment, 2020 | Projected Employment, 2030 | Change, 2020-30 | Employment by Industry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | ||||||
SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program |
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Lodging managers |
11-9081 | 48,100 | 52,200 | 9 | 4,200 | Get data | |
For information about career, professional development, and training programs, visit
American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute
For information about schools and educational programs in hotel and restaurant management, including correspondence courses, visit
Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration
International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education
For information about lodging news operations, visit