Hotel Manager Cover Letter Example and Template

A hotel manager oversees the day-to-day operations of a lodging establishment. It's a job that requires the use of particular skills and emphasizes management experience, both of which you can highlight in your application documents. To craft a well-written application, it's important to review the job description of the position you want and study resume samples for guidance. In this article, we discuss what a hotel manager does, look at some qualifications you might mention in your cover letter for a hotel manager position and provide an example of an effective cover letter. When your application documents are ready, you can upload a resume file or build an Indeed Resume to apply for hotel manager jobs. Joanna O'Brien 412-555-0155 I joanna.o.brien@email.com I Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania May 3, 2023 Dear Hiring Manager, Having established myself as an Assistant Front Office Manager at Pittsburgh's Grand Hotel and then as the Assistant Director of Revenue at Franklin Resort, I am thrilled to take this opportunity to apply for the Hotel Manager position at Golden Hills Inn. Not only am I an AHLEI Certified Hospitality Supervisor with a Bachelor of Arts in hotel management, but I also have proven experience in hospitality management roles and am proficient in leadership and problem-solving. I hope to apply these qualifications to the service of your establishment. As a student of hotel management, I excelled in the coursework that would guide me in the development of my leadership qualities and problem-solving capabilities. The practicum portion, in particular, allowed me to put into practice the concepts I learned in the classroom. I had the privilege of shadowing a senior leader of a well-known hotel chain and gained my first experience as a high-level decision-maker. This leader introduced me to the various challenges that a supervisor faces on the job and coached me on the potential paths of resolution and their outcomes. The education I received would prove useful in my career. As the current Assistant Director of Revenue at Franklin Resort, I am responsible for maintaining the establishment's brand while optimizing profitability. The primary challenge is determining profitable rates while appealing to guests from a broad range of socioeconomic strata. Through local marketing efforts, I devised a strategy to present the resort as a low-stakes vacation opportunity to members of the community. This effectively led to increased short-term bookings without affecting our market share of out-of-town long-term vacationers. The result has been a 25% increase in revenue during my term. With the success I have had at Franklin Resort, I feel that I am ready to seek opportunities for advancement elsewhere. My education and experience have prepared me to take on any challenges, including in my career trajectory. Thank you for taking the time to consider my qualifications. In my education and my career, I have succeeded in demonstrating my attributes as a learner, leader and problem solver. I am proud to have contributed to the success of Franklin Resort, and I very much look forward to discussing how I can realize similar outcomes for Golden Hills Inn as its Hotel Manager. Please feel free to reach out to me via the phone number or email address I have provided above. I am available from noon to 2 p.m., Monday to Friday. Sincerely, Joanna O'Brien To upload the template into Google Docs, go to File > Open > and select the correct downloaded file.

What does a hotel manager do?

A hotel manager is a type of general manager who oversees the operations of a hotel, a relatively large lodging establishment that typically offers a variety of amenities besides a room, such as options for dining, fitness and recreation. Hotel operations vary in scope and size. Very large hotels typically involve numerous departments, all of which the hotel manager supervises and coordinates. The specific duties of a hotel manager include:

Coordinating the goals and activities of the hotel's different departments
Establishing and enforcing the hotel's standards concerning appearance and services
Setting the hotel's budget and allocating financial and other resources to departments
Determining the rates of rooms and the prices of the hotel's services and products
Interacting with hotel guests and addressing their concerns
Overseeing the recruitment and training of staff members and monitoring their performance
Establishing and maintaining business relationships with vendors and suppliers associated with the hotel

Qualifications to mention in a hotel manager cover letter

To improve your candidacy for a hotel management position, it's important to demonstrate that you possess the qualities necessary to succeed in the role. With that in mind, here are some of the skills, credentials and other qualifications you might consider mentioning in your cover letter:

Experience

Employers of hotel managers typically require that candidates have experience in the hospitality industry or a similar field, such as service, sales or property management. Expertise in the field of maintenance may also be relevant, as would any other managerial or supervisory profession. The specific amount of experience varies depending on the establishment, but two years is a commonly stated minimum. Generally speaking, the more experience you have, the stronger your candidacy for a hotel management position. Related: How To Get a Hospitality Job Without Any Experience

Skills

If you have limited or no relevant experience, you can still prove yourself to be a serious contender for a hotel management position by highlighting relevant skills in your cover letter. The core competencies for hotel managers include:

Business savvy: Profitability is one of the principal goals of a hotel manager. Having a keen understanding of how the hospitality business works and being able to make effective business decisions directly influence the money-making potential of a lodging establishment.
Communication: The ability to communicate clearly and effectively is a core skill for managers in general, as they're responsible for conveying the instructions necessary to carry out tasks and providing the information required for others to fulfill their duties.
Computer proficiency: As with many professions today, proficiency with computers is an essential skill for hotel managers. Email, word processing, spreadsheets reservation systems and payroll systems are among the common forms of computer-based tools used on the job.
Customer service: With strong customer service skills, a hotel manager can help leave guests with a good impression of the establishment. This can help to improve the reputation of the hotel and earn the loyalty of guests.
Interpersonal skills: Hotel managers frequently interact with staff, guests, vendors, suppliers and other stakeholders. Positive interpersonal skills can help to establish and maintain good relationships through those interactions.
Language: Many employers seek hotel managers who can speak multiple languages, which facilitates communication with guests and employees for whom English is not their native language.
Leadership: A leader is someone who earns the trust of others and inspires them to work toward a common goal. The manager of a hotel is the de facto leader of the establishment, the one who sets the standards and motivates the staff to follow them toward successful outcomes.
Marketing: Basic marketing skills can be useful for notifying the public not only of the existence of a lodging establishment but also of the amenities and services that differentiate it from others.
Organization: Hotel managers are responsible for keeping track of the activities of numerous people across multiple departments. Organizational skills are essential for handling such complex coordination.
Problem-solving: A hotel manager can expect to encounter various challenges on the job, including guest complaints, staffing issues and interpersonal conflicts among the personnel. Well-developed problem-solving skills allow the hotel manager to handle these challenges in such a way as to produce the best possible outcomes.

Education

Though a college education isn't a common requirement for hotel management, there are numerous degree options for those aspiring to enter the profession. At the bachelor's and master's levels, many schools offer degrees in hospitality or hotel management, which involves coursework in areas such as marketing, sales, accounting, housekeeping and software systems. Community colleges also offer associate degrees in these disciplines, while trade schools commonly have courses relevant to lodging management. If you have any such education, mentioning your degree in your cover letter can boost your chances of landing the job even if you lack experience. Related: FAQ: What Is a Master's in Hospitality Management Degree?

Certification

Certification is also optional for aspiring hotel managers, but it can significantly raise a candidate's ranking in the eyes of the hiring manager by validating their knowledge, skills and experience. Certifications are available to high school students, college students and current professionals. For example, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) offers Hospitality and Tourism Management, a professional certifying program that prepares high schoolers for a career in hospitality. The AHLEI also has certifications at the supervisor, manager, department head and executive levels, any of which would be helpful inclusions in your cover letter. Related: What Are Hospitality Certifications? A Definitive Guide