Hotel Managers - Stop wasting time in Meetings

Most Hoteliers will have to participate in meetings at some point in their lives in Hotels and many of us do so on a regular basis.

We attend meetings in Hotels for a wide variety of reasons, including learning about changes within our Hotel, personal development and gaining feedback about our work in the Hotel.

Some meetings can leave us feeling like we have wasted our time as little has actually been achieved?

What actually is a Hotel Meeting?

For the purposes of this post, a Hotel Meeting is the coming together of three or more people who share common aims and objectives, and who through the use of communication contribute to their objectives being achieved.

What actually is the Purpose of Hotel Meetings?

Hotel Meetings are an important tool for a Hotel Manager as they can pool and develop ideas, plan, solve-problems, make-decisions, create and develop understanding, encourage enthusiasm and initiative, provide a sense of direction or create a common purpose.

What should the components of Meetings be?

A meeting can be divided into the following three main components:

·       Content which is the knowledge, information, experience, expertise, opinions, ideas, attitudes and expectations that each individual brings to the meeting.

·       Interaction which is the way in which the participants work together to deal with the content of a meeting. This includes the feelings, attitudes and expectations of the participants which have a direct bearing on co-operation, listening, participation and trust.

·       Structure which is the way in which both the information and the participants are organised to achieve the purpose/objectives of the meeting.

Never Forget the agenda!

There are many different types of Hotel Meetings; here we focus on those used to either:

Inform These are the most straightforward meetings where one member, usually the chairperson, has factual information or a decision which affects all those present, which he/she wishes to communicate. 

Consult These are meetings used to discuss a specific policy or innovation and can be used to get participants' views of such a policy or idea. Furthermore, state its deficiencies, suggest change and invite comments.

Solve problems or make decisions These types of meetings tend to follow an established method of procedure; description of the problem, analysis of the problem, drawing out of ideas, deciding which is best and reaching conclusions.

For a Hotel Meeting to be effective the chairperson must plan, organise and control the discussion of subjects on the agenda. Maintain the group by encouraging and developing harmonious relationships. Motivate the individuals by encouraging people to contribute, rewarding their efforts and supporting them in any difficulties.

Prior to a Hotel Meeting a chairperson must always ask themselves: What is to be achieved by this meeting? Who Will Attend the Meeting? What Preparations are Needed for the Meeting?

The chairperson should always consider whether a Hotel meeting is necessary or if some other means of communication is more appropriate, for example memos or emails targeted to individuals inviting comment? 

Unnecessary Hotel Meetings can waste time, often leading to frustration and negativity and possibly lowering motivation to participate in future Hotel meetings.

Never Schedule the meeting for twice the time it requires. Never focus discussion on topics that are completely irrelevant to most people in the meeting. Always take notes on key conclusions and action items from the meeting.

Always ask yourself as a Chairperson “Is this Hotel Meeting really necessary?”

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My posts are intended for hotel workers, supervisors and managers around the world, who are (or want to become) actively engaged in learning and development.