As a successful manager in the hospitality industry, you must exhibit many skills and command much specialized knowledge, all directed at achieving a variety of management objectives. The manager’s role is wide and varied. Let’s now discuss three general kinds of hospitality objectives with which management must be concerned:

1. A manager wants to make the guest feel welcome. Doing this requires both a friendly manner on your part toward the guest and an atmosphere of “liberality and good will” among the people who work with you in serving the guest. That almost always translates to an organization in which workers get along well with one another.
2. A manager wants to make things work for the guest. Food has to be savory, hot or cold according to design, and on time. Beds must be made and rooms cleaned. Gaming facilities must be service oriented. A hospitality system requires a lot of work, and the manager must see that it is done.
3. A manager wants to make sure that the operation will continue to provide service while also making a profit. When we speak of “liberality and good will,” we don’t mean giving the whole place away! In a restaurant or hotel operated for profit, portion sizes are related to cost, and so menu and room prices must consider building and operating costs. Managing these aspects enables the establishment to recover the cost of its operation and to make enough additional income to pay back any money borrowed as well as to provide a return to the owner (or investor), who risked a good deal of money—and time—to make the establishment a reality. (The unique challenges associated with the operation of subsidized or noncommercial facilities will be discussed later.) The key lies in achieving a controlled profit, loss, or break-even operation. A good term to describe this management concern is “conformance to budget.”

Simply stated, these objectives suggest that managers must be able to relate successfully to employees and guests, direct the work of their operation, and achieve operating goals within a budget—that is, to run a productive operation within certain constraints.