GM Survey results part 1: You're happy but the pressure's on

Occupancy is up, revenue per available room is up, and for the first time in several years, general managers report that average daily rate beat out occupancy as the lead driver in growing RevPAR in 2011.

I would call that good news.

Annually Hotel Management polls the more than 5,000 GMs in its readership on topics ranging from their salary and education, to how they’re spending their budgets, to how their hotel is performing. Year over year, it’s a unique look at the hotel industry’s medical chart from the perspective of the man in charge (and yes, I said “man” because male GMs still outnumber female GMs nearly three to one).

But above all, this survey is about what makes the GM tick. Consider a few trends from this year's survey:

YOU’RE HAPPY …
If there’s one common thread running through all seven of our Voice of the GM surveys, it’s your job satisfaction. Consistently, the majority of you say you are “very satisfied” with your job, and that was the case during the tough years of 2008 and 2009. Another consistent answer? You’re happy largely because of the people you work with. It’s those personal satisfactions—working with good people, drawing a good salary and being challenged every day on the job—that beat out even your enjoyment of interacting with guests (even though that makes you pretty happy too, for the most part).

… BUT THE PRESSURE’S ON
Nearly 75 percent of those responding to this year’s survey manage properties that are part of a franchised chain, and those of you at franchised properties report being mostly happy to neutral about your franchise agreement.

One thing’s for sure—the vast majority of you say you’re feeling more pressure to adhere to brand standards. Nearly 70 percent of you have made brand-mandated changes within the last year, and that’s up more than 10 percent over last year.

And you certainly don’t have unlimited funds at your disposal to make these changes. The good news is that most of you saw your operating and purchasing budgets go up in 2011 compared to 2010, but most of you still are working with purchasing budgets of $250,000 per year or less—another consistent number over the past few years.

Stay tuned: On Monday we'll share results from the 2011 survey on GM's spending habits. And while you're reading, don't forget to nominate the outstanding GM in your life for Hotel Management's first "GMs to Watch" special report, coming in February.