Hospitality manager vs general manager

The differences between hospitality managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a hospitality manager and a general manager. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $51,444 average annual salary of a hospitality manager.

The top three skills for a hospitality manager include food handling, customer service and PET. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

Hospitality manager vs general manager overview

	Hospitality Manager	General Manager
Yearly salary	$51,444	$71,581
Hourly rate	$24.73	$34.41
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	354,877	442,690
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

What does a hospitality manager do?

A hospitality manager is responsible for monitoring staff performance and operational processes to deliver high-quality services for the guests and customers. Hospitality managers delegate tasks to the team while ensuring maximum efficiency and productivity. They also handle guests' concerns by responding to their inquiries and requests and resolving complaints immediately. A hospitality manager must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in managing the department's budget and allocating adequate resources to support the operations and other functional needs.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

Hospitality manager vs general manager salary

Hospitality managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Hospitality Manager	General Manager
Average salary	$51,444	$71,581
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $72,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	Hawaii
Best paying company	Silver Diner	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Health Care	Manufacturing

Differences between hospitality manager and general manager education

There are a few differences between a hospitality manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:

	Hospitality Manager	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Hospitality manager vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between hospitality managers' and general managers' demographics:

	Hospitality Manager	General Manager
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	10%	10%

Differences between hospitality manager and general manager duties and responsibilities

Hospitality manager example responsibilities.

Execute and successfully manage large scale events with management team and FOH staff.
Manage FECA and worker's compensation, maintain OSHA logs and injury reporting minimizing absence time and costs.
Manage POS system by removing old menu items, setting monthly special prices, updating/correcting and rerouting links for maximum efficiency.
Provide leadership and direction to facility management and program owners while motivating and interacting with employees to achieve continuous improvement.
Maintain bars and restaurants, a gift shop and a ski shop.
Assist in region roll outs for training new culinary and service standards.

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General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

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Hospitality manager vs general manager skills

Common hospitality manager skills

Food Handling, 13%
Customer Service, 11%
PET, 10%
Patients, 7%
BARS, 6%
Quality Patient Care, 6%

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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