Marriott Hotel Manager Role: Professional Development and Skills

This report delves into the professional identity and practice of a Marriott Hotel Manager, focusing on the skills and competencies essential for success in the role. It provides an overview of the Marriott Hotels and Resorts organization, highlighting its global presence and reputation within the hospitality industry. The report emphasizes the importance of ongoing professional development, detailing the benefits of continuous learning and skill enhancement. It investigates the key skills and competencies expected of a Marriott branch manager, including interpersonal skills, communication, organization, and leadership. Furthermore, it evaluates current abilities and critically assesses professional skills, exploring learning theories and development approaches. The report also covers the creation of a professional development plan, transferable skills for job applications, and concludes with an evaluation of skills and competencies in comparison to employer expectations, offering a comprehensive guide for aspiring hospitality professionals.

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
AND PRACTICE

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TABLE OF CONTENT
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
Overview of organization............................................................................................................3
Benefits and importance of on-going professional development................................................4
Investigation of skills and competences......................................................................................4
Current abilities, skills and competencies...................................................................................5
Critical evaluation of professional skills.....................................................................................5
Learning theories and approach for personal and professional development..............................6
Development approach for enhancing own professional skill.....................................................6
Professional development and professional skills.......................................................................7
Evaluation of skills and competences for development approach of professional and personal
skills.............................................................................................................................................7
Evaluation of skills and competencies in comparison to the employer’s expectation................7
Designing professional development plan...................................................................................8
Service industry and transferable skills for job application.......................................................10
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................12
REFERENCE................................................................................................................................13
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INTRODUCTION
Professional identity is knowns as an individual's profession perception and also to be a
part of profession. For the creation of a professional identity it is important for the individual to
believe and have positive attitude which can motivate and provide a thorough experience which
can define them. Professional practice is important for conducting or working with a business or
profession. For achieving professional practice an individual requires a period of education and
training. In this project the chosen organization is Marriott hotels which is one of the best hotels
in UK. The job role discussed in this project is manager of branch of Marriott hotel. This
company is at the top of providing the hospitality services to its company. In this project the
importance of ongoing profession and its development is learned also providing identification to
individuals career opportunities. This project is the assessment of skill and competencies for the
purpose of learning and the approach of development. The aim of this project is to develop a
professional development plan related to the organizational context. This project will
demonstrate a range of service industries and also skills which are transferable for the application
of a job.
MAIN BODY
Overview of organization
Marriott Hotels and Resorts is an international brand of hotels and resorts. It is one of the
biggest players in the hospitality industry. It is a brand of full-service hotels and resorts. The
brand has a range of around 582 hotels and resorts with over 200,000 rooms. These chains of
hotels are based throughout the world and operate within the pipelines of the brand. The brand
has a great reputation in the market and is often considered as one of the best hotels and resort
chains in the world. The reach of the Marriott hotels and resorts is expanding every year and has
branches in America, across Europe and India.
Marriott hotels are aspired as the luxurious and lavish hotels of the industry because of
the standards on which the brand operates. It has also expanded its offering by distributing them
into groups and subgroups which are, Luxury, Premium and Long stay. With the operations
worldwide the company has created employment opportunities in various countries. Customers
have generated a sense of belongingness towards the brand and are loyal to it. The hotels and
resorts offer various activities and different types of stays which include luxurious suits and also
budget friendly rooms for the frequent travellers (Bals and et.al., 2019).
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Benefits and importance of on-going professional development
Ongoing profession development also knowns as continuing professional development
(CPD) is very important because it ensures that an individual is competent in its profession.
Some benefits of CPD for a professional's career are,
 It helps in ensuring the capabilities of an individual is in the same pace as their current
standards.
 CPD is important for maintaining and enhancing the skills and knowledge which a
professional requires for delivering professional service to the customers and clients.
 CPD is considered to be very important for ensuring that the knowledge of the
individuals is kept up to date. Increase in the awareness of the individuals gives them the
knowledge about the current trends and direction in their profession.
 It helps an individual to make continuous and also meaning contribution to their team. It
is helpful in making the workplace more effective (Chavan and Carter, 2018).
In Marriot hotels ongoing process is utilized for enhancing the quality of work and
services provided by the staff to the customers. With the help of this process this organization
creates positive environment at the work place and makes sure that the employees are competent
and are very punctual and efficient while dealing with a customer.
Investigation of skills and competences
The manager of a Marriott branch should have the following skills and competences as
expected by the company,
Interpersonal skills :
The management of the jobs in an organization is about being able to manage the
relationship with the other employees. It is a very important skill required for leading the team
and also to earn respect.
Communication and motivation :
Most effective managers of hospitality industry require to have the mastery of all forms
of communication. This skill is very essential for management of team and also bridging the gap
between staff and senior management. Strong communication of a manager is crucial while the
management of a conflict (Kolobkova, Romanov and Frolova, 2020).
Organization and delegation :
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A manager is important in managing of multiple responsibilities this is known as one of
the most important skills known as organizing. It is important a manager to oversee the workload
with the help of other employees.
Current abilities, skills and competencies
Currently the manager of Marriott hotel have the following abilities, skills and
competences which are absolutely crucial,
Leadership :
Leadership is that sort of skills and responsibilities which helps the managers for
overseeing the work of the other employees and to take actions which motivates them for the
achievement of a common goal.
Planning :
For the management of individuals working for this hotel the managers need to prepare a
vision for the future activities which provides the organization success with a strategic solution.
Planning skills is very helpful for determination of a efficient path for the company and
establishment of goals (Indeed Editorial Team., 2021).
Strategy :
Strategy of the managers can be considered to be very efficient for finding out quick
solutions for the challenges faced by the organization. This ability is very strong as it helps them
to recognize the steps other employees can take for overcoming obstacles in the organization.
Critical evaluation of professional skills
For becoming the manager of the Marriott my skills needs to be evaluated in the
following ways,
Seeking opportunities :
For an organization of this calibre the manager of such organization needs to have the
professional abilities for seeking the opportunities for leading the organization. Opportunities do
not present themselves all the time but it is an ability of the manager which can identify such
opportunity to for improving (Cheng and Yi, 2018).
Being a role model :
Most employees of an organization look for a role model to pay close attention to their
characteristics and traits so that they can apply the same in them. The manager needs to have
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such qualities for the management so that they can act as a mentor for many employees. This can
happen by improving the skills of the organization (Kingston, 2017).
Asking for feedback :
This is very important part for the improvement of the communication skills of the
organization as it helps to understand the issues which the employees have and the manager can
act accordingly. This improves the relationship of the managers with the staff which is exactly
what is demanded by the employer.
Learning theories and approach for personal and professional development
R. M. Gagne the individual developed the theory of instruction, in which Gagne suggests
that the learning takes place in hierarchical way. Some different types of learning has been
explained by Gagne in this theory as follows,
 Signal learning : This process is the recognition of something happening which helps in
learning.
 Stimulus learning : Responding to a stimulus which becomes lesson.
 Motor Chain learning : This is learning from the sequences which is required for a
necessary actions.
 Verbal Chain learning : It is want is learned from associated words in a sequence.
Social learning theory which have been developed from the early behaviourism theory. It
has a positive enforcement and consists of the following stages,
 According to this theory attention is focused using a role model (Plant, Barac and Sarens,
2019).
 Individuals learn by observing the behaviour and consequences of individuals.
 This stage is the last stage in which the individual analyses and form codes for learning
and imitates it for success.
Development approach for enhancing own professional skill
There are different approach which an individual can take for improving its skills as a
manager in Marriott hotel. The simplest and most effective way of professional development is
considered to be training. Training can help an individual to increase its efficiency, productivity
and also be successful in the addition of new techniques and strategies (Sandstrom and Reynolds,
2020) Apart from training practice is considered to be very important approach for making
continuous improvement in the professional skills of the manager. For practice the individuals
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can attend a workshop, work on a project this will provide very important experience for the
individual. These approaches of development of profession can be successful only if the
individual applies it in their profession.
Professional development and professional skills
The development of the employee and the skills depends on the history and the
experiences of the employees. One can develop and nurture their career in hospitality through
various job trainings and post graduate studies. The area of the post graduate study will depend
on the programme of study that the employee had pursued (Vogler and et.al., 2018). A well-
organised and experience friendly resume is highly appreciated by the employers of the
hospitality industry. There are graduate jobs and many of them in the world but a post graduate
degree and a well-coordinated experience in the hotel industry will increase the hierarchical
claim of the industry.
Evaluation of skills and competences for development approach of professional and personal
skills
The evaluation of personal and professional skills for the development approach is as
follows,
 It is very important for an individual to be totally aware of the ability of recognizing the
personal emptions so that they do not affect the specific job role.
 The management of the self desires help the individual to regulate their emotions and
behaviour which can affect the goals of their job in specific (Spurk, Hirschi and Dries,
2019).
 Professionally it is very important for the individuals to have great relationships with the
colleagues so that they can be managed properly.
 It is considered very important for the individuals to make responsible decisions which
can be effective in the specific job role.
Evaluation of skills and competencies in comparison to the employer’s expectation
The employers expect the employees to take initiative and act upon it as needed. The skill
of decision-making and taking charge is important to the employers. Having a nature which is
decisive will benefit every employee in the hospitality industry as there are constant involvement
of the customers and employees have to deal with them. The most common job in the hospitality
industry is of the receptionist which requires the person to be innovative and decisive in nature.
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One of the most common skills expected by the employers is dependable and responsible, a
receptionist requires to be good in communication and be able to welcome the customers of the
hotel. The skill of being responsible and dependable is very important as the receptionist is the
first person to meet the customers (Wang, Hu and Zhang, 2020). A positive attitude is one of the
attributes which a person should possess in a profession and in life also.
Designing professional development plan
Professional development plan (PDP):
The plan consists of the list of steps which are required so that career objectives and goals
can be achieved. Professional development plan helps an individual in guiding that how they can
fulfil their career aspirations (Martin, Kragler and Frazier, 2017). Career aspirations can be
anything it may be finding new job or doing some professional course or finding out mentor
which can give proper advice. Designing PDP will be helpful while searching a job. While
writing the goals in PDP, an understanding develops which is related to job and interview
process.
Creating PDP is very easy and can be designed while using various formats. As there are
many formats for PDP and one can choose the format which they like. PDP can be in the form of
simple document or proper table with sufficient rows and columns. Chose the format which can
help you to achieve future professional goals. PDP can be updates, as upgrading PDP will help in
making new goals so that an individual can grow professionally.
There are five steps through which PDP can be created which are as follows:
Self-assessment:
It means evaluating professional skills, interests and knowledge. Making self assessment, helps
to know the current position as it is related with career objectives. When an individual knows
about skills and knowledge of what they are currently having, then individual can identify areas
where improvement is possible.
Goals:
Goals which are made in PDP should be smart which is specific, measurable, achievable,
relevant and timely. When smart goals are made then the PDP can update easily.
Strategies:
It refers to how goals can be achieved. As individual will list various methods of achieving.
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Resources:
Resources are the institutions where an individual can enhance professional growth.
Timelines:
PDP should be come with timeframe in which goals have to be achieved (Webb, Diamond-Wells
and Jeffs, 2017).
PDP
Goals strategies Resources Timeline
Communication skills To build communication
skill, I will start talking
people so that can make
improvements
There are certain courses
which can be helpful in
improving communication.
6 months
Teamwork skill For teamwork skill, I will
start working in a team, so
that it will build sense of
teamwork.
For building teamwork, an
individual have to change
their mind set of working
individual from working
with team
1 year
Problem solving skill Have to take various
challenges and try to solve
problems. Through this
problem solving skill can
be developed.
Will use various problem
solving tools
3 years
From the above information it can be observed that I did not have communication skills. This
skill is one of the important skills when it comes to professional development (Agha, 2021).
Without effective communication skill, an individual cannot face the job interview effectively. In
order to build communication skills, I will start communicating with different people. As that
will boost my confidence level and enhance growth and development into me. For developing
communication skills there are many courses which are available online or offline. I will choose
the course and start doing that.
For developing the communication skill it will take 6 months. I am sure that after doing course,
communication skill will definitely get developed into me. Another skill which I am not having
is teamwork skill, every organisation hire such candidate who possess teamwork abilities. As
working in team will help in achieving objectives easily. For the teamwork I had decided that I
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will work in a team. As this skill will not develop overnight, it will be developed only if I will
work in a team. It will take 1 year to develop this skill. Another weakness is problem solving
skill which is also vital. Problem solving skills can be developed by taking various challenges. I
believe that on should have not fear with problems but have to face it and solve it. As problems
are the part of life so running from that is not the solution. I realised that organisation nowadays
is preferring such candidate who possess this skills. To develop this skill it will take 3 year.
Learning and development theory:
Behaviorism:
This is the learning theory. As knowledge is the behavioral responses to the stimuli environment.
Learner’s body can absorb learning through repetition of the activities or positive reinforcement.
Although it includes positive as well as negative reinforcement (Overview of Learning Theories.,
2020). Effective behaviour can be transferred by the teacher and taken by the students.
Social constructivism:
Knowledge is build by interacting with people which belongs to the community as per theory.
Collaboration is also helpful into this. Integrating students into knowledge society. Learners will
get motivation through learning.
Service industry and transferable skills for job application.
Job interview
1 what you know about this organisation?
Interviewee:
Marriot is the multinational and world famous organisation. This hotel is situated in various
other countries. The organisation is known for it well trained staff, which never fails in giving
good services to their guests.
2 why do you feel you are fit for the hospitality manager position?
Interviewee:
I feel that I am right candidate for this position because I have strong communication skills and
have command over English language. In my previous organisation as I had handled the team so
here also I will handle team properly and help company to achieve the goals if given the chance.
I have decision making skills also and it is also my strength.
3 after five years where you see yourself?
Interviewee:
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After five years I want to become CEO of the company. For that I have already preparing
because I know that becoming CEO is not the easy task so that is why I had started gaining
knowledge and developing advanced skills so that after 5 years I can say that now I have the
ability to become CEO of the company.
Strengths and weakness of job interview:
Strengths of the interview which I found is candidate is having effective communication and
command over English language which he said also and can be seen from his interview also. In
the way he was giving answer of every question which was asked to him (Foucault and et.al.,
2018). It can be also observed that candidate is having confidence of what he is speaking. He
said that after 5 years he want to become CEO and for that he has started preparing from now
only. This has shown that he is very serious about his professional career and for that he has
planned and also making him prepared for that.
Weakness is in the whole interview it can be observed that somewhere he was little
overconfident as he said that he will become CEO after 5 years. As becoming CEO is not the
easy task. One have to gain advanced knowledge and skills and it also takes reasonable time for
that. I also found that interviewer has asked less questions while hospitality manager is the
important role in the organisation. So interviewee should be evaluated properly and proper
evaluation is possible only if more questions would have asked.
Job interview process, obstacles and challenges to overcome.
In the job interview 3 questions were asked to the candidate. I feel that there are also some
important questions which the interviewer did not asked to the candidate like strengths and
weaknesses or hobbies etc. as an individual will be properly analysed only if more and more
questions are asked. There are obstacles which came while conducting interview like covid 19 as
due to pandemic interview is not held inside the organisation but virtually. Using laptop
interview is done. Although both interviewer and interviewee can see each other but then only
face to face interview helps interviewer in evaluate candidate properly as compare to virtual
interview.
For complete evaluation of the candidate, organisation should have come up with more interview
tests like writing tests etc. questions in the face to face interview round should have also add
more and minimum of 10 questions must be there. While calling candidate for the interview
there resume must be studied properly, irrelevant candidate should not have been called by the
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organisation because it will waste HR time and efforts. Reading resume properly and deciding
that the candidate should call for interview or not is also not an easy task.
Reflection on job interview process:
I feel that job interview was good because I had answered all questions confidently what has
asked to me. This shows that I have confidence because the way I was giving answers
confidently, interviewer has also praised me. I think that I will be selected because I think I am
successful in impressing the interviewer with my knowledge and skills. I also tell interviewer my
performance in my previous organisation and also have attached email in which my previous
company’s manager is praising my performance (Drude, Maheu and Hilty, 2019). I promise that
if given me the chance to become hospitality manager I will never let them down.
CONCLUSION
With the help of this project it can be concluded that knowledge can only be acquired by
an individual with development of skills and abilities by gaining experience in relation to the
achievement of goals with the help of continuous development process. This project helps in
understanding the skills which is required by an individual to become a successful manager of
Marriott hotel branch so that employers get satisfaction. This project helped in the exploration of
the importance of ongoing professional development in the professional development and career
opportunities. In this project the skills competences and other different approaches of learning
and development is shown. This project is also very effective portraying of a professional
development plan for an individual which is applying for manager at Marriott hotel. With the
help of this project a range of services and transferable skills for the job application is done.
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