jobfacts

Hotel manager

Hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors — SOC 2020 1221

Hotel and accommodation managers and proprietors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the activities and resources of halls of residence, hotels, hostels, caravan sites, holiday camps, holiday flats and chalets, and organise the domestic, catering, and entertainment facilities on passenger ships.

Also calledGuest house managerHotel general managerManagerCaravan site operatorHotel ownerCaravan site ownerand 39 more titles
Typical full-time pay£36,4002025 Provisional
People in the job41,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month1,100↑ 13%on last year · 180th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time hotel managers earn, 2025
£36,400 typical£27,300lowest 20%n/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less than£27,300
25%£28,900
Median£36,400
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
More than half (57%) of hotel managers work for themselves. These pay figures only cover employees, so they may not reflect what self-employed hotel managers earn.
Typical pay by regionUK median £36,400
Scotland!£38,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
North WestNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £36,400
Scotland£38,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
North WestNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £32,900
  • 2024 £38,300
  • 2025 Provisional£36,400
↑ 11% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,100 jobs for hotel managers are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,170
Jul 2026867
Jun 20261,189
May 20261,304
Apr 20261,369
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 2026884
Jan 20261,340
Dec 2025473
Nov 2025824
Oct 20251,119
Sept 20251,165
Aug 2025932
Jul 20251,052
Jun 20251,271
May 20251,222
Apr 20251,042
Mar 20251,204
Feb 2025951
Jan 20251,147
Dec 2024603
Nov 2024695
Oct 2024716
Sept 2024774
Aug 2024862
Jul 20241,068
Jun 20241,117
May 20241,271
Apr 20241,006
Mar 2024899
Feb 2024814
Jan 20241,067
Dec 2023662
Nov 2023666
Oct 2023696
Sept 2023651
Aug 2023864
Jul 2023835
Jun 20231,356
May 20231,307
Apr 20231,042
Mar 20231,382
Feb 20231,314
Jan 20231,493
Dec 20221,298
Nov 20221,290
Oct 20221,443
Sept 20221,313
Aug 20221,403
Jul 20221,484
Jun 20221,703
May 20221,591
Apr 20221,385
Mar 20221,594
Feb 20221,448
Jan 20221,463
Dec 20211,039
Nov 20211,006
Oct 20211,127
Sept 20211,221
Aug 20211,047
Jul 20211,291
Jun 20211,472
May 20211,339
Apr 20211,165
Mar 20211,031
Feb 2021600
Jan 2021597
Dec 2020533
Nov 2020629
Oct 20201,015
Sept 2020573
Aug 2020733
Jul 2020540
Jun 2020480
May 2020424
Apr 2020522
Mar 20201,035
Feb 20201,195
Jan 20201,168
Dec 2019773
Nov 2019959
Oct 2019963
Sept 2019957
Aug 2019970
Jul 20191,188
Jun 20191,111
May 20191,114
Apr 2019879
Mar 2019868
Feb 2019929
Jan 2019982
Dec 2018710
Nov 2018898
Oct 20181,205
Sept 2018901
Aug 2018878
Jul 2018964
Jun 2018991
May 2018882
Apr 2018757
Mar 20181,031
Feb 2018837
Jan 20181,023
Dec 2017587
Nov 2017696
Oct 2017714
Sept 2017772
Aug 2017843
Jul 2017869
Jun 20171,196
May 20171,345
Apr 20171,323
Mar 20171,208
Feb 20171,048
Jan 20171,226
Is there a shortage of hotel managers?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertain in multiple indicators: change in hourly wage, hours and earnings due to proportion of self employed workers.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
46%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for managers and proprietors in hospitality and leisure services, which includes hotel managers. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London526
Birmingham74
Manchester61
Buckinghamshire49
Cornwall48
Somerset47
Glasgow City46
Oxford46
Bristol, City of39
Leeds39
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where hotel managers are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 14 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Indonesia, South Africa, ranking it 201st of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of hotel managers
n/p
7.2%!
15%!
25%!
27%!
23%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–347.2% (small sample)
35–4415% (small sample)
45–5425% (small sample)
55–6427% (small sample)
65+23% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent39%
Higher education below degree!14%
A levels or equivalent22%
GCSEs or equivalent!14%
Other qualifications!6.8%
No qualifications!4.5%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent39%
Higher education below degree14% (small sample)
A levels or equivalent22%
GCSEs or equivalent14% (small sample)
Other qualifications6.8% (small sample)
No qualifications4.5% (small sample)

Main employers: holiday and other short-stay accommodation (43%), hotels and similar accommodation (28%), camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks (11%), event catering activities (4.7%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
39%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work
Self-employed
57%
of people in the job

Routes in

You can get into this job through:

University

You can complete a qualification like a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree and enter hotel management through a management trainee scheme.

This role is open to graduates of all subjects, though a related course may give you an advantage. These include:

  • hotel management
  • hospitality management
  • hospitality business management
  • international hotel management
  • travel and tourism
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 1 or 2 A levels, or equivalent, for a foundation degree or higher national diploma
  • 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree

Apprenticeship

You can apply to do a Hospitality Supervisor Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, or Hospitality Manager Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship, to train to become a hotel manager.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C) and A levels, or equivalent, for a higher or degree apprenticeship

Work your way up

You may be able to get into this career by getting experience as a deputy manager in front of house, guest services or catering operations. With further training on the job, you could be promoted to a more senior managerial position.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

Experience in any kind of customer facing role will be useful for this career.

Some hotels offer live-in accommodation as part of their salary and benefits package.

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Institute of Hospitality for professional development and networking opportunities.

Further information

You can find out about how to become a hotel manager from Caterer.com.

You can also learn more about careers in the wider tourism industry from Take Off in Travel.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for hotel manager. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • analyses demand and decides on type, standard and cost of services to be offered
  • determines financial, staffing, material and other short- and long-term needs
  • ensures physical comfort of residents or passengers and makes special arrangements for children, the elderly and the infirm if required
  • approves and arranges shipboard entertainment and shore trips and liaises with ship’s agent to ensure that ship is adequately provisioned
  • arranges for payment of bills, keeps accounts and ensures adherence to licensing and other statutory regulations

Skills

  • develop working procedures
  • forecast occupancy demand
  • handle customer complaints
  • maintain customer service
  • manage budgets
  • manage health and safety standards
  • manage hospitality revenue
  • manage inspections of equipment
  • manage staff
  • monitor financial accounts
  • schedule shifts
  • greet guests
  • think analytically
  • assess cleanliness of areas

Knowledge

  • local area tourism industry

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for other managers and proprietors, a group of 22 jobs that includes hotel managers.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 43%about 494,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.