Microsoft Word 2007 ichrie conference Proceedings Final-Final 06-06-07. doc

Career/ Work Experience 
Questions regarding career path found that respondents had spent an average of twenty-one years working 
in the hotel industry, with a minimum of seven years and maximum of forty-one years in the industry. With regards 
to the general manager position, respondents served an average of 4.4 years as a general manager, with a range of 
less than one year to 10 years as GM. Similar results were found regarding the current GM position: respondents’ 
mean time spent in the current GM position was 2.2 years with a range of less than one year to 10 years. On 
average, respondents spent 8.1 years working for their current company, with a range of less than one year to 26 
years. 
The amount of time taken by respondents to reach their first hotel management job and first GM job spread 
across a wide range. The average number of years in the industry prior to first management job was 11.3 years, 
however the range spread from one year to 31 years. Similarly, the average time from first management job to first 
GM job was 13.1 years with a range of three to 25 years. Hypothesis 7: “Hotel general managers obtain the GM 
position in 11 or fewer years” is rejected. 
Respondents were asked about the different management positions held prior to becoming general 
manager. All respondents held at least three management positions before becoming GM; nine respondents held 
seven management positions before becoming GM. This finding supports hypothesis 6: “Hotel general managers 
obtain the GM position in fewer than seven management roles.” These positions were in departments such as food 
& beverage, accounting, sales, and public relations, among others. Of these positions respondents credited food & 
beverage and accounting as the most important in preparing them to become GMs. This finding contradicts 
Hypothesis 5: “Hotel general managers gain all their work experience in “operational” departments (i.e. food and 
beverage or front office) prior to attaining the GM position.” 
In an effort to see how involved GMs are in the hospitality industry, respondents were asked about their 
involvement in professional organizations and which, if any, professional certifications they held. According to the 
respondents fewer than half were involved in professional organizations (42.1%) or had obtained professional 
certifications (31.6%) thus causing both hypothesis 10: “Hotel general managers are members of at least one 
professional organization” and hypothesis 11: “Hotel general managers obtain at least one professional certification” 
to be rejected. 

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