Revealed: UK hoteliers are ‘exhausted’ with more than half ready to quit and many say it’s easier to ‘walk through an airport with kids’ than run a hotel.

This sounds like the ultimate dream job.

You work in a beautiful environment. You meet new people every day and you get to taste some of the best food and drinks in the world.

Yet more than half of Britain’s independent hoteliers are on the verge of burnout.

According to a study undertaken by Profit room, almost 70 per cent have considered donning their bathrobes due to skyrocketing stress levels, with Christmas and the summer holidays being the times of year when work anxiety peaks. Nearly one in seven people reached breaking point during these periods.

According to the study, among all roles in the hospitality industry, stress is particularly felt in demanding general manager positions.

The job comes with a multitude of challenges, from handling customer complaints to resolving staffing issues and dealing with rising interest rates and inflation – and the responsibility always falls on the general manager (GM).

Many CEOs said they would rather “go through the airport with their kids” (30 percent) or “fill out a tax return” (23 percent) than deal with issues such as fees hotel and online travel agency fees.

The study identified seven main stressors for hoteliers, with “adapting and implementing new technologies” cited by 50% of respondents as the main cause of stress.

This is followed by “providing excellent service” (44%), followed by “generating revenue” (39%), reviewing budgets and ensuring forecast accuracy (36%).

“Sales and marketing strategies”, “recruitment and staff management” and online travel agency cost and fee management were all cited by 30 percent of respondents as being the main drivers of stress.

The study’s researchers also asked hoteliers to name the top responsibilities they “don’t have time for.”

Improving the guest experience ranks first (30%), followed by managing new guest inquiries (27%), integrating hotel technology (25%), developing targeted marketing campaigns and managing cart abandonments (24%), developing direct booking strategies. (23 percent), strategic and financial planning (20 percent) and finally staff training and motivation (11 percent).

The survey, in which 1,000 UK hotel managers were questioned, found that more than a third of hoteliers find the greatest satisfaction when guests book direct.

And when asked what tools would reduce stress, “reservation system automation/self-service” came out on top (71%), followed by marketing automation (67%) and “a Complete channel manager to manage inventory, pricing and online travel.” agents” (60 percent).

Patryk Luszcz, regional director at Profitroom, said: “These results are truly concerning: our UK hoteliers are facing complex challenges and are currently feeling the pressure.

“We knew anecdotally that hoteliers were stressed, but this study revealed how serious the problem is and which issues cause the most worry and anxiety.

“This is a real wake-up call for those in the hospitality sector.”

He added: “I urge hoteliers to realize what is possible with a technology partner like Profitroom which guarantees an increase in direct bookings and reduces workload with a reduced investment of time and initial cost.