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Cover letter example

General Manager Cover Letter Example

An owner hiring a hotel general manager reads for occupancy, guest scores, payroll control and a team that stays. This letter opens on occupancy and review gains, explains how each was produced, and ties the writer's record to a family-owned hotel about to reopen its spa wing.

Senior · 304 words · Last reviewed 4 November 2026 · 3 min read · How we write these

The job this letter answers

General Manager, Thirlmere Lakes Hotel

Thirlmere Lakes Hotel is a family-owned 48-room country house hotel in the Lake District with a restaurant and about 45 staff. The owners plan to reopen its spa wing next year and want to grow midweek trade.

  • Run the whole hotel and report to the owners
  • Raise occupancy and guest review scores
  • Control payroll and other costs
  • Build and keep a stable team
Template

The letter takes the colors of the resume template, the same way a downloaded cover letter matches your resume.

Giles Whitmore

Windermere · giles.whitmore@example.com

4 November 2026

Mr Anthony Bellamy

Owner

Thirlmere Lakes Hotel

Subject: Application for General Manager

Dear Mr Bellamy,

Occupancy at Holme Water Hotel has risen from 68% to 79% in three years under my management, and guest review scores from 4.2 to 4.6 out of 5. I would like to do that work for Thirlmere Lakes Hotel as its General Manager.

I run a 62-room hotel with 58 staff and £4.8 million in yearly revenue, report to the owners and set the yearly budget with them. Occupancy grew through direct booking offers and midweek packages aimed at the quiet nights. Review scores rose because each quarter I take the three complaints guests raise most and fix them, then check the next quarter's reviews to see whether the fix held. Payroll stays at 31% of revenue because rotas follow forecast occupancy, not last year's habit.

A family-owned hotel with a spa wing to reopen is a project I have prepared for, and it is why Thirlmere Lakes appeals to me more than a group property. Reopening means hiring, and only a stable team keeps a new wing's standards from slipping in its first season. At Holme Water I cut staff turnover from 55% to 38% with seasonal contracts, cross-training and a clear path to supervisor, and a weekly meeting of six department heads keeps everyone working from the same numbers. I started sixteen years ago as duty manager of a 40-room inn, then managed a 35-room hotel and its restaurant at Ullswater. Every hotel I have run has been owner-led, so I am used to reporting plainly to the people whose money it is.

Sending me last year's occupancy by month and your most common review complaints would let me bring a first-quarter plan to our meeting. If that is too much before an interview, a conversation about where you want the spa wing to take the hotel would be just as useful.

Yours sincerely,

Giles Whitmore

A made-up letter. The person, the employers and every number are invented, and any resemblance to a real one is chance. Sending it by email? Put the subject line in the email’s subject box, add your name to it, and attach the letter as a PDF.

Paragraph by paragraph

  1. The opening

    Starts: “Occupancy at Holme Water Hotel has risen…”

    Leads with the two results an owner reads first, occupancy and reviews, and names the job in a plain second sentence.

  2. Your strongest evidence

    Starts: “I run a 62-room hotel with 58…”

    Explains how each result was produced, which is what an owner needs to judge whether it would repeat in a different hotel.

  3. Why this employer

    Starts: “A family-owned hotel with a spa wing…”

    Gives a reason rooted in this hotel's plans and ownership, then answers the advert's stable-team line with the turnover result and the writer's path.

  4. The close

    Starts: “Sending me last year's occupancy by month…”

    Offers real work for the interview and leaves the owner an easy alternative, which suits a senior hire talking to an owner.

Why this letter works

  • Occupancy and review scores, each with a before and after, give the owner the two results that matter most.
  • Every figure comes with its cause, so the owner can judge whether the method would work at a smaller country house hotel.
  • The why-them paragraph rests on the hotel's own plans, a spa wing reopening and midweek trade, and on the writer's record with owner-led hotels.
  • Turnover cut from 55% to 38% answers the stable-team line with evidence rather than a claim.
  • The close asks for data to prepare a plan, which shows how the writer would start the job.

How to write your own general manager cover letter

  1. Give occupancy and guest review scores as before-and-after figures over a stated period.
  2. Explain how you raised occupancy, for example direct booking offers rather than discounts, so the owner can trust the margin.
  3. If you have only worked for owner-led hotels or only for groups, say how that prepares you for this employer.
  4. Connect the hotel's next project, such as a reopening, to your record of hiring and keeping staff.
  5. Ask for one or two pieces of data you would study before the interview.

Common questions

What does a hotel owner look for in a general manager's cover letter?

Occupancy, review scores, payroll as a share of revenue and staff turnover, each with how you moved them. Owners also want to know you will report plainly and work within a budget you agreed.

Why should a hotel manager explain how each result was reached?

Because an owner is buying your method, not your last hotel's luck. Saying that occupancy grew through midweek packages rather than discounts tells them whether the same approach would protect their margins.

Is asking for hotel data before an interview too forward?

Not if it is offered as an option. Asking for occupancy by month or common complaints shows how you would start, and an owner can simply say no.

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