Results of the 2012 HFTP Compensation & Benefits Survey are available. In addition to providing basic compensation and benefits information such as salaries, bonuses and retirement plans; the survey digs a little deeper by analyzing other various factors such as certifications, property characteristics, and demographic information. This information can be utilized for multiple purposes including salary comparisons, budgeting processes, staffing guidelines, contract negotiation and benefit standards.
The following information provides a glimpse of the data provided in the 2012 survey.
- Staffing — Most clubs employed between two and five employees in their accounting department while their hotel counterparts averaged between three and 10 employees. When it comes to the IT department, 33 percent of those responding to the survey indicated that they do not have any dedicated IT staff located at their property.
- Job Responsibilities — Departments supervised varied depending on the industry. Most club respondents supervised the following departments: accounting/finance (85.1 percent), administrative/office staff (40.2 percent), human resources (54.6 percent), and technology (54.6 percent). Those working at lodging properties were more focused and spent most of their time overseeing the accounting/finance department (65.9 percent) and technology department (43.9 percent).
- Hours Worked per Week — The greatest responses came from those in the lodging and club segments. When these segments are compared, those working at hotels averaged 54 hours worked per week while their club counterparts only averaged 48 hours per week.
Collecting Data
The 2012 survey was first distributed via email on January 23, 2012 to the HFTP membership and 2,830 nonmembers affiliated with HFTP. After the initial distribution, 200 individuals responded to the survey. In an effort to increase the number of responses the survey was shortened and redistributed on April 26, 2012. This distribution added 79 completed surveys, providing a total of 279 completed surveys.
Traditionally, this survey was only distributed to members of HFTP with the intent to create a profile of the typical HFTP member. Over time, members indicated that not only would they like compensation information about their position, but also others on their staff. For this reason the survey was expanded in 2000 from simply a profile of the HFTP membership over to the HFTP Compensation & Benefits Survey that we know today. The HFTP Research Institute has data from HFTP Compensation & Benefits Surveys dating back to 2000 which allows for data comparisons and trends analysis.
HFTP members received a complimentary copy of the report as a special issue of The Bottomline magazine, available in print or online. If you are interested in getting a copy of the report contact the HFTP Publications Department.
Tanya Venegas is the director at the HFTP Research Institute at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston. Please contact Tanya (TVenegas@Central.UH.EDU) for any questions regarding this survey or other industry related research.
