Hotel managers are short on work-life balance, with 96% working significantly more than the average working week, according to research by purchasing consortium Beacon.

Only one-in-four hotel managers said they had a good work-life balance while 39% said they did not.

The majority of people who run or own hotels (58%) work for more than 51 hours a week while more than a quarter (26%) do between 46 and 50 hours a week.

The average UK working week is 36 to 40 hours.

For hotel managers the lunch hour is a myth as Beacon found 61% never get a lunch break of more than 30 minutes.

Adding to the work-life balance pressure, 27% of those surveyed said they loose out on time with family and friends due to work pressures while 37% said such circumstances happened "often".

Chris Arnold, head of purchasing and operations at Beacon, said: “Anyone entering the hospitality industry knows their chances of a nine-to-five job with weekends off are slim at best.

“It is still important to ensure workers can still retain a decent work-life balance. This way employers can get the most out of their staff, and guests receive a high standard of service,” he said.

Beacon website >>

Employers and Work-life Balance website >>

By Christopher Walton

E-mail your comments to Christopher Walton here.