The Top 3 Ways to Control Operational Costs (That No One Ever Taught You)

Somewhere along the way, we turned “controlling costs” into a cold, spreadsheet-driven exercise. As if the answers are hiding between two cells on a P&L spreadsheet.

But real cost control, the kind that actually changes the trajectory of a hotel, starts long before the numbers hit your desk.

After years of watching expenses rise and fall, I learned this: controlling operational costs isn’t about cutting. It’s about clarity. It’s about behavior. And it’s always about leadership.

Whether you’ve been a GM for years or you’re just stepping into your first leadership role, mastering this early will save you endless frustration later.

These three strategies have nothing to do with spreadsheets and everything to do with how people think.

Teach Your Team to Think Like Owners. Not managers. Not supervisors. Owners.

When people feel like they’re running their house instead of your hotel, everything changes. Someone notices the dishwasher wasting water. Housekeeping stops overordering towels “just in case.” Engineering fixes small problems before they turn into capital expenses.

I once had a front desk agent who treated the overnight shift like she personally paid the electric bill. She walked the building turning off lights with purpose. By the end of the year, we saved thousands.

No mandate.
No lecture.
Just ownership.

Cost control lives in the tiny decisions people make when no one is watching.

Define Standards and actually stick to them.

Hotels love to say, “We have standards.”

Sure. And I love saying I’ll only have one cup of coffee a day.

Most cost overruns don’t come from big mistakes. They come from inconsistency.

One supervisor orders a different towel brand.
Bartenders free-pour “just a splash.”
A well-meaning manager adds an extra shift to be nice.

Every deviation carries a dollar sign.

If you want to control costs, you have to get uncomfortably clear. What is the standard? Why does it exist? And what happens when we drift from it?

Standards aren’t about being rigid. They’re about consistency and protecting your budget and your sanity.

Audit Your Assumptions, Not Just Your Numbers.

Here’s the part most people miss…

Sometimes the cost problem isn’t on your expense lines. It’s in your thinking.

“We’ve always used this vendor.”
“We always need two people on that shift.”
“Guests expect all 53 breakfast items.”

But when was the last time you questioned those assumptions? Better yet, when was the last time your team did?

Real savings show up the moment someone asks, “Why do we do it this way?” and you pause long enough to realize the answer is simply habit.

That sentence alone has quietly cost hotels millions.

Final Thought -

Controlling costs isn’t about shrinking your operation.
It’s about sharpening it.

When you teach your team to care, define what “good” actually looks like, and question the habits you’ve accepted as truth, spending changes naturally.

Shift the way people think, and you shift the way your hotel spends.

That’s the real power of a GM.

#HotelLeadershipReimagined #GMTruths #OperationalExcellence