Your P&L story, a living reflection of your Property's Performance

I still remember sitting on the restaurant balcony, sipping my morning coffee as the mountains around Squamish slowly came to life. The air was crisp, the town still quiet, and the first hints of activity were just beginning to stir below. It was that calm moment before the day began—before guests filled the dining room, before the day’s adventures kicked off, before the energy of the property took over.

And yet, even in that stillness, I was thinking about the P&L.

Not in a rigid, spreadsheet-driven way—but as a living reflection of the property itself. Because in hospitality, your profit and loss statement is never just numbers. It tells the story of your operation. It reveals decisions, habits, and whether each department is truly aligned with the experience you’re trying to deliver.

Early in my career managing large resort properties in BC, I learned this lesson firsthand. We had strong occupancy, glowing guest feedback, and a team that genuinely cared. By all outward measures, we were succeeding. But the margins told a different story.

That’s when I stopped treating the P&L as a report—and started treating it like a map.

Each department became its own landscape to understand. The rooms division highlighted patterns in efficiency. Food and beverage told a deeper story about identity and profitability—whether menus were engineered thoughtfully, whether labor matched actual demand or simply followed routine. Even the smaller departments— adventure, retail, guest activities—offered insights into missed opportunities and untapped potential.

The goal was never simply to cut costs. It was to understand what was really happening.

I’d walk the property after reviewing the numbers, connecting what I saw on paper to what I experienced in real time. A busy breakfast service paired with high labor costs didn’t always mean too many staff—it often meant scheduling wasn’t aligned with the natural flow of guests. A beautiful bar with low revenue wasn’t lacking potential—it was often a matter of pricing or positioning.

The P&L became something we lived, not something we reviewed once a month.

And over time, something shifted.

Department leaders began to see it differently, too. Instead of defending their numbers, they started owning them. Conversations evolved from “Why are we over budget?” to “What can we improve tomorrow?” It became less about scrutiny and more about clarity.

That’s where real performance comes from.

Because managing a hotel—or a resort nestled in a place like Squamish—isn’t about squeezing profit out of the experience. It’s about aligning the experience with the business behind it. When each department understands its role in that balance, the results follow naturally.

As I sat there on that balcony, finishing my coffee and watching the mountains wake up, one thing always stayed with me: you can’t manage what you don’t truly understand.

And in this industry, understanding begins by looking beyond the numbers—and into the story they’re telling.

By Jared Sissons, President, Steps Hospitality Consultants

Foot Print News - Where Steps Hospitality Consultants Leaves It's Mark on the Industry