Director of Guest Services

Salary $75,000-80,000 Depending on Experience 

Elligible for Quartrly Bonuses 

Must have open availability  

POSITION SUMMARY:

This individual is responsible for the front office operations and respective staff. The Manager is responsible for lodging operations, reconciling lodging inventory issues that arise and resolving lodging type conflicts, coaching and counseling staff, managing guests’ requests and preferences, and assisting front-line staff in delivering service and culture that is consistent and continually in accordance with Brand standards and Hotel Equities.

ESSENTIAL JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure consistent, superior customer service when greeting and registering guests.
• Manage Front Office schedules and ensure appropriate personnel for occupancy forecasts.
• Assist in interviewing, hiring, and training front desk agents to ensure they meet Hotel Equities’ service standards.
• Provide support and step in as needed so that the Front Desk staff can quickly and effectively respond to guest requests and issues.
• Ensure that Front Desk Associates understand and anticipate guests’ expectations.
• Empower associates to satisfy guests and make decisions.
• Ensure that Front Desk Associates actively solicit feedback from guests.
• Ensure that Front Desk Associates handle special requests properly.
• Ensure that Front Desk Associates smile, have eye contact, and greet guests immediately.
• Ensure that Front Desk Associates maintain a well-groomed, professional appearance at all times, including uniform and name tag.
• Be a responsible leader and trainer for the front desk team, ensuring they are mentored, supported, and empowered to always provide the highest quality of service.
• Model desired behavior.
• Resolve customer problems, such as discounts, adjustments to bills, or complimentary rooms to compensate for any inconvenience as directed. Find root causes and work to implement better

processes.

• Personally assist Front Desk Associates during peak times, breaks, tardiness, and absences.
• Review all incoming reservations, pre-block rooms with special requests when necessary, and coordinate special requests with appropriate staff members.
• Ensure the VIP program is executed properly.
• Ensure guest room delivery of newspapers (if applicable).
• Ensure that the following Font Desk areas of responsibility are handled properly, with thoroughness, accuracy, and efficiency in a friendly environment:
  • Phones/Switchboard
  • Check-ins/Check-outs
  • Reservations
  • Shuttle or transportation Service
• Ensure messages, wake-up calls, mail, and faxes are handled properly
• Ensure guests’ laundry/dry-cleaning is picked up and returned
• Relay safety guidelines to customers (in-room safes, safety deposit box, etc.)
• Assist with amenity, gift shop, pantry needs (if applicable)
• Review customer satisfaction and direct customer contact. Answer guest comments through numerous booking websites
• Act as Manager on Duty for the first line of support for services needed during daily operations
• Ensure all guest opportunities are followed up quickly, efficiently, and courteously, and completed to the satisfaction of the guest and that service obstacles are identified and resolved
• Review daily front office reports
• Improve and delegate tasks to promote the overall success of the department
• Review front desk posting journals at the end of their shifts to ensure proper posting
• Enforce all cash-handling, check, and credit processes and policies
• Maintain master key control and key management system
• Verify that accurate room status information is maintained and properly communicated
• Assist with team meetings as well as meeting regularly with the team to discover any issues and provide resolution
• Attend staff and management meetings as needed and requested
• Properly handle and account for keys
• Be knowledgeable of policies regarding emergency procedures and security concerns
• Ensure the protection of guests’ room numbers
• Adhere to all work rules, procedures, and policies established by the company, including, but not limited to, those contained in the associate handbook. Implement and maintain superior guest service and culture, which serves as a guide to desk agents
• Other duties as assigned by management

OTHER DUTIES

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties and responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

REQUIRED SKILLS / ABILITIES:

• Leadership Skills
• Consistently communicate performance and standards to staff
• Build teamwork
• May conduct monthly departmental meetings
• Maintain a cooperative and positive work environment
• Be reliable and honest
• Treat all associates with fairness, impartiality, and consistency
• Adhere to all work rules, procedures, and policies established by the company, including but not
• limited to those contained in the associate handbook
• Work schedule necessary to supervise department, including evenings, weekends, and holidays
• Teamwork Skills:
• Be an enthusiastic, helpful, and positive member of the team.
• Maintain professionalism, responsibility, and maturity in conduct and behavior.
• Be understanding, encouraging, and friendly with all co-workers.
• Be self-motivated and use time wisely.
• Maintain an open line of communication with each department.
• Communicate pertinent information effectively.
• Respond positively to new ideas.
• Openly accept critical/developmental feedback.
• Participate in the Manager on Duty program.
• Maintain effective communication through meetings, log books, and bulletins.
• Be available to help other departments in emergencies.

• Cost Control Skills:
• Have an understanding of the budget, including staffing guidelines.
• Adhere to proper purchasing procedures.
• Have a basic understanding of financial statements.
• Ensure the Front Desk follows proper procedures involving guest credit and direct bill.

• Human Resources Skills:
• Assist in recruiting new associates.
• Interview and select staff.
• Provide orientation and training for staff.
• Identify and encourage appropriate behavior.
• Identify, discourage, and retrain inappropriate behavior.
• Assist with the evaluation of associate's performance and provide feedback often.
• Assist in the discipline and termination of associates when necessary.

• Administrative Skills:
• Maintain a clean and orderly work area.
• Complete weekly and monthly reports.
• Ensure transactions are properly documented.
• Ensure all cash, checks, and credit cards are handled and accounted for properly.
• Ensure shifts are correctly closed.
• Prepare the Front Desk Schedule.
• Reconcile room discrepancies daily with the Executive Housekeeper.
• Respond promptly to GM, Company, and Franchise requests.
• Ensure maintenance issues are documented.
• Respond promptly to Executive Housekeeper requests.
• Attend required meetings.
• Maintain an adequate level of supplies.
• Make sure front office equipment is in good working order.
• Have proficiency in reading, writing, and basic math.

• Safety and Security:
• Properly handle and account for keys.
• Be knowledgeable of policies regarding emergency procedures and security concerns.
• Ensure the protection of guests' room numbers

• Revenue Generation Skills
• Ensure Front Desk and Reservations staff demonstrates proper selling techniques
• Have full understanding of market conditions, competition, businesses, attractions, feeder markets, etc.
• Have complete knowledge of hotel rooms, function space, restaurant (if applicable), other outlets, and services
• Have full understanding of franchise marketing programs
• Manage honors program
• Aggressively seek and react to opportunities to sell rooms, including re-rents, and last rooms available
• Ensure all customers establish credit upon check-in. Improves timeliness of cash flow by adhering to all established credit and inventory control procedures:
• Verify all information on reservations check-in; name, address, method of payment, etc.
• Retrieve proper name and address verification and proper approval codes for cash and credit card paying customers
• Identifies and records special billing instructions and notifies accounting
• Completes shift closing accurately by getting appropriate approval signatures and authorization codes
• Adheres to hotel policies regarding the use of cash banks
• Monitor customer accounts to ensure adherence to hotel credit limits by completing high balance report and verify accuracy of registration information.
• Stay current with developments in the hotel by reviewing the communication log book each shift; updates log book for next shift
• Increases revenues by offering customers upgraded rooms and promoting hotel amenities and outlets

• Specific Skills and Abilities
• Must be able to speak, read, write, and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.
• Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process.
• Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Must possess basic computational ability.
• Must possess basic computer skills.
• Extensive knowledge of the hotel, its services, and facilities; General knowledge of the city where the hotel is located and its attractions

DESIRED SOFTWARE PROFICIENCIES: None

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None

EDUCATION / EXPERIENCE:

• High School or equivalent education required.
• Two years of hotel front desk experience is required; supervisory experience is strongly preferred

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Most work tasks are performed indoors. Temperature is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems.
• Must be able to stand and exert well-paced mobility for up to 4 hours in length. Length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
• Must be able to exert a well-paced ability to reach other hotel departments on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 lbs occasionally.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, bending, climbing, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity.
• Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and subordinates.
• Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception.
• Ability to spend extended lengths of time viewing a computer screen.
• Requires manual dexterity to use and operate all necessary equipment.
• Must have finger dexterity to be able to operate office equipment
• All associates must maintain a neat, clean and well-groomed appearance per Company Standards