Assistant Director of Front Office

Compensation Type: Yearly Highgate Hotels:

Highgate is a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in U.S. gateway markets including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a rapidly expanding presence in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Highgate’s portfolio of global properties represents an aggregate asset value exceeding $20B and generates over $5B in cumulative revenues. The company provides expert guidance through all stages of the hospitality property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition.  Highgate also has the creativity and bandwidth to develop bespoke hotel brands and utilizes industry-leading proprietary revenue management tools that identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive out performance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the industry’s most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices in London, New York, Dallas, and Seattle.

Location:

 

The Newbury Boston at One Newbury Street, located in the premier shopping and dining neighborhood of Boston’s Back Bay is an iconic property originally opened in 1927 as one of the first Ritz-Carlton hotels in the U.S. and most recently was the Taj Boston. The building was recently transformed into a 286-room luxury hotel with 16,000-sq-ft of stunning event spaces, signature dining experiences and a reimagined front entrance on Newbury Street.

Overview:

The Assistant Director of Front Office will assist the Director of Front Office.  The position is responsible for ensuring the operation of the Front Desk, Uniformed Services and Telephone Communications in an attentive, friendly, efficient and courteous manner, providing all guests with quality service prior to and throughout their stay, while maximizing room revenue and occupancy.

Responsibilities:

• Respond to all guests’ requests, problems, complaints and/or accidents presented at the Front Desk or through reservations, comment cards, letters/or phone calls, in an attentive, courteous and efficient manner. Follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Motivate, coach, counsel and disicipline all Front Office personnel according to Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• Conduct regular Front Office Manager meetings to ensure communication is transparent
• Actively participate in Room Division meetings
• Carry a cell phone at all times.
• Prepare and conduct all Front Office interviews and follow hiring procedures according to Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• Develop employee morale and ensure training of Front Office personnel and execution of Forbes standards.
• Maximize room revenue and occupancy by reviewing status daily. Analyze rate variance, monitor credit report and maintain close observation of daily house count.  Monitor selling status of house daily, i.e. flash report, allowances, close the house as neeed, etc.
• Attend daily and monthly Rooms Upselling/Merchandizing meetings.
• Support Highgate core values; passion, innovation, integrity, ownership and community.
• Faciliatet, prepare and attend weekly WIG meetings and track results.
• Participate in required M.O.D. program as scheduled.
• Review Front Office staff’s worked hours for payroll compilation andsubmit to Accounting on a timely basis.
• Prepare employee schedule according to business forecast, payroll budget guidelines and prodctivity requirements.
• Ensure that no-show revenue is maximized through consistent ans accurate billing.
• Maintain Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s regarding Purchase Orders, vouchering of invoices an checkbook accounting.
• Ensure that Wage Progress, Productibity and the Ten Day Forecast are completed on a timely basis according to Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• Mintain a professional working relationship and promote open lines of communication with managers, emploees and other departments.
• Work closely with Accounting on follow-up items, i.e., rejected credit cards, employee cashiering discrepencies, etc.
• Operate all aspects of the Front Office computer office system, including software maintenance, report generation and analysis, and simple programming.
• Monitor proper operation of te P.B.X. console and ensure that employees maintain Highgate Hotels S.O.P.’s in its use.
• Ensure staff greet and welcome all guests approaching the Front Desk in accordance with Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• Ensure implementation of all Highgate Hotel policies and house rules. Understand hospitality terms.
• Create S.O.P.’s and revise existing ones as needed.
• Ensure sign off of all Service Standards by Poition for Front Office staff.
• Assist in preparation of revenue and occupancy forecasting.
• Ensure logging and delivery of all messages, pacjages, and mail in a timely and professional manner.
• Must maintain constant communication with Housekeeping, Reservations and the Credit Manager.
• Operate radios efficiently and professionally in communicating with hotel staff. Ensure the proper use of radio etiquette within the department.
• Coordinate all aspects of the ongoing implementation of the Newbury Hotel philosophy of service.
• Ensure correct and accrate cash handling at the Front Desk.
• Follow and enforce all Highgate Hotel credit policies.
• Ensure that employees are, at all times, attentive, friendly, helpful and courteous to all guests, managers and other employees.
• Maintain and monitor "Lost and Found" procedures and policies according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Establish and maintain key control system.
• Ensure participation within department for monthly Highgate Hotel team meeting.
• Focus the Front Office Department on their role in contributing to the guest satisfaction and audit scores.
• Monitor all V.I.P.'s and special guest requests.
• Maintain required pars of all front office and stationary supplies.
• Review daily Front Office work and activity reports generated by Night Audit.
• Review Front Office log book and Guest Request log on a daily basis.
• Ensure completion of daily MOD checklist.
• Be familiar with all corporate sponsored programs, luxury programs, and the standards and procedures for each.
• Maintain an organized and comprehensive filing system with documentation of purchases, vouchering, schedules, forecasts, reports and tracking logs.
• Conduct meetings according to Highgate Hotel standards as required by management.

Qualifications:

• 2 years Front Office Manager/Assistant Director experience in a luxury hotel required
• 3 years of Hotel Management experience in a luxury hotel required
• Forbes 5-star experience preferred
• Labor relations experience preferred
• a 4-year college degree; or a 2-year college degree and 2 or more years or related experience
• Must be proficient in Windows, Company approved spreadsheets and word processing