Front Office Manager

Job Description

Reports To: Director of Rooms

Supervises: Front Desk Agents, Bell/Valet, Night Audit

General Purpose: The Front Office Manager is committed to guest service excellence and passionate about promoting the 21c Museum Hotel. Thorough and task-oriented, the FOM can complete menial and substantial tasks under various conditions. The Front Office Manager is multi-skilled and can hop into any position within their department at any time. The Front Office Manager should be skilled at creating a culture of care, concern, and accountability.

Specific Responsibilities

• Responds professionally and courteously to arriving, departing, and in-house guests with accurate and timely information and services.
• Responds to inquiries regarding hotel information and guest concerns.
• Supervises the daily operations of the Front Office personnel, promoting a safe environment and quality services to achieve maximum guest satisfaction and financial success.
• Oversees all day-to-day operations of Front Desk and Bell/Valet staff, ensuring that all established front office and hotel policies are followed.
• Acts as a resource for supervisors, agents, and valet with all Front Office procedures.
• Tirelessly promotes 21c to staff and guests, a cheerleader for the team and the brand.
• Facilitates guest arrival and departure during peak times to ensure a smooth transition into and out of the property.
• Courteously answers inquiries and accepts reservations referred from agents, both in person and by telephone
• Keeps abreast of all in-house and area functions to answer questions and concerns in person and on the telephone with timely and knowledgeable responses.
• Controls cash transactions at the front desk and maintains complete responsibility for personal bank as specified by hotel bank agreement policy.
• Reviews all guest issues with staff, ensures appropriate departments are contacted for resolution, approves recovery, and provides follow-up with guests and log is completed.
• Oversees all Concierge duties completed by staff, from transportation services to package amenities and arrangements.
• Has complete knowledge of the hotel's emergency procedures.
• Implements new procedures and policies.
• Reviews any problems or concerns from the previous day's night audit and daily work. Addresses any issues with the entire staff or individual front desk associates, whichever is appropriate.
• Monitors room inventory to achieve balance and pushes associates to sell out. Trains staff in this strategy.
• Conducts one-on-one meetings with front desk associates at least quarterly.
• Conducts necessary progressive disciplines according to policy

• Coordinates with the Rooms Manager to conduct annual reviews promptly.

• Back up for Rooms Manager during an absence.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership skills.
• Good eye for detail.
• Excellent organizational skills.
• Able to draw ideas from the supervised team, develop and put them into action
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment where multi-tasking is normal.
• Enjoys people and has experience dealing directly with the public with an acquired general knowledge of basic customer service skills.
• Working knowledge of guest and hotel services, policies, or operations. Working knowledge is generally learned on the job.
• Possesses a talent for developing positive connections with guests, resulting in fewer recovery instances and more effective problem resolution.
• Tactful and empathetic in stressful and highly emotional situations.
• Understand hotel front office procedures completely.
• Understands standard cash handling procedures and operation of computerized cash register systems.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the comprehension and literacy required to review and respond to correspondence, initiate reports, conduct training, etc.
• Proficient with computer systems, Microsoft Office suite, Opera PMS, POS, etc.
• Must pass a background check.

Education/ Formal Training

• High School diploma or equivalent.

Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of previous experience in Hospitality management.