Front Desk Manager

Why us?

At The Bidwell Marriott Portland, you’re not just joining a hotel—you’re stepping into aspace that reflects the soul of the city. Located on Portland’s storied BroadwayAvenue, we blend warm, good-natured hospitality with an independent spirit thatcelebrates curiosity, comfort, and connection.

Our team thrives on crafting personalized guest experiences rooted in authenticity andcare. Whether it’s greeting a guest like an old friend, recommending a local hiddengem, or simply making someone’s day a little easier—we lead with heart, attention,and purpose. We believe in meaningful work, shared pride, and a culture where everyvoice matters.

Working at The Bidwell means being part of a team that’s both relaxed and refined. Welive and lead at the intersection of downtown culture and Northwest nature—creatinga sanctuary in the center of it all. It’s a place to grow, contribute, and build somethingtogether that’s truly unique to Portland.

As part of Sage Hospitality Group, we’re anchored by a shared mission to enrich lives,one experience at a time. We encourage independent thinking, value diversity ofthought, and invest in your development—because we know that when you thrive, sodo we.

Join us at The Bidwell—where good-natured hospitality meets purpose, place, andpossibility.

Job Overview

Position focus

The Front Desk Manager leads daily front desk operations and develops a team that delivers accurate, efficient, and personal service from arrival through departure. At The Bidwell this leader brings Portland’s independent spirit and Pacific Northwest warmth to life while protecting guest trust, supporting associates, and managing operational and financial performance.

Success requires a high degree of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, humility, strategic thinking, decisiveness, and communication. Learning agility, collaboration, and compassion are equally essential. This is a visible, hands-on leadership role that combines sound judgment with the ability to listen, learn, act, and follow through.

Responsibilities

Core leadership expectations

• Emotional intelligence: Recognize emotional cues, listen before responding, and regulate personal reactions during pressure or conflict. Adapt the approach to the person and situation while maintaining respectful boundaries and clear standards.
• Self-awareness and humility: Understand the effect of personal tone, assumptions, and decisions on others. Seek feedback, acknowledge mistakes, ask for help when needed, and give associates credit for their contributions.
• Compassion: Respond to guest and associate concerns with patience, dignity, and practical support. Consider individual circumstances, communicate boundaries kindly, and balance care with fair and consistent accountability.
• Learning agility: Learn new systems and procedures quickly, ask thoughtful questions, and apply feedback. Reflect on unfamiliar situations and setbacks, adjust the approach, and share useful lessons with the team.
• Collaboration and Communication: Invite input from associates and other departments, listen without interrupting, and confirm understanding. Set clear expectations, share relevant information early, and provide concise updates, accurate documentation, and constructive feedback. Address disagreements respectfully, support colleagues through changing priorities, and follow through on commitments to achieve hotel-wide goals.
• Strategic Thinking and Decisiveness: Make timely, informed decisions that balance guest satisfaction, associate development, safety, labor efficiency, and hotel goals. Anticipate demand and service risks, address recurring issues, and plan improvements beyond the immediate shift. Act within authority, explain decisions, assign next steps, escalate appropriately, and adapt as new information emerges

Front desk operations and guest experience

• Direct daily front desk coverage and complete all required associate duties and shift checklists. Work alongside the team during peak periods and perform front desk functions as needed to maintain service and model expected practices.
• Plan each shift around occupancy, room readiness, group movements, special requests, and staffing, with clear priorities and contingency plans. Ensure accurate, efficient arrivals and departures, including reservation verification, room assignments, key issuance, and payment authorization, while clearly explaining rates, charges, amenities, and policies.
• Coordinate with Housekeeping, Engineering, Rooms Control and other departments to verify room readiness, resolve room discrepancies, and communicate maintenance or service concerns. Keep guests informed with realistic updates and clear ownership of follow-up.
• Coordinate group arrivals and departures using information provided by Sales and the servicing team. Confirm arrival logistics, billing instructions, and front desk readiness, and communicate changes to the appropriate departments.
• Maintain productive relationships with valet and other transportation providers.
• Ensure associates can recommend Portland restaurants, theaters, community events, and outdoor activities suited to guest interests. Keep local information and hotel amenity details current.
• Apply applicable Marriott service and guest recognition standards, including Marriott Bonvoy recognition and benefits under current brand and property procedures. Coach personalized service that feels welcoming and natural.

Service recovery and guest communication

• Remain visible and approachable, seek guest feedback, and recognize concerns early. Listen carefully, acknowledge the impact of the issue, and clarify what a successful resolution would look like.
• De-escalate difficult interactions with calm language, empathy, and respectful boundaries. Assess facts and urgency, choose a proportionate response within approved authority, and involve leadership or safety resources when appropriate.
• Document complaints, recovery actions, commitments, and unresolved items accurately. Assign an owner and follow-up time, confirm completion with the responsible team, and check that the guest’s concern has been addressed.
• Review guest feedback and recurring complaints with the team. Identify preventable breakdowns, agree on practical changes, and monitor whether the changes improve the experience.

Shift and department communication

• Conduct purposeful shift briefings and maintain complete handovers covering guest commitments, service issues, room availability, incidents, and operational priorities. Share sensitive information only with those who need it.
• Keep leadership informed of material guest concerns, staffing risks, financial discrepancies, and operational disruptions, including actions taken, outstanding decisions, and recommended next steps.

Associate leadership and development

• Supervise associates with clear expectations, accountability, and respect, creating an environment where team members can ask questions, raise concerns, and learn from mistakes.
• Partner with leadership and People & Culture on hiring, onboarding, training, and development. Provide tailored coaching, recognition, and fair, documented feedback; recommend evaluations, discipline, and terminations to the Assistant General Manager under company procedures.
• Align schedules and coverage with forecast demand, service needs, and approved labor plans while managing workloads, supporting required breaks, and ensuring accurate timekeeping.

Financial controls and commercial awareness

• Ensure accurate guest billing, account records, cash handling, and reconciliations; train associates and monitor compliance with financial controls, payment security, guest privacy, identity verification, and key control procedures; investigate discrepancies and promptly escalate unresolved issues or suspected fraud or information exposure.
• Support approved room selling and upgrade strategies, inventory controls, and same-day availability decisions. Explain choices transparently, honor approved pricing and commitments, and coordinate exceptions with the appropriate leader.
• Review labor usage, service recovery spending, billing accuracy, and other assigned operating measures. Recommend practical ways to improve efficiency while maintaining guest service and responsible controls.

Safety and operational readiness

• Implement required emergency training and ensure associates understand notification, evacuation, incident reporting, and escalation procedures. Respond promptly within training and assigned authority to protect guests, associates, and hotel assets.
• Maintain readiness for system outages and other disruptions through approved backup procedures. Keep emergency contacts and operational reference information current and communicate changes across shifts.

Planning and measures of success

Partner with the Assistant General Manager to set department priorities and review results. Use guest feedback, arrival patterns, operational records, and associate input to identify improvement opportunities. Assign actions, owners, and completion dates and evaluate the outcome before standardizing a change.

Performance is assessed through management-established goals for guest satisfaction and recovery follow-through, arrival and departure efficiency, billing and cash accuracy, staffing effectiveness, training completion, associate development, and reliable communication. How the manager achieves results—including compassion, collaboration, judgment, and willingness to learn—is part of performance.

Behavioral focus and hotel identity

Support Sage Hospitality’s purpose to enrich lives, one experience at a time, and its vision to redefine how the world experiences hospitality. Model kindness, inclusion, integrity, and professional conduct so guests and associates feel welcome, respected, and supported.

• • City-to-Nature Gateway: Connect guests with Portland’s urban experiences and surrounding outdoor opportunities through informed, thoughtful recommendations.
  • Independent Portland Spirit: Combine boutique character, curiosity, and local connections with the reliability guests expect from Marriott.

Qualifications

Position qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent. Minimum of two years of previous front desk supervisory experience or a minimum of four years of hotel front office experience.
• Working knowledge of guest services, hotel services, policies, and operations; standard cash handling procedures; computerized register or payment systems; and high school graduate level mathematical aptitude.
• Demonstrated ability to lead with emotional intelligence, self-awareness, humility, compassion, and sound judgment; collaborate across departments; learn from feedback; and make timely decisions under pressure.
• Strong comprehension and literacy to review correspondence, prepare reports, conduct training, and communicate clearly with guests, associates, and leaders. Ability to use hotel operating systems and common business software and learn new tools and processes.

Working conditions and physical requirements 

Work is primarily indoors, approximately 95% of the time, in a hotel and climate-controlled workstation environment. The role requires prolonged standing, potentially up to 90% of a shift; movement throughout the hotel; repeated bending or kneeling while filing; and occasional carrying or lifting of files and office items up to 25 pounds.

Duties include reading written communications and computer screens. Availability may include mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and overnight coverage as operationally required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

Perform other duties assigned by management. This description is not an exhaustive list of duties, responsibilities, or qualifications.

Benefits

The Perks:

• $50 discounted Tri-Met monthly pass
• Drastically reduced hotel rates for you and your friends & family at both Marriott & Sage Hotels
• Sage Restaurant Concepts discounts (The Original Dinerant, Departure, Urban Farmer)
• Unlimited paid time off
• Paid Sick Time
• Paid Holidays
• Medical, Vision & Dental Insurance
• Complimentary Parking at Hotel Garage
• Referral Bonus Eligible

At Sage we create a culture of belonging. Our team members serve with creativity, and passion.  Sage associates execute unforgettable experiences and take pride in our communities. We set new standards in hospitality.

Compensation: N/A to 75000 (USD)