Assistant Director Front Office

Compensation Type

Yearly

Highgate Hotels

Highgate is a leading real estate investment and hospitality management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in major U.S. gateway cities including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a growing Caribbean and Latin America footprint. The hospitality forward company provides expert guidance through all stages of the property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition. Highgate has a proven record of developing its diverse portfolio of bespoke lifestyle hotel brands, legacy brands, and independent hotels and resorts with contemporary programming and digital acumen. The company utilizes industry-leading revenue management tools that efficiently identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive outperformance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, London, Miami, and Seattle. www.highgate.com.

Location

Located directly across from the famed Waikiki Beach, Park Shore Waikiki boasts spectacular unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean and Diamond Head. The hotel's prime location places guests steps from Hawaii's most popular beach, world-class dining, shopping and entertainment — including the Honolulu Zoo and Kapiolani Park. 

Overview

The Assistant Director of Front Office is responsible for ensuring the operation of Guest Services, Concierge and Uniformed Services in an attentive, friendly, efficient and courteous manner, providing all guests with quality service while maximizing room revenue and productivity, and developing managers and employees with the support of the Director of Front Office and Genereal Manager. 

Responsibilities

Fundamental Requirements:

• Employees must, always, be attentive, friendly, helpful, and courteous to all guests, managers, and fellow employees.
• Respond to all guest requests, problems, complaints and/or accidents arising in person or through reservations, comment cards, letters and/or phone calls, in an attentive, courteous and efficient manner. Follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Assist in motivating, coaching, counseling, and disciplining all Front Office personnel according to hotel standards.
• Assist in conducting all Front Office interviews and follow hiring procedures according to SOP's. Actively support Human Resources with recruiting efforts.  Ensure that all front office managers are in compliance with the standards in their interviewing and hiring procedures.
• Develop employee morale and ensure training of Front Office personnel.
• Determine the focus of the week for the daily briefings by Monday and ensure that they are done every day by the front office managers to the entire department to include guest service agents, bell, valet, door, and PBX.
• Maintain a professional working relationship and promote open lines of communication with managers, employees, and other departments.
• Ensure implementation of all Highgate Hotel policies and house rules. Understand hospitality terms.
• Ensure all service standards are taught to the staff with appropriate sign off to ensure accountability. Monitor all service from all positions to ensure compliance and also assign roleplaying of service standards to Front office managers to complete monthly with the team and follow up to ensure completion and sign off.  
• Tour Front Office operating departments daily, greeting employees and soliciting feedback.
• Ensure compliance to Standard of the Week training, using the steps to effective training according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Review rate variance, credit report, daily house counts, and allowance reports to ensure compliance of all Highgate financial SOPs for accounting/front office. 
• Monitor and support the corporate Guest Recognition Program.
• Do the weekly inventory of items used for the front office operations such as luggage tags, keys, paper and key packets to ensure that we do not run low or out. Work with the Director of Front office in ordering supplies to ensure budget control.  Train in utilization of the checkbook accounting for Highgate and complete in the absence of the Director of Front office.
• Conduct walk-throughs of public areas and guestrooms to ensure that cleanliness and maintenance standards are met.
• Assist in conducting weekly Front Office meetings with managers, including a monthly financial review.
• Assist in Front Office Managers’ performance reviews according to SOP and ensure that managers are in compliance with the standards in their administration