Assistant Director of Banquets

Company Description

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts

Join a dynamic team and be part of a network of 90 spectacular properties, and 34 more in the pipeline, in 30 countries around the globe. Our properties are located from the beaches of Hawaii, to the unspoiled national parks of Canada, to the heart of London, to the deserts of the United Arab Emirates.

Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park

Rising gracefully above Millennium Park and Chicago's impressive lakefront, Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park is a leader in Food & Beverage in the city, with the newly launched partnership with Richard Sandoval Hospitality for our multi-million dollar pan Latin restaurant and tequila bar, Toro. With beautifully appointed, extraordinarily spacious guestrooms and spectacular suites, including 84 newly renovated rooms and Fairmont Gold Lounge, Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park offers a superior and distinctive array of amenities and services, including seasonal pop-ups and luxury event space.

About the Application Process:

At Fairmont, we want to bring out your highest potential. Shortly after applying, you will receive an email from our partner AssessFirst prompting you to create a profile and complete a questionnaire. This is a mandatory step for your candidacy to be considered as it enables us to explore your compatibility with this role and our culture of luxury excellence.

Job Description

What is in it for you:

• Competitive Salary
• Employee benefit card offering discounted rates in Accor worldwide
• Opportunity to develop your talent and grow within your property and across the world!
• Ability to make a difference through our Corporate Social Responsibility activities

What you will be doing:

• Manage and support the Banquets department while ensuring thorough communication and understanding with all internal and external stakeholders
• Assist with overseeing the setup, execution and breakdown of all events: social, corporate, wedding, and internal events.
• Responsible for the appropriate and timely set up of all functions and meetings while maintaining standards of food, beverage and meeting specifications
• Supervise, lead, and motivate the Banquet team including servers, bartenders, house attendants and coffee crew towards achieving exceptional guest service results and complete associate engagement
• Administrative tasks may include the facilitation of payroll, reports, forecasts, point of sale procedures, inventory and budget for food and beverage functions
• Ensure full compliance with Department of Health regulations and standards
• Oversight of Banquet billing and reconciliation.
• Meet and exceed guest satisfaction by monitoring, evaluating, and auditing food, beverage, service offering and standards
• Foster a positive work environment resulting in colleague and leader engagement through consistent communication, garnering feedback and actioning measurable improvement plans.
• Control purchases and inventory by partnering with the Chefs and the purchasing department.
• Assist with the selection, training, development and career growth of banquet and event colleagues and ultimately the food and beverage division.
• Ensure all Fairmont brand standards and programs are in place and maintained.
• Ensure that sanitation, cleanliness and maintenance of the event spaces, kitchens & public spaces exceed expectations.
• Promote and enforce health and safety awareness as well as ensure the team has a complete understanding of the emergency procedures for the hotel.
• Contribute to the improvement of the overall hotel operation by contributing ideas, making suggestions, soliciting feedback and actively participating in departmental communication meetings.

Qualifications

Your experience and skills include:

• Strong F&B Operations Experience with overall minimum 5 years of experience in Luxury resorts and minimum 2 years in a similar role.                  
• High volume hotel experience is desirable. 
• Expertise in luxury event planning, food and beverage operations, and exceptional guest service standards.
• Proven ability to lead, motivate, and develop a team, fostering a collaborative, high-performance work environment.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with a demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with clients, colleagues, and vendors.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment while maintaining poise, professionalism, and exceptional service standards.
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as required by the event schedule.
• Experience with a unionized environment