Assistant Director Front Office

Yearly

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.

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.

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.

• Carry a cell phone at all times.
• Attend daily and monthly Rooms Upselling/Merchandizing meetings.
• Labor relations experience preferred
• Mintain a professional working relationship and promote open lines of communication with managers, emploees and other departments.
• Conduct regular Front Office Manager meetings to ensure communication is transparent
• Faciliatet, prepare and attend weekly WIG meetings and track results.
• Maintain and monitor "Lost and Found" procedures and policies according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Must maintain constant communication with Housekeeping, Reservations and the Credit Manager.
• Ensure correct and accrate cash handling at the Front Desk.
• Ensure staff greet and welcome all guests approaching the Front Desk in accordance with Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• Motivate, coach, counsel and disicipline all Front Office personnel according to Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• 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.
• Follow and enforce all Highgate Hotel credit policies.
• Ensure that Wage Progress, Productibity and the Ten Day Forecast are completed on a timely basis according to Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s.
• Ensure that employees are, at all times, attentive, friendly, helpful and courteous to all guests, managers and other employees.
• Establish and maintain key control system.
• Be familiar with all corporate sponsored programs, luxury programs, and the standards and procedures for each.
• Monitor proper operation of te P.B.X. console and ensure that employees maintain Highgate Hotels S.O.P.’s in its use.
• Operate all aspects of the Front Office computer office system, including software maintenance, report generation and analysis, and simple programming.
• Operate radios efficiently and professionally in communicating with hotel staff. Ensure the proper use of radio etiquette within the department.
• Assist in preparation of revenue and occupancy forecasting.
• Maintain Highgate Hotel S.O.P.’s regarding Purchase Orders, vouchering of invoices an checkbook accounting.
• Conduct meetings according to Highgate Hotel standards as required by management.
• Ensure implementation of all Highgate Hotel policies and house rules. Understand hospitality terms.
• Forbes 5-star experience preferred
• Create S.O.P.’s and revise existing ones as needed.
• Actively participate in Room Division meetings
• Ensure participation within department for monthly Highgate Hotel team meeting.
• 3 years of Hotel Management experience in a luxury hotel required
• Review Front Office log book and Guest Request log on a daily basis.
• Support Highgate core values; passion, innovation, integrity, ownership and community.
• Ensure completion of daily MOD checklist.
• Ensure sign off of all Service Standards by Poition for Front Office staff.
• Prepare employee schedule according to business forecast, payroll budget guidelines and prodctivity requirements.
• Maintain required pars of all front office and stationary supplies.
• Maintain an organized and comprehensive filing system with documentation of purchases, vouchering, schedules, forecasts, reports and tracking logs.
• Participate in required M.O.D. program as scheduled.
• Review daily Front Office work and activity reports generated by Night Audit.
• Focus the Front Office Department on their role in contributing to the guest satisfaction and audit scores.
• Ensure that no-show revenue is maximized through consistent ans accurate billing.
• Work closely with Accounting on follow-up items, i.e., rejected credit cards, employee cashiering discrepencies, etc.
• 2 years Front Office Manager/Assistant Director experience in a luxury hotel required
• Ensure logging and delivery of all messages, pacjages, and mail in a timely and professional manner.
• A 4-year college degree; or a 2-year college degree and 2 or more years or related experience
• Coordinate all aspects of the ongoing implementation of the Newbury Hotel philosophy of service.
• Review Front Office staff’s worked hours for payroll compilation andsubmit to Accounting on a timely basis.
• 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.
• 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.
• Must be proficient in Windows, Company approved spreadsheets and word processing
• Monitor all V.I.P.'s and special guest requests.