Front Office Manager

**Job Number** 22182131

**Job Category** Rooms & Guest Services Operations

**Location** Protea Hotel Durban Umhlanga, Protea Mall Corner Lighthouse and Chartwell Drive, Durban, South Africa, South Africa VIEW ON MAP

**Schedule** Full-Time

**Located Remotely?** N

**Relocation?** N

**Position Type** Management

**JOB SUMMARY**

Assists the Front Office Manager in administering front office functions and supervising staff on a daily basis. Front office areas include Bell/Door Staff, Switchboard and Guest Services/Front Desk. Position directs and works with managers and employees to carry out procedures ensuring an efficient check in and check out process. Ensures guest and employee satisfaction and maximizes the financial performance of the department.

**CANDIDATE PROFILE**

**Education and Experience**
- High school diploma or GED; 2 years experience in the guest services, front desk, or related professional area.

OR
- 2-year degree from an accredited university in Hotel and Restaurant Management, Hospitality, Business Administration, or related major; no work experience required.

**CORE WORK ACTIVITIES**

**Maintaining Guest Services and Front Desk Goals**
- Manages day-to-day operations, ensuring the quality, standards and meeting the expectations of the customers on a daily basis.
- Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Handles complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
- Supervises staffing levels to ensure that guest service, operational needs and financial objectives are met.
- Ensures that regular on-going communication is happening with employees to create awareness of business objectives and communicate expectations, recognizes performance, and produces desired results.
- Understands the impact of department’s operations on the overall property financial goals and objectives and manages to achieve or exceed goals.

**Supporting Management of Front Desk Team**
- Utilizes interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, and encourage others; advocates sound financial/business decision making; demonstrates honesty/integrity; leads by example.
- Encourages and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
- Serving as a role model to demonstrate appropriate behaviors.
- Supervises and manages employees. Manages all day-to-day operations. Understands employee positions well enough to perform duties in employees' absence.
- Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with employees and ensures employees do the same within the team.
- Supervises all areas of the Front Office in the absence of the Front Office or Assistant Front Office Manager.

**Ensuring Exceptional Customer Service**
- Provides services that are above and beyond for customer satisfaction and retention.
- Improves service by communicating and assisting individuals to understand guest needs, providing guidance, feedback, and individual coaching when needed.
- Responds to and handles guest problems and complaints.
- Sets a positive example for guest relations.
- Empowers employees to provide excellent customer service.
- Observes service behaviors of employees and provides feedback to individuals.
- Interacts with customers to obtain feedback on quality of product, service levels and overall satisfaction.
- Ensures employees understand customer service expectations and parameters.
- Interacts with guests to obtain feedback on product quality and service levels.
- Emphasizes guest satisfaction during all departmental meetings and focuses on continuous improvement.

**Managing Projects and Policies**
- Implements the customer recognition/service program, communicating and ensuring the process.
- Trains staff and monitors adherence to all credit policies and procedures to reduce bad debts and rebates.
- Supervises same day selling procedures to maximize room revenue and control property occupancy.
- Supervises daily Front Desk shift operations and ensures compliance with all policies, standards and procedures.
- Ensures property policies are administered fairly and consistently, disciplinary procedures and documentation are completed according to Standard and Local Operating Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs) and support the Peer Review Process.

**Supporting Human Resource Activities**
- Supports the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
- Solicits employee feedback, utilizes an “open door” policy and reviews employee satisfaction results to identify and address employee problems or concerns.
- Brings issues concerning employee satisfaction to the attention of the department manager and Human Resources.
- Assists as needed in the interviewing and hiring of employee team members with the appropriate skills.
- Supports a departmental orientation program for employees to receive the appropriate ne