Operation Manager

Compensation Type

Highgate Hotels

Highgate is a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in U.S. gateway markets including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a rapidly expanding presence in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Highgate’s portfolio of global properties represents an aggregate asset value exceeding $20B and generates over $5B in cumulative revenues. The company provides expert guidance through all stages of the hospitality property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition.  Highgate also has the creativity and bandwidth to develop bespoke hotel brands and utilizes industry-leading proprietary revenue management tools that identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive out performance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the industry’s most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices in London, New York, Dallas, and Seattle.

Location

Located on the seam of Belltown and the retail core, the 97-room Kimpton Palladian Hotel is within walking distance of landmarks like Pike Place Market, the waterfront, and Seattle’s best new restaurants, live music venues, cafés, and boutiques. When you’re not exploring, your home base is a 1910 landmark reinvented in a masculine-chic style with luxe amenities, edgy design elements, and contemporary furnishings that reflect Belltown’s hip heritage. You’ll also find a heralded seafood restaurant in Shaker + Spear, a speakeasy-style social lounge called Pennyroyal, and a lobby you won’t soon forget. The Palladian beckons today’s tech titans and tastemakers.

Overview

The Operation Manager is responsible for ensuring the operation of the Housekeeping Department in an attentive, friendly, efficient and courteous manner, providing all guests with quality service and a clean and safe environment throughout their stay, while efficiently managing expenses and maximizing service levels.

Responsibilities

• Employees must, at all times, be attentive, friendly, helpful, and courteous to all guests, managers, and fellow employees.
• Respond to all guest requests, problems, complaints and/or accidents presented through reservations, comment cards, letters and/or phone calls, in an attentive, courteous and efficient manner.  Follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Motivate, coach, counsel and discipline all Housekeeping personnel according to Highgate Hotel SOP's.
• Ensure compliance to Standard of the Week training, using the steps to effective training according to Highgate Hotel  standards.
• Maintain a regularly scheduled cleaning program (i.e. floor care, hard cleaning, mattress flipping, etc.) and maintain a detailed checklist for each position.
• Assist in maintaining and controlling all housekeeping equipment.
• Assist in ensuring compliance with all corporate Risk Management standards (MSDS, HazComm, etc.).
• Ensure that large guestroom turns are managed efficiently.
• Ensure consistency with departmental opening and closing procedures.
• Carry a pager at all times.
• Prepare and conduct Housekeeping interviews as required and follow hiring procedures according to Highgate Hotel SOP's.
• Develop employee morale and ensure training of Housekeeping personnel.
• Inspect rooms daily, and ensure that some rooms are inspected with supervisors on a daily basis.
• Assist the Hotel Manager in inspecting all VIP rooms prior to arrival.
• Ensure that public areas, guest rooms and back-of-house areas are cleaned to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Assist in maintaining required pars of all Housekeeping and Laundry supplies by ordering all needed supplies and amenities on a monthly or quarterly basis.
• Assist in conducting monthly and quarterly Housekeeping inventories on a timely basis.
• Ensure guest privacy and security through correctly following Highgate Hotel procedures.
• Monitor work orders and submit to Engineering according to hotel procedures.  Follow up on work orders to ensure completion.
• Conduct pre-shift meetings for room attendants and housemen.
• Respond to emergency situations using information contained in MSD sheets.  Keep MSD sheets current and easily available.
• Balance and clear room status nightly; compare the p.m. housekeeping report with the PMS room status report and resolve any discrepancies.
• Assist in reviewing Housekeeping staff's worked hours for payroll compilation and submit to Accounting on a timely basis.
• Assist in preparing employee Schedule according to business forecast, payroll budget guidelines and productivity requirements.
• Maintain Highgate Hotel SOP's regarding Purchase Orders, vouchering of invoices and checkbook accounting.
• 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 sign off of all Service Standards by Position competencies for Housekeeping staff.
• Operate pagers and radios efficiently and professionally in communicating with hotel staff.  Ensure the proper use of radio etiquette within the department.
• Manage and organize large turn days (including group check-ins or check-outs).
• Monitor out-of-order, out-of-service, discrepant and show rooms.
• Must maintain constant communication with Guest Services.
• Monitor and act on special requests as needed; VIPs, special needs rooms, connecting, etc.
• Attend weekly staff meeting and provide training on a rotational basis using steps to effective training according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Maintain and monitor "Lost and Found" procedures and policies according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Maintain key control system for house keys.
• Ensure participation within department for monthly Highgate Hotel team meeting.
• Focus the Housekeeping Department on their role in contributing to the Guest Service and audit Scores.
• Monitor all V.I.P.'s, special guests and requests.
• Review Housekeeping log book and Guest Request log on a daily basis.
• Assist in maintaining an organized and comprehensive filing system with documentation of purchases, vouchering, schedules, forecasts, reports and tracking logs.
• Use the telephone and computer system for reporting and verifying room status.
• Record all valet laundry for valet cleaners.  Check and review incoming laundry at end of day to ensure all items have been returned.
• Properly store, secure and issue supplies as needed to meet business demands.
• Ensure completion of regular maintenance and cleaning projects on a biannual basis.
• Ensure overall guest satisfaction.

Qualifications

• At least 2 years of progressive experience in a hotel or a related field; or a 4-year college degree; or a 2-year college degree and 1 or more years of related experience.
• Supervisory experience required.
• Must be proficient in Windows, Company approved spreadsheets and word processing.
• Long hours sometimes required.
• Medium work - Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.
• Must be able to effectively communicate both verbally and written, with all level of employees and guests in an attentive, friendly, courteous and service oriented manner.
• Must be effective at listening to, understanding, and clarifying concerns raised by employees and guests.
• Must be able to multitask and prioritize departmental functions to meet deadlines.
• Approach all encounters with guests and employees in an attentive, friendly, courteous and service-oriented manner.
• Attend all hotel required meetings and trainings.
• Participate in M.O.D. coverage as required.
• Maintain regular attendance in compliance with Highgate Hotel Standards, as required by scheduling, which will vary according to the needs of the hotel.
• Maintain high standards of personal appearance and grooming, including wearing nametags.
• Comply with Highgate Hotel Standards and regulations to encourage safe and efficient hotel operations.
• Maximize efforts towards productivity, identify problem areas and assist in implementing solutions.
• Must be effective in handling problems, including anticipating, preventing, identifying and solving problems as necessary.
• Must be able to understand and evaluate complex information, data, etc. from various sources to meet appropriate objectives.