Director of Front Office

Job description

About Us For more than 40 years, our hotel has been a landmark in the Houston hospitality scene. Today, The Houston Grand – River Oaks is entering an exciting new chapter. Under the vision of new local ownership with deep Houston roots, the property is preparing for a full renovation, and a complete luxury rebrand that will restore the hotel as one of the premier destinations in the city. We are committed to elevating every aspect of the guest and associate experience. Our team is a tight knit, family like community with many long tenured associates who take pride in their craft and the exceptional service they deliver. We value passion, professionalism, and the desire to grow—because when our associates and their families thrive, our hotel thrives. Associates enjoy a complimentary meal each shift, free parking, and meaningful opportunities for career development within both the hotel and the broader HEI portfolio. Join us as we write the next chapter of a Houston legacy—your future could be part of something extraordinary. Don't meet every single requirement of this job? At HEI we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to still send in your information. You may be the perfect candidate for this or for other roles within our organization! We value U.S. military experience and invite all qualified military candidates to apply. Compensation Tipped/Service Charge Eligible? No Discretionary Performance Bonus Eligible? No Overview Oversees the Front Office/Guest Services Department. This position acts as a liaison to outsource the Front Office Management and all aspect of Front Office Operations to ensure profitability, cost controls, and quality standards to ensure total guest satisfaction. Provides leadership and guidance to all Front of House team members to ensure consistent quality service is provided to our guests. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Communicates effectively in writing and verbally to provide clear direction to staff. Observes team member’s performance and encourages for improvement. Interviews, selects, trains, supervises, evaluates, counsels, and administers progressive disciplinary procedures for Front Office and Guest Services staff. Oversees all guest and VIP arrival and departure to ensure highest levels of guest service and makes staffing adjustments as required with Front Office Manager. Ensures that training programs of Front Office and Guest Services team members are in compliance. Interacts positively with customers and takes action to resolve problems to the satisfaction of parties involved. Handles customer complaints, including responses to guest surveys, to ensure guest satisfaction. Ensure that all guest surveys are responded to timely. Oversees the hotel quality assurance meeting focusing on continuous improvement. Ensures that all team members use guest name in a natural manner to ensure warm and personalized service according to Guest Service Delivery Standards. Reviews and works together with appropriate leadership for VIP reservations and ensures proper handling of VIPs and groups, administers amenity orders, and resumes for incoming guests. Monitors special reservation requests, including handling rate changes on in-house guests. Computes daily payroll, schedules, and other reports to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity within payroll budget. Reviews in-house, arrival and departure guests to ensure credit challenges are avoided. Assists Finance department to address all credit challenges. Develops individual and team agendas focusing on operational efficiency, quality improvement and or financial benefits. Plans, presents and implements training modules and supporting components to ensure all front office employees are kept up with latest customer service techniques and tools. Monitors training and employee’s progresses to ensure Guest Service Culture Standards are followed. Participates in all necessary training as directed. Ensures brand standards are adhered to daily by all team members in the department. Interacts positively with team members to foster team spirit and loyalty. Seeks opportunities to ensure customer loyalty. Prepares team for all Quality Assurance inspections. Attends and participates in meetings to ensure the success of the hotel. Oversees the monthly departmental meetings for Front Office and Guest Services. ​ Qualifications and Skills Minimum of three years of front office management experience required. Minimum of two-year department head level experience required. Ability to effectively deal with team members and customers, some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy to defuse anger and collect accurate information. Excellent Interpersonal skills to provide overall guest satisfaction. Excellent mathematical comprehension to understand and interpret numbers as they apply to operations in hotels. Ability to access and accurately input information using a moderately complex computer system. Ability to read, write, speak and understand the English language to communicate effectively with guests and team members. Ability to work under pressure and deal with stressful situations during busy periods. Effective verbal and written communication skills. Ability to adapt communication style to suit different audiences, such as effectively communicating with supervisors, coworkers, public etc. Benefits HEI Hotels and Resorts is committed to providing a comprehensive benefit program that offers you choices for your physical, mental and financial wellness, creating value in your most important investment - you! For your physical and mental wellness we offer competitive Medical and Dental programs through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield as well as Vision insurance programs ​through EyeMed. ​Our Vacation, Sick and Holiday programs are available for you to rejuvenate with time off. HEI also provides pet insurance through the ASPCA. For your financial wellness, HEI provides a wide array of coverage, including Supplemental, Spousal and Child Life insurance as well as Short and Long-Term Disability plans. Our 401(k) Savings Plan with matching funds, and discounts through our 'YouDecide' and Hotel Room Discount programs provide additional incentives for choosing HEI as the employer of your future. Specific details and eligibility of these programs vary by location and employment status. HEI Hotels and Resorts is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.