Asst. Front Office Manager

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.

This 645-room hotel is perfectly located on Honolulu's famous Kalakaua Avenue, where it is just steps to the beach and an arm's reach to the best dining, shopping, and entertainment in the area. Guests can borrow the hotel's own towels and beach chairs to spend the day by the sea, or choose to lay out by the hotel's pool with a tropical drink from nearby Tiki's Grill and Bar. And for the adventurous, The Twin Fin offers a on-site activities desk ready to curate a number of fun experiences.

The Assistant Front Office Manager supports the Front Office Manager in managing all aspects of the Front Desk while providing all guests with quality service, maximizing room revenue and productivity, and developing managers and employees.

Fundamental Requirements:

Respond to all guest requests, problems, complaints and/or follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Motivate, train, and counsel all Front Office personnel according to hotel standards.
• Conduct all Front Office interviews and follow hiring procedures according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Maintain the department's schedule, payroll and incentives.
• Develop employee morale and ensure training of Front Office personnel.
• 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.
• Monitor room inventory to ensure the maximization of rooms revenue and occupancy.
• Tour Front Office operating departments daily, greeting employees and soliciting feedback.
• Analyze rate variance and monitor credit report.
• Monitor and support guest satisfaction surveys
• Monitor expenses to ensure expense control and maximize profit, using checkbook accounting as a control mechanism.
• Strictly enforce front office and accounting SOP's..
• Conduct walk-throughs of public areas and guestrooms to ensure that cleanliness and maintenance standards are met.
• Conduct/Support regular Front Office meetings.
• Have regular performance review meetings with managers and employees.
• Monitor labor expenses through schedule approval process and ensure budgeted productivity is met.
• Work in conjunction with the Front Office Manager and Director of Rooms to prepare the Front Office annual budget.
• Operate all aspects of the Front Office computer system, including software maintenance, report generation and analysis, and simple programming.
• In absent of FOM, partner with other department heads to find efficiencies and ensure operational synergy.
• Responsible to ensure effective processes and response time of guest interactive tools to include texting, apps, and social media channels
• Assist in maintaining key control system.
• Monitor all VIP.'s, special guests, and group requests.
• Involvement in the lobby coverage.
• Ensure overall associate satisfaction.
• Works closely with Sales and Reservations in order to fulfill all special requests for groups, VIP's, etc.
• Assist daily in the guest reception.
• Assists and often leads guest service training initiatives within the front office department
• Maintains a friendly and caring demeanor at all times in a fast paced environment.
• Maintains a professional image at all times that falls within the hotel and company guidelines for appearance and dress.
• Demonstrates team work by co-operating and assisting colleagues as needed.
• Provides all Front Desk Assistant job duties like registering guests into the hotel in a prompt and courteous manner, using up-selling techniques to maximize room rates; preparing for group check-ins and check-outs, and VIP arrivals
• Maintains and updates all guest profiles
• Reviews all daily and future reservations in order to accommodate special requests, makes amenity cards, works closely with IRD and PH to communicate all F&B requests
• Works with all new hires for FD training.
• Becomes informed of events/functions in the hotel during shifts.
• Maintains a house bank and keeps an accurate report of daily receipts and deposits.
• Is able to work with and understand basic financial data and information.
• Is able to find guest centric solutions
• Promotes hotel services, facilities and outlets, provides the guest with information such as local attractions and directions, using the James Report to increase guest satisfaction.
• Is able to take or assist with reservations.
• Is able to assist at PBX.
• Resolves guest complaints to the satisfaction of the customer by being guest centric, friendly and caring. Communicates to Management any problems, complaints or unhappy guests.
• Is intuitive to guest needs, anticipates needs in job performance, being proactive instead of reactive.
• Stays current with developments in the hotel by reviewing the communication log book each shift; updates log book for next shifts as well as communicates effectively the policies and procedures to other team members of the hotel.
• Has knowledge of and assists in all emergency procedures as required.
• Attends all mandatory meetings and training classes.
• Completes all checklists as assigned.
• Perform other duties as requested by management.

General Requirements:

• Must be proficient in Windows, Company approved spreadsheets and word processing.
• Previous supervisory responsibility preferred.
• Maintain a warm and friendly demeanor at all times.
• 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.
• Participate in MOD 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, which includes wearing the proper uniform and nametag.
• 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.

Physical requirements:

• Avaliability to stand the entire shift, 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.

Education & Experience:

• High School diploma or equivalent required.
• At least 3 years of progressive experience in a hotel or a related field recommended.
• College course work in related field helpful.
• Knowledge ig Opera PMS preferred.
• Multi-lingual preferred.