Guest Relations Manager - job 1 of 2

Our Mindset / Who we are 

• We believe in performance, agility, innovation, fun, collective intelligence, and empowerment.
• We take great pride in celebrating successes, yet we do also accept to fail so we can bounce back even stronger.
• We are empowered and fully accountable. Everyone is encouraged to take ownership, make decisions and drive impact.
• We act as One team. Global, Regions and Hotels build and drive our commercial and marketing strategy together, support each other and grow collectively. We learn from each other, we win collectively.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Primary liaison between guests and Accor Sofitel
• Participate in New Hire Orientation
• Review today, next day arrivals (three days on the weekends), and all departures to research guest information and update guest profiles in Opera
• Communicate with Sales and Marketing team any arriving, in house, or departed guests that might be of interest of the brand or potential frequent clients
• Prepare VIP reports and distribute to the executive Office
• Assign VIP rooms and communicate with all departments
• Participate in daily staff line ups
• Possess the ability to assist staff in all FO job responsibilities – including break coverage and MOD Duties.
• Responsible to encourage open communication channels amongst all the Sofitel New York Rooms division
• Coordinates on the day bookings with Reservations. Rooms Controlling – able to block rooms in advance for VIPs, Groups and specific allocations, adding necessary alerts, balancing the house count, with highlighting potential upselling opportunities.
• Prepare requests for VIP amenities and ensure communication within all departments for proper delivery, proper placing and look, tracking, and retrieval
• Assist merging profiles
• Consistently communicate with peers with all other properties to share information, initiatives and information about our guests.
• Review and maintain all email communication to our guests.
• Welcome and greet guests, provide property tours, share the knowledge of our brand
• Assist to maintain the proper Vibe in all public areas, including lighting, music, etc
• Attend morning meetings
• Address guest's complaints and become guests' ally
• Walking public areas being the Sofitel Ambassador and ensuring guests are having a great experience
• Execute, maintain, train, and inspect that Sofitel Standards are followed within the Front Office
• Conduct room inspections for VIP arrivals
• Other duties as requested by Director of Guest Relations and Director of Front Office

Shared Managerial Responsibilities:

• Cover FOM shifts when needed

• Develop and maintain operational standards for all areas of the Front Office = Front Desk, Bell, Reservations
• Support and promote all hotel and company programs, policies and procedures
• Assist in creating a positive team-oriented environment that focuses on the guest, through employee development and motivation
• Build morale and spirit in conjunction with our cultural aspect
• Respond properly in any emergency or safety situation involving the hotel and its guests
• Actively participate in and attend meetings as requested
• Handle projects as assigned to their completion. Must be proactive & take initiative
• Review and obtain feedback from the employees
• Perform other duties as required

The annual salary for this position is $70,000 - $75,000.

Brand Ambassador:
Throughout the hotel we actively seek to employ a unique, diverse and thoughtful group of people that are committed to delivering our unconventional brand of hospitality while also growing with us.

• They are committed to and fully comprehend the idea of being of service;

• They do not just delight guests, but excite them–by creating unique, unexpected & memorable experiences;
• They are ambitious, vibrant and social/friendly individuals;
• They genuinely embrace diversity in all forms, interested to have people from all race and gender to be their friend;
• They encourage genuine relationships with guests that enable them to not only preempt needs but foresee desires;
• They have personality and depth;
• They have a desire and unyielding appetite for learning & knowledge—being in-the-know with what is happening in the city and around the world;
• They are creative in areas like music, cinema, art, performance, fashion, design, tech and business;
• They are engaging, socially adept and solution-based individuals able to navigate the scene with confidence and ease;
• They can entertain guests in a compassionate, respectful and meaningful manner;
• They are authentically themselves;
• They want to play a role in constructing a kinder and better world.

Essential:

• The successful candidate must have a passionate approach to customer service, a positive attitude, exceptional organizational skills, a strong work ethic, a desire to work as part of a team, a willingness to work hard and to learn, attention to detail and an ability to follow through and complete all tasks.
• The candidate should have excellent internal and external customer service skills, the ability to handle all guest needs, concerns, and accommodations along with developing positive relations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, strong decision making ability and attention to detail are equally important.
• The ideal candidate will be experienced in handling a wide range of administrative and hotel-related tasks and will be able to work independently with little or no supervision.

This job requires ability to perform the following:

• Frequently standing up behind the desk and front office areas
• Carrying or lifting items weighing up to 50 pounds
• Handling various objects
• Use a keyboard to operate various property management and reservations systems, etc.

Other:

• Communication skills are utilized a significant amount of time when interacting with guests and employees.
• Must be able to work nights, weekends, and/or holidays.
• Ability to travel to attend workshops, specialized training and/or certifications, etc.

Desirable:

1. Multi-lingual
2. Prior work experience in a related area
3. College degree or currently studying hospitality, business, management

Our Culture / Be ALL you are with ALL your Heart

At Accor, we are committed to diversity. Each individual, each personality, and each experience has its place to grow and make us grow collectively. Everything we do, we do with heart. We are creators of emotions, professionals of the human experience, open to others and the world around us.

• Our culture is inclusive. We value the richness of the 120 nationalities, the different backgrounds, the different stories that make up our company.
• We care for the world around us: our teams, our guests, our establishments, our environment are at the heart of our concerns. Our mission is human, essential: to bring cultures together, to open windows on the world, to provide unforgettable experiences, day after day.
• All our heartists are talents in the making, they are the future of our group and our hotels. Helping them grow professionally and develop personally according to their wishes and ambitions is our priority.
• Together, we imagine your future. Our group is large, with many opportunities, and the experiences are infinite.
• We dare to question the status quo. We challenge ourselves to always do better. We take risks, we dream the impossible and make it possible.
• Hospitality is teamwork, and we are stronger together. We believe in caring, we respect our differences and value all voices. We work as a team, saying what we do and doing what we say.