Front Office Manager

Company Description

Join us at Accor, where life pulses with passion!​

As a pioneer in the art of responsible hospitality, the Accor Group gathers more than 45 brands, 5,600 hotels, 10,000 restaurants, and lifestyle destinations in 110 countries. While each brand has its own personality, where you will be able to truly find yourself, they all share a common ambition: to keep innovating and challenging the status-quo.​

By joining us, you will become a Heartist, because hospitality is, first and foremost, a work of heart.​

You will join a caring environment and a team where you can be all you are. You will be in a supportive place to grow, to fulfil yourself, to discover other professions and to pursue career opportunities, in your hotel or in other hospitality environments, in your country or anywhere in the world!​

You will enjoy exclusive benefits, specific to the sector and beyond, as well as strong recognition for your daily commitment.​

Everything you will do with us, regardless of your profession, will offer a deep sense of meaning, to create lasting, memorable and impactful experiences for your customers, for your colleagues and for the planet.

Hospitality is a work of heart,​
Join us and become a Heartist.

Job Description

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Front Office Manager to join our team in Cape Town, South Africa. In this pivotal role, you will be responsible for overseeing the daily operations of our Front Office Department, ensuring exceptional guest experiences, and leading a team of dedicated professionals.

Specific duties, responsibilities & Key performance areas

Customer relations:

• Develop close professional relationships with guests throughout their stay with the aim of gaining their loyalty
• Anticipates guests needs and takes action to ensure a unique guest experience
• Handles guest complaints, if they have not been dealt with by team members and provides a rapid solution
• Present a professional, friendly, and efficient impression of the Hotel always
• To ensure that all tasks relating to guest comfort, satisfaction and overall impression of the hotel is treated with your utmost priority
• To maintain a good working relationship with your colleagues creating a team that works well together and with other departments
• To ensure that your team is developed to provide a hospitable service to the standard lay down by the Standards Training Manual
• To develop your team to anticipate guest needs, act upon and follow up guest requests and deliver a level of service and responsiveness that generates compliments
• To maintain vigilance regarding possible fraud, theft, and potential security risks
• To have a full understanding of all systems and Programs e.g., Tars, etc.
• Ensure communication procedures are effective and efficient on a day-to-day basis, so that service standards are not compromised
• Ensure you have a sound knowledge of the local area regarding history, places of interest and special events and where further information can be obtained with effective communication with the front office team. 
• This is a multi-skilled role incorporating both Front Office, Reservations, Revenue and Housekeeping duties in line with the business demands
• You will have the ability to multi-task while under pressure and have a proactive personality in this busy hands-on role
• Ensures the high standard of services provided for guests and the attainment in all areas of the hotel for both qualitative and quantitative targets
• Conveys the hotel’s image and atmosphere though his/her exemplary attitude, warm and friendly welcome, availability, and frequent presence in the field
• Manages and motivates all the Teams to improve sales and the quality of services
• To support with initiative and commitment the overall objectives of the business in terms of, revenues, costs, and teamwork – whilst developing your personal competency levels
• To be a good example of the company dress code and appearance standards – ensuring that your teams fully comply with these

Team management and cross-departmental responsibilities:

• To ensure that your team are fully conversant with the facilities, services and special promotions offered by the hotel and to pass this information onto the guest whenever the possibility arises to maximize hotel sales
• To display a pro-active and innovative approach to skills development and standards enhancement with your team
• Co-ordinate constructively with both the finance and night teams so that policy, procedure, and requirements are all adhered to
• Establish and maintain strict security procedures within your department, reporting any potential risks to the General Manager/ Hotel Manager
• Display a pro-active and consistent approach to stock control, cost control and cash control
• Actively develop positive and effective communication between the reception team and the housekeeping team
• Continuously analyze actual standards observed against department standards. Demonstrate a pro-active approach to delivering company and operational standards and actively challenge deviation
• Being pro-active in getting things done and exceeding expectations of both guests and colleagues where possible
• To build a consensus and negotiate mutually beneficial solutions to problems
• To undertake special duties or work outside the normal daily/weekly routine but within the overall scope of the position at the request of the General Manager/ Hotel Manager
• Design and implementation of new procedures, when necessary
• Ensures through effective supervision that all services offered in the housekeeping department are always available and are carried out with the outmost efficiency and courtesy as per the department operations manual
• Liaises with laundry and technical services departments to ensure the smooth flow of linen supplies and repair work
• Liaises with the Front Office on anticipated guest check-ins, checkouts, room assignments and rooming list
• Conducts periodic inspections of all hotel areas to check the cleaning standards
• Ensures the proper ordering of cleaning supplies and guest supplies and to check that they are handled and stored correctly
• Makes recommendation to management for modernization of equipment and refurbishment programs
• Ensures that all rooms are checked prior to the arrival of the guest for 100% readiness
• Ensures that all safety rules, emergency procedures and fire prevention regulations are strictly enforced by the employees
• Ensures proper arrangement and maintenance of flowers and plants in the guest rooms and public areas
• Conducts regular housekeeping meetings to keep employees informed of policies and procedures, special events, further improvement plans and guest comments
• Control reports from Night-Audit (guest’s credit limits, deductions, refunds, complimentary rooms)
• Ensure a high quality on the daily basis work (City Ledger, Check-in, Check-out, and other daily operations)
• Supervises the daily billing, cashiering, and business reports
• Month end reports and Management letter
• Takes part in the annual budget preparation for the Front Desk
• To carry out Duty Management functions as required

Professional techniques / Production:

• Ensures that the hotel's pricing policy is correctly applied (price value, start and end of price validity)
• Liaises with Reservations to ensure correct procedures are followed when making a reservation
• Ensures that rates are loaded and charged correctly for bookings on the system and on external platforms
• Liaises with the Revenue Manager or General Manager/ Hotel Manager as to any rate changes requires
• Ensure that daily ADR is correct and corresponds with budget and set rate structure
• Keeps the database up to date
• Ensures that guest documentation and information is available and up to date
• Ensures that information in the directory and e-directory is clear and up to date                                                                                                                                                          
• Draws up the rules and processes governing overbooking and the removal of guests from rooms
• Ensures that internal audit procedures are duly applied

Talent and Culture Responsibilities:

• Assist the (Department) Management Team in the following:

• Establish on-going On Job Training Programs within the department to meet Brand and Service Standards.  Use Department Procedure Manuals as a base for all service procedures training
• Induct new staff into the team, department, and Hotel in the first week of their employment following guidelines. Ensure that all staff under your control carry out their duties in accordance with the Brand and Service Standards and Procedures Manuals
• Openly communicate with staff ensuring regular briefings occur and all relevant information is passed on
• Ensure that strategies and practices are in place to facilitate the efficient and effective staffing of department to achieve financial and service quality targets
• Create a team that works together with trust and takes responsibility to meet the goals of the department / Hotel
• Implement Accor training initiatives with particular emphasis on coordinated and structured on job training aligned with service standards and service procedures
• Develop and implement with Shift Leaders, strategies to minimize staff turnover
• Appraise staff performance utilizing the Accor performance review system; ensure frontline performance reviews are conducted for probationary and annual reviews; correct performance issues and counsel as required
• Ensure staff presentation is consistent with hotel staff handbook; uniforms correctly presented; name badges worn
• Achieve effective communication by briefing and debriefing staff, holding regular departmental meetings, and actively encouraging transparent communication with other departments within the Hotel
• Recruit staff that are technically skilled or have potential to be through training and have a natural inclination towards customer focused service.
• Ensure the employee Department Induction program is completed within 4 weeks
• Establish on-going On Job Training Programs within the department to meet Brand and Service Standards. Use Department Procedure Manuals as a base for all service procedures training
• Induct new staff into the team, department, and Hotel in the first week of their employment following guidelines. Ensure that all staff under your control carry out their duties in accordance with the Brand and Service Standards and Procedures Manuals
• Manage Multi Skills training
• Make sure of the information transmission in the concerned services
• Develops team spirit and motivation by creating a good working atmosphere
• Organises the welcome and integration of new employees
• Prepares or checks the work schedules, ensuring that they are consistent with activity forecasts of the hotel operation
• Implement the Accor values and Accor customer vision to ‘Offer the Best Service to Our Customers’

Commercial / Sales

• Sets up the hotel's pricing policy in conjunction with the Revenue Manager or General Manager/ Hotel Manager
• Trains the team to use and apply sales pitches
• Sets the daily occupancy and average room rate targets for the team
• Ensures the brand and/or Group's loyalty Programme is promoted to guests
• Ensures the team applies the inter-hotel coordination policy to encourage synergy within the marketplace
• Regularly checks the quality of the service provision available by means of customer comments, feedback during service meetings
• Give daily recommendations according to groups, arrivals, departures, and special issues
• Organize for VIP welcome when necessary
• Actively develop your team’s awareness of revenue capture and resolving posting errors and guest queries relating to charges – to protect revenues
• Encourage staff to maximize revenue by up selling and following yield recommendations
• Ensure that staff has good knowledge of rates, segments, and hotel promotions

Management and administration:

• Ensures that invoicing and cash operations procedures are respected
• Updates dashboard charts (revenue, occupancy rates, average room rate, activity forecasts, headcount planning, etc.)
• Draws up the annual budget for the department, analyses results and implements any corrective actions required
• Manages the department's headcount for optimum efficiency
• Is responsible for the efficient running of the department

Qualifications

• Relevant experience in Hospitality Management or related field (Advantage)
• Minimum 3-5 years of experience in Front Office management within the hospitality industry
• Proven track record of leadership and team management in a fast-paced environment
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and hotel management software
• Strong financial experience in budgeting and revenue management
• Exceptional customer service skills with a focus on creating memorable guest experiences
• Excellent problem-solving abilities and decisiveness in handling complex situations
• Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills
• In-depth understanding of hotel operations and guest service best practices 
• Ability to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays
• Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills