Front Desk Agent

EOE Statement
We are an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Description


JOB TITLE: Front Desk Agent

DEPARTMENT: Front Office

LOCATION: El Encanto - Santa Barbara, CA

RESPONSIBLE TO: Director of Front Office

SCOPE AND PURPOSE:

The Front Desk Agent serves as a key ambassador of El Encanto, creating a warm, gracious, and highly personalized experience for each guest. As a central point of contact throughout the guest journey, the Front Desk Agent ensures that every interaction-from arrival and check-in through departure-is seamless, thoughtful, and reflective of the exceptional level of service for which El Encanto is known.

This role requires a polished and engaging hospitality professional who anticipates guest needs, takes ownership of requests, and approaches every interaction with warmth, discretion, and attention to detail. The ideal candidate thrives in a luxury environment, communicates confidently across departments, and remains composed and solutions-oriented while managing multiple priorities.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Guest Experience & Luxury Service

Create a warm, polished, and personalized experience for every guest from arrival through departure, consistently reflecting El Encanto's luxury service standards.

Anticipate guest needs, provide thoughtful recommendations, and take ownership of requests, concerns, and service recovery with discretion, urgency, and genuine care.

Maintain a professional and composed presence while protecting guest privacy and providing exceptional attention to VIPs, special occasions, and individual preferences.

Front Desk Operations & Financial Accuracy

Perform check-ins and check-outs, verify reservations and guest details, process payments, and maintain accurate guest profiles and folios.

Assist with walk-ins, same-day reservations, room upgrades, and resort offerings while identifying appropriate opportunities to enhance the guest experience and support revenue goals.

Follow established Front Office procedures, including cash handling, credit card processing, shift balancing, reporting, and the accurate documentation of guest information.

Communication & Team Collaboration

Communicate clearly and proactively with Housekeeping, Reservations, Engineering, Food & Beverage, and other departments to ensure seamless coordination of guest needs, room status, special requests, and daily operations.

Maintain accurate and timely communication across shifts, including guest preferences, follow-up items, service concerns, and operational priorities.

Demonstrate flexibility, teamwork, sound judgment, and attention to detail while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced luxury resort environment.

OTHER:

Previous Front Office, guest services, or luxury hospitality experience preferred.

Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills with a genuine passion for creating memorable guest experiences.

Professional, polished, and gracious demeanor with the ability to interact comfortably with a diverse and discerning clientele.

Strong attention to detail and ability to maintain accuracy in a fast-paced environment.

Demonstrated ability to anticipate needs, exercise sound judgment, and resolve guest concerns with confidence and discretion.

Ability to manage multiple priorities while remaining calm, organized, and attentive.

Strong teamwork skills and the ability to communicate effectively across departments.

Comfortable using hotel property management systems, point-of-sale systems, email, and other standard workplace technology.

Ability to maintain confidentiality and appropriately handle sensitive guest and business information.

Flexibility to work a varied schedule based on business needs, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays.

Ability to stand and remain active for extended periods throughout the shift.

Ability to perform repetitive computer and administrative tasks associated with Front Office operations.

Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull reasonable amounts of weight as required to perform the essential functions of the position.

Ability to communicate effectively with guests and colleagues in person, by telephone, and through electronic communication.

Position Requirements


Education & Experience

• High School diploma or equivalent required; College course work in related field helpful
• Experience in a hotel or a related field preferred
• Experience with basic bar service, coffee preparation, or quick-service food handling preferred
• Possess a positive and upbeat personality with a desire to deliver outstanding customer service to our guests
• Demonstrate the ability to multi-task, be detail-oriented, and be able to problem solve in order to effectively deal with internal and external customers
• Must be able to convey information and ideas clearly
• Must be able to evaluate and select among alternative courses of action quickly and accurately
• Must work well in stressful, high pressure situations
• Must be effective in handling problems in the workplace, including anticipating, preventing, identifying and solving problems as necessary
• Must be effective at listening to, understanding, and clarifying the issues raised by co-workers and guests
• Must be able to work with and understand financial information and data, and basic arithmetic functions
• Ability to perform numerical operations using basic counting, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing
• Ability to read, comprehend and write simple instructions and/or short correspondence and memos
• Ability to use logic to define the problem, collect information, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, interpret information and deal with abstract variables for unique or unfamiliar situations
• An operational knowledge of Microsoft Office suite
• Must be willing and have the ability to work a varied schedule that may include evenings, nights, weekends and holidays
• Holds an understanding of hotel products and guest services (i.e. lifestyle, full service, resort, etc.)
• Ability to participate in the creation of an enjoyable work environment
• Must meet local/state requirements for alcohol service (if applicable)

Full-Time/Part-Time
Full-Time

Salary Range
$22.00 Hourly

Exempt/Non-Exempt
Non-Exempt


This position is currently accepting applications.