Guest Services Manager

Guest Services Manager

Crossroads Hotel, Kansas City, Missouri Reports to Director of Hotel Operations, position is non-exempt

With 131 luxuriously appointed rooms and several beautifully designed event spaces, the Crossroads is a loving renovation of two iconic KC buildings into a community-driven hotel. Come to stay, for an event or to see great art. Try our intimate and modern take on old world Italian, Lazia. Grab a drink or some anitpasta at the lively lobby cocktail bar. Head up to the rooftop beer garden where uninterrupted views and lively conversation co-conspire. With a story steeped in the history of Kansas City and America, we can't wait for you to leave your mark.

What's In It For You

• 2024 + 2025 + 2026 Awarded "A Very Special Stay" One MICHELIN Key
• Paid Vacation, Sick Time, and Holidays
• 50% off food when you dine as a guest and reduced room rates for our sister hotels
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and pet insurance at an affordable group rate
• Paid time off to volunteer for the causes you care about in your community
• Strong sense of belonging through diversity, equity, and inclusion

Who You Are

You are someone who is obsessed with hospitality: it is quite natural for you to walk into a hotel and want to fluff every pillow you see, judge the level of cleanliness or ask the front desk what type of system they are using. You get excited about how amenities are packaged and when you see a five star review come through. You enjoy casual sophistication and realize the concept of luxury has evolved to be approachable and loathe heavily scripted interactions and cookie-cutter experiences. Your career experience is eclectic and dynamic and you take great pride in having worked your way through a variety of progressive roles. You are humble and understand the need to work side by side with others and take feedback seriously to improve upon processes. You love the collaborative environment you find in hotels and have a special place in your heart for the people and teams you have worked with and developed throughout your career.

The Role

The Guest Services Manager sets the tone for the front-of-house guest experience of the hotel. This integral role leads the Guest Services department, ensuring that the service delivered to our guests is unique and memorable, meeting our high expectations. Though this is a management role, it is certainly not one in which you spend the entire day in the office doing paperwork. Instead, your day is spent where you are at your best: in the lobby with your team, delivering innovative guest experiences. The Guest Services Manager reports to the Director of Hotel Operations, and works together on how to deliver remarkable guest experiences. It is critical the person in this position possesses a diverse knowledge of Rooms Division operations and is willing to dive into the day-to-day operation, while balancing and directing the long-term goals of the hotel. You lead the team through your collaborative approachyou understand that the ability to act as a soldier is as critical as being a general.

What You Will Do

• Uphold and role model the company's principles of People, Place, and Character, while encouraging your direct reports to embody our values that drive collaboration, intuitive service, and translocal hospitality
• Demonstrate passion and aptitude for all aspects of a guest's experience, coaching your team to handle all guest interactions with the highest level of hospitality and professionalism. Encourage your team to find creative solutions in order to accommodate guest requests whenever possible
• Serve as the tour guide for all hotel experiences a guest may encounter, following your intuition to uncover each guest's likes or dislikes, enabling you to add a personalized touch that creates a special memory
• Collaborate with and coach your team to complete the necessary activities for the day to ensure standards are achieved, ensuring an environment where associates feel supported and valued to exceed guests' needs
• Be knowledgeable in all matters related to the safety, security, satisfaction, and well-being of hotel guests and associates; respond swiftly and effectively in any hotel emergency or safety situations, and verify all associates are trained and following proper emergency procedures
• Act as a key partner with the Director of Rooms and the operations leadership team, demonstrating a united front committed to providing the best possible guest experience
• Actively participate in recruitment, training, scheduling, supervising, coaching, and motivation of all Guest Services associates in order to create an environment that nurtures ideas and develops future talent for succession planning in the department
• Foster open lines of communication within the department by helping to facilitate daily line-ups, weekly division leadership meetings, and monthly departmental all-staff meetings to create a transparent dialogue amongst the team to voice ideas and concerns, while addressing the department's key priorities
• Coach and mentor your team on development of their skill set, fostering an environment of continuous growth; effectively use corrective action to address root causes of issues, course-correcting any missed opportunities
• Partner with Housekeeping and Engineering department heads to ensure hotel facilities and rooms are maintained in optimal condition, being emphatic about the smallest detail which may go unseen by the untrained eye
• Partner with Director of Revenue to monitor all reservation channels, verifying that detailed reservation information is collected and handled properly according to standards and protocol
• Champion departmental and hotel-wide initiatives and best practices by ensuring you take the time to communicate, train, and coach associates on the purpose of each initiative
• Maintain regular communication with the Director of Rooms to provide updates, discuss plans, communicate needs, and align on priorities, understanding that flexibility with your responsibilities is paramount to support a successful operation
• Foster a close relationship with the Executive Chef and Food + Beverage team to ensure team is aware of all F+B offerings, new menu items, and upsell and promote the internal F+B operations of the hotel. Attend daily stand-ups when able.

How You Lead

• Offer direct support for your team through one-on-one coaching, counseling, gentle correction, and constructive feedback
• Collaborate effectively with all departments in the hotel including Sales, Banquets + Catering, Engineering, Food + Beverage, and Culinary to provide an exemplary guest experience; be comfortable in debating ideas before implementing a decision that will impact operations property-wide, as we do not work in silos
• Be respectful in your daily interactions with your managers, direct reports, and peers, exemplifying the utmost level of professionalism and being a pillar within your community
• Highly analytical in thought and recommendations, with the ability to express a point of view in a respectful manner
• Engages others in general conversation tactics to build rapport quickly, with the ability to lead and adapt communication and presentation tactics to engage a wide range of audiences and stakeholders
• Approaches fact-finding and discovery missions as a collaborative effort; values input and experiences of others that create additional insight to uncover deeper issues that need to be addressed
• Can influence others to effectively drive results and take direction in order to execute on strategy through tactical methods; is comfortable prioritizing their work and that of others
• Prioritizes and organizes their own work when necessary by working flexible or extended hours to accommodate increased workload; can flex to the needs of an opening hotel and short notice situations

What You Will Need

• Minimum of three (3) years' experience as a manager within upscale, lifestyle, or luxury hospitality company
• Professional proficiency of the English language in reading, writing and verbal communication
• Adaptable interpersonal communication skills to address all employee levels of the hotel
• Intermediate skills in Microsoft Excel and Word to create spreadsheets or proposals
• May be required to work varying schedules that include days, nights, weekends, and holidays

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aparium Hospitality Services celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment and sense of belonging for all employees. We do not discriminate and believe every individual should be proud of who they are, where they come from and take pride in who we serve. Aparium is an E-Verify employer.