Director of Housekeeping

ABOUT CASA CIPRIANI

Founded in Venice in 1931 with the opening of the legendary Harry’s Bar, Cipriani has built a global reputation for timeless hospitality, exceptional service, and understated elegance. For generations, the Cipriani family has remained committed to creating memorable experiences rooted in authenticity, simplicity, and genuine care for our guests.

Casa Cipriani New York brings this heritage to the historic Battery Maritime Building in Lower Manhattan. Combining a luxury hotel with a private members’ club, dining, wellness, and entertainment, Casa Cipriani offers a highly personalized hospitality experience while carrying forward the traditions and service standards that have defined the Cipriani name for generations.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Director of Housekeeping provides strategic and hands-on leadership for all Housekeeping operations, ensuring exceptional standards of cleanliness, presentation, and service throughout guest rooms, public areas, and back-of-house spaces. They are responsible for the strategic leadership and overall performance of the Housekeeping Department. This position ensures that all guest rooms, public areas, back of house spaces, and related facilities consistently meet the property’s luxury standards for cleanliness, presentation, safety, and guest satisfaction.

This position is responsible for driving daily operational performance, including room readiness, quality assurance, team leadership and development, staffing, labor productivity, inventory management, and departmental financial performance. The Director maintains a highly visible presence within the operation and works closely with Front Office, Engineering, Security, and other departments to ensure seamless execution and an elevated guest experience consistent with Casa Cipriani’s luxury standards.

KEY PRIORITIES

• Luxury Standards & Quality: Ensure exceptional cleanliness, presentation, and attention to detail throughout guest rooms, public areas, and back-of-house spaces, consistently reflecting Casa Cipriani’s luxury standards.
• Operational Leadership: Maintain a highly visible, hands-on presence throughout the operation, driving daily room readiness, inspections, service execution, and responsiveness to changing business needs.
• Team Leadership & Development: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Housekeeping team through clear expectations, consistent training, accountability, coaching, and employee engagement.
• Labor & Productivity Management: Effectively manage staffing, scheduling, overtime, and departmental productivity in alignment with occupancy, service demands, and budget expectations.
• Cross-Departmental Partnership: Collaborate closely with Front Office, Engineering, Security, and other operational teams to ensure room readiness, resolve maintenance concerns, support VIP and special requests, and deliver a seamless guest experience.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES:

• Provide strategic leadership and direction for all housekeeping operations, including guest rooms, public areas, linen and uniform operations, and back-of-house spaces.
• Establish, implement, and maintain departmental standards, procedures, cleaning programs, inspection processes, and quality-control measures.
• Ensure the highest standards of cleanliness, presentation, sanitation, safety, and luxury service are consistently maintained throughout the property.
• Lead, coach, and develop housekeeping managers, supervisors, room attendants, public area attendants, housepersons, and other departmental employees.
• Oversee departmental recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, succession planning, and employee engagement.
• Establish appropriate staffing and productivity levels based on occupancy, business volume, operational priorities, and budgetary requirements.
• Review labor reports, payroll, overtime, scheduling, and productivity metrics to ensure efficient departmental performance.
• Develop and manage the annual housekeeping operating budget, including labor, linen, uniforms, guest supplies, cleaning products, equipment, and contracted services.
• Monitor departmental expenses, identify cost-saving opportunities, and implement controls without compromising quality or the guest experience.
• Maintain effective inventory-control systems for linen, uniforms, cleaning supplies, guest amenities, equipment, and other departmental materials.
• Oversee purchasing, receiving, storage, distribution, and inventory audits to minimize loss, waste, and unnecessary expenses.
• Manage relationships and service agreements with outside vendors, including laundry, linen, waste collection, window cleaning, pest control, deep-cleaning, and specialty service providers.
• Conduct regular property inspections and audits to verify compliance with company standards, sanitation requirements, and applicable health and safety regulations.
• Review guest feedback, inspection results, service-recovery matters, and departmental performance trends; implement corrective action when necessary.
• Collaborate with Front Office and Reservations teams to support room readiness, priority arrivals, special requests, VIP accommodations, and occupancy demands.
• Coordinate with Engineering to ensure maintenance concerns, damaged equipment, and out-of-order guest rooms are reported, tracked, and resolved promptly.
• Partner with Security and Operations leadership to maintain appropriate procedures for lost and found, guest privacy, key control, emergency response, and workplace safety.
• Oversee preventive maintenance and replacement planning for housekeeping equipment, furniture, fixtures, linen, and operational supplies.
• Lead housekeeping operations during openings, renovations, seasonal transitions, special events, and periods of high occupancy.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, local regulations, chemical-handling requirements, safety procedures, and sanitation standards.
• Attend and contribute to executive, operational, financial, safety, and departmental meetings.
• Maintain complete and accurate departmental records, including inspection reports, inventory records, training documentation, schedules, invoices, and performance reports.
• Promote a professional, respectful, and service-focused work environment aligned with the company’s culture and standards.
• Maintain a highly visible presence throughout the operation, conducting daily inspections, engaging directly with the team, and responding hands-on to operational needs, particularly during peak occupancy and high-demand periods.
• Drive daily room readiness and inspection performance, ensuring guestrooms are cleaned, inspected, and released in accordance with arrival priorities and established service standards.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve departmental KPIs, including room attendant productivity, inspection scores, room readiness, overtime, labor cost, linen loss, supply consumption, and guest satisfaction.

KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

• Minimum seven years of progressive housekeeping experience in luxury hospitality, including significant leadership responsibility. Prior experience as a Director of Housekeeping, Executive Housekeeper, Assistant Director of Housekeeping, or comparable senior housekeeping leader strongly preferred.
• Minimum of three years in a Director of Housekeeping, Executive Housekeeper, or equivalent senior leadership position.
• Demonstrated experience managing a large housekeeping operation, including guest rooms, public areas, linen, uniforms, and outsourced services.
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, labor costs, purchasing, inventories, and departmental productivity.
• Proven ability to lead, develop, and retain a diverse team in a fast-paced, service-driven environment.
• Comprehensive knowledge of luxury housekeeping standards, sanitation practices, chemical handling, workplace safety, and quality-assurance procedures.
• Strong analytical, organizational, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with senior leadership and operational departments.
• Proficiency with hotel property management systems, including Opera/Opera Cloud, as well as scheduling systems, inventory management programs, and Microsoft Office.
• Flexibility to work varying schedules, including mornings, evenings, weekends, and holidays, based on operational needs.
• Bilingual English and Spanish communication skills are preferred.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and regularly inspect guest rooms and operational areas.
• Ability to bend, reach, climb stairs, and perform other physical activities required during property inspections.
• Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.

INTENT AND FUNCTION OF JOB DESCRIPTIONS

All descriptions have been reviewed to ensure that only essential functions and basic duties have been included. Peripheral tasks, only incidentally related to each position, have been excluded. Requirements, skills, and abilities included have been determined to be the minimal standards required to successfully perform the positions. In no instance, however, should the duties, responsibilities, and requirements delineated be interpreted as all-inclusive. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. Job descriptions are not intended as and do not create employment contracts. The organization maintains its status as an at-will employer.

Cipriani is an equal opportunity employer.