The Duty Manager assists the Rooms Division Director/ Front Office Manager in the administration and management of all Front Office operations to ensure profitability, control costs and quality standards, ensuring total guests’ satisfaction during the assigned shift. This role efficiently coordinates the day-to-day operation of the front desk and concierge, providing leadership at the frontline level.
What will I be doing?
As the Duty Manager, you will be responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:
- Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing to provide clear direction to team members, observing performance and encouraging improvement.
- Drive departmental objectives for self and team, and work together to achieve the goal accordingly.
- To train, supervise, evaluate, counsel, and administer disciplinary for Front Office team members.
- Monitor lobby traffic and assign team members as required.
- Review VIP reservations and ensure the proper handling of VIPs and groups, administering amenity orders, and managing incoming guests.
- Update the system by inputting inventory and non-inventory groups, monitoring special reservation handling requests and oversee rate changes for in-house guests.
- Analyze data and make decisions based on daily and weekly forecasts of expected arrivals and departures.
- Manage the Front Office team, resolve guests’ concerns, and implement resolutions by using discretion and judgment.
- Lead and motivate team members by leading by example and employing competent and consistent management practices.
- Take responsibility of the hotel as the Senior/Duty Manager in the absence of the Rooms Division Director/ Front Office Manager.
- Performs night shift duties acting as the Night Manager when he/ she is not on duty.
- Attend training where and when required.
- Act as a coach and mentor to team members, conduct on the job training, reinforcing standards and expectations and motivating team members to strive for established targets.
- Conducts PDRs, one-to-one meetings throughout the year, ensuring that the feedback given to team members is fair, unbiased and provides a platform for continued improvement, according to the Hilton standards.
- Be involved with succession planning and development of high potential team members to ensure that all team members are trained to progress to the next level of their career.
- Contribute to the hotel and team by sharing new ideas and suggestions for improvements, being innovative and creative to provide quality service and customer care to team members and guests.
- Responsible for the smooth induction and facilitation of training for new team members, ensuring that they are trained to the minimum level standard and that they can competently complete their jobs and know what is expected of them.
- Create a warm and welcoming arrival for guests, ensuring that they feel “at-home” upon arrival.
- Check-in guests in accordance to their reservation details, ensuring that the registration card is completed, reservation information confirmed, Hilton Honors enquired about, and method of payment is secured.
- Handle complaints promptly and efficiently, taking the necessary action, and follow-up to ensure satisfaction with problem resolution.
- Maintain awareness of guests’ profiles and specific preferences, ensuring that they are acted upon for each reservation.
- Act as the first point of contact and liaison for VIP guests, ensuring that they are treated personally and recognized as an individual.
- Allocate rooms in accordance to guests’ reservations, preferences and remarks, maintaining a systemized and sales focused approach to room inventory management.
- Promote Hilton Honors and its associated benefits to guests who are not already enrolled in the program, ensuring that existing Hilton Honors members receive personal and professional service that recognizes them as important guests and that their benefits are received.
- Ensure that guests’ profiles and information are input into the OnQ system in a timely and accurate way.
- Apply Hilton’s brand standards in every action, acting as a role model and example of how the standards should be carried out in a practical setting.
- Knowledgeable of the hotel’s facilities and services as well as basic knowledge of Hilton International.
- Up to date with information on facilities, attractions, places of interest, sights and activities in and around the hotel.
- Ensure communication, coordination and cooperation between the Front Desk and other departments, specifically Business Development, Housekeeping, F&B and Finance Department.
- Maintain the hotel systems to ensure accuracy of information and data, ensuring that it is easy to use and operated in an organized and systemized way.
- Ensure that the Front Desk equipment and systems are functioning at all times, and that the area is maintained in a clean, tidy and organized way.
- Pass on information effectively, ensuring that all necessary details are communicated to the intended person and that any pending action is completed, and guest satisfaction is confirmed.
- Conduct daily briefings, shift handovers, attend meetings and effectively communicate information to team members.
- Ensure that the Rooms Division Director/ Front Office Manager is kept aware and up to date of operational issues.
- Ensure that the day-to-day functions of the front desk are completed, including but not limited to the checklists, trace reports, high balance checks, online back-up, allocation of rooms, Lost Interface, Pay-Masters, discount and rate discrepancies, and registration cards.
- Check registration cards, meeting and function information, billing instructions, financial records and reservation backup to ensure that all information received is acted upon.
- Complete reports where and when requested, ensuring that they are complete and delivered on time to the respective parties.
- Keep up to date and aware of competitor activities in order to be proactive and create market advantage.
- Adhere to the hotel’s selling strategy of demand-based pricing and maintain rate integrity by offering clear, transparent, and value for money rates to guests.
- Comply with Health & Safety, Emergency Management, Disaster manuals, Fire procedures and regulations.
- Adhere strictly to standard cash handling procedures amongst team members, ensuring that all team members balance their float and drop the required amount.
- Adhere to the company’s credit policy at all times when handling cash, credit card transactions, city ledgers, LPO and third-party payments for rooms, meetings, F&B and other.
- Maintain the efficiency of departure by checking all guests’ folios to ensure accuracy of charges.
- Manage costs effectively by minimizing and controlling expenses.
- Manage and approve allowances, refunds and discounts where applicable.
- Adhere to the hotel’s security and emergency policies and procedures.
- Carry out any other reasonable duties and responsibilities as assigned.
What are we looking for?
A Duty Manager serving Hilton Brands is always working on behalf of our Guests and working with other Team Members. To successfully fill this role, you should maintain the attitude, behaviours, skills, and values that follow:
- Able to effectively deal with internal and external guests, some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy to defuse anger, collect and analyze accurate information and resolve conflicts.
- Strong interpersonal skills to provide overall guest satisfaction.
- Excellent mathematical comprehension to understand and interpret numbers as they apply to operations in hotels.
- Thorough organization and supervisory skills.
- Proficient in accomplishing tasks.
- Able to work under pressure and deal with stressful situations during busy periods.
- Knowledge on hotel operating system
What will it be like to work for Hilton?
Hilton is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For nearly a century, Hilton has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. Hilton is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Our vision “to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality” unites us as a team to create remarkable hospitality experiences around the world every day. And, our amazing Team Members are at the heart of it all!
