Assistant Director of Banquets

AccorHotel•Dallas, TX

About The Position

The Assistant Director of Banquets supports the strategic leadership, daily management, and overall performance of the Banquet Department at Fairmont Dallas. The role ensures exceptional luxury banquet experiences while maintaining operational excellence, financial discipline, colleague engagement, and guest satisfaction. Responsibilities include labor planning, expense management, service standards, colleague training and development, equipment stewardship, and the seamless execution of banquet functions. Working closely with Culinary, Catering, Conference Services, and other hotel departments, the Assistant Director ensures events meet approved Banquet Event Orders, contractual commitments, and Fairmont service standards. The position calls for proactive, hands-on leadership, strong business acumen, effective communication, and the ability to anticipate challenges and identify opportunities to improve profitability, service quality, and team performance. The Assistant Director assumes responsibility for daily banquet operations when the Director of Banquets is absent, within established authority and hotel policies.

Requirements

Minimum of 3 years of banquet management experience.
Food handling certification and knowledge of applicable food safety and alcohol regulations.
Strong knowledge of banquet service styles, room setups, event logistics, and Banquet Event Orders.
Experience managing large-scale events and multiple functions simultaneously.
Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, labor productivity, cost controls, and profit and loss analysis.
Leadership skills, including the ability to train, coach, motivate, and hold colleagues accountable.
Knowledge of luxury service standards, including Forbes Travel Guide expectations.
Strong organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
Effective verbal and written communication skills in English.
Proficiency in POS systems, scheduling software, and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
Ability to lead by example, plan, prioritize, delegate, and execute responsibilities effectively.
Ability to anticipate guest needs, resolve service concerns professionally, and manage staffing, labor costs, and operational expenses.
Ability to work collaboratively across departments and independently with minimal supervision.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and accountability for operational results.
Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as business demands.
Ability to transport miscellaneous items weighing 50–100 pounds throughout hotel areas and endure various physical movements.
Ability to remain in a stationary position for 30 minutes to 2 hours during a work shift.
Ability to communicate satisfactorily with guests, management, and coworkers.

Nice To Haves

College degree in Hospitality Management or a related field.
Banquet management experience in a luxury 4- or 5-star hotel.

Responsibilities

Maintain knowledge of and ensure compliance with Fairmont brand standards, departmental policies, operating procedures, and service expectations.
Maintain awareness of hotel facilities, services, occupancy, VIP arrivals, in-house groups, and scheduled activities to anticipate operational needs.
Provide a visible leadership presence throughout event preparation, service, and breakdown, and maintain positive relationships with guests, event organizers, and colleagues.
Resolve guest concerns and service deficiencies promptly, with appropriate follow-up and documentation.
Monitor the cleanliness, organization, sanitation, safety, and presentation of banquet spaces, service areas, storage facilities, and equipment.
Ensure colleagues maintain professional grooming, appropriate uniforms, service etiquette, and luxury hospitality standards.
Review Banquet Event Orders and confirm event requirements, including menus, timelines, room configurations, audiovisual needs, beverages, billing instructions, and special requests.
Participate in BEO, resume, pre-convention, and other operational planning meetings; communicate current approved BEOs and changes to relevant colleagues and departments.
Coordinate event requirements with Culinary, Catering, Conference Services, Stewarding, Engineering, and other departments.
Review upcoming functions to anticipate challenges, identify conflicts, and implement solutions before events begin.
Inspect rooms, meeting spaces, food displays, service stations, and equipment for readiness, presentation, cleanliness, and compliance with event requirements.
Prepare or oversee service assignments, colleague responsibilities, sidework, service sequences, and pre-function briefings.
Meet with event organizers or group contacts before functions to confirm arrangements and establish communication.
Monitor event service, food and beverage timing, guest interactions, BEO compliance, changes, and additional requests; correct deficiencies and escalate significant deviations.
Oversee event breakdown, room turnover, equipment storage, and preparation for subsequent functions.
Complete post-event reports documenting attendance, guarantees, service execution, client feedback, challenges, and follow-up items.
Support departmental financial objectives through revenue management, labor productivity, expense controls, and effective resource utilization.
Review banquet revenue against budget and forecast, identify variances, and assist with forecasts, labor projections, expense estimates, and financial reports.
Monitor labor expenses, overtime, staffing productivity, payroll accuracy, and staffing requirements based on event needs and productivity standards.
Identify opportunities to improve profitability through scheduling, resource allocation, waste reduction, inventory management, and operational improvements.
Ensure event billing, checks, reconciliations, payroll records, gratuity distributions, and service-charge records are accurate, authorized, documented, and compliant with hotel procedures.
Prepare and oversee weekly schedules and adjust staffing in response to event guarantees, business volume, and operational requirements.
Allocate and supervise full-time, part-time, on-call, and leased labor, and monitor colleague attendance, punctuality, breaks, grooming, conduct, and performance.
Coach and guide banquet colleagues; set expectations, delegate assignments, follow up, identify training needs, and coordinate departmental training.
Conduct performance evaluations, provide feedback, address performance concerns, and maintain documentation in coordination with the Director of Banquets and People & Culture.
Foster teamwork, engagement, communication, accountability, and continuous improvement; participate in recruitment, interviews, selection, onboarding, and colleague development.
Conduct departmental meetings and briefings to communicate business priorities, operational updates, service expectations, and improvement areas.
Maintain knowledge of banquet equipment and supplies; establish and monitor inventory and par levels and inspect storage areas.
Direct inventories, investigate discrepancies, monitor losses and breakage, and coordinate equipment repairs or replacement recommendations.
Obtain vendor quotations and assist in evaluating equipment purchases, rentals, and capital improvement needs within purchasing procedures.
Coordinate with Stewarding, Housekeeping, Laundry, and other departments to ensure supplies and equipment are available for scheduled functions.
Ensure compliance with food safety, sanitation, occupational health and safety, fire prevention, responsible alcohol service, and applicable Texas alcohol regulations.
Monitor safe food handling, temperature control, allergen management, leftover food procedures, and fire and life safety requirements.
Report hazards, maintenance concerns, equipment failures, and incidents, and ensure documentation and corrective follow-up.
Maintain departmental records and ensure accurate shift-to-shift communication about assignments, event changes, guest concerns, equipment issues, and follow-up.
Attend meetings, briefings, menu and wine tastings, and other designated gatherings; collaborate with hotel departments and support the Director of Banquets in maintaining procedures, service standards, training programs, and operational controls.
Recommend and implement approved operational improvements, exercise sound judgment and confidentiality, and perform other assigned job-related duties.