Director of Guest Services

The Associated and its Agencies•Reisterstown, MD

5d•$60,000 - $70,000•Onsite

About The Position

Our retreat center, farm, and programs enable and inspire vibrant Jewish life. Engaging Jewish, faith-based, and secular organizations, individuals, and families, Pearlstone Retreat Center serves all ages and backgrounds throughout Baltimore, the Chesapeake region, and beyond. As a leader in the Hospitality division, this role fosters guest service excellence, transformational retreating experiences, and ensures close and successful working relationships with culinary, retreat services, hospitality services, maintenance, programs and other departments at Pearlstone.

Requirements

Experience in hospitality, guest services, event management, retreat center operations, or a similar guest-facing environment.
Strong ability to manage retreats and events from planning through execution and follow-up.
Excellent communication skills with guests, group leaders, vendors, and internal departments.
Proven supervisory experience, including managing staff schedules, delegation, training, and accountability.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail, including tracking event needs, deadlines, guest requests, allergies, and vendor coordination.
Comfort and Proficiency with SharePoint, using event management software, calendar, reporting, and administrative systems.
Ability to build and improve department systems, workflows, SOPs, and staff training practices.
Calm, professional judgment in responding to guest issues, emergencies, and changing operational needs.
Understanding of or willingness to learn Jewish communal norms, including Shabbat, holidays, kashrut, simchas, and pluralistic Jewish community expectations.
Alignment with a mission-driven nonprofit retreat center environment and Adamah's focus on people, planet, Jewish life, and transformational retreating.
Warm, collaborative, flexible, service-oriented, and able to build strong relationships across departments.
Must have a track record of providing excellent customer service.
It is everyone's job to ensure the financial health of the organization through retreat sales, program revenue, and/or fundraising.
Must possess a solid work ethic with strong organizational and time-management skills, excellent attention to detail, professional verbal, and written communication skills in English.
Must maintain a professional demeanor.
Must be able to adapt to changing situations including shifting priorities during the workday, flexible schedule, and workload.

Nice To Haves

The Amphitheater Manager primary focus is the growth of the Amphitheater business enterprise.
In addition, the Amphitheater Manager supervises campus associates, manages getaways including rentals of bunkhouses, VRBO vacation home, pavilions, and the pool.
Oversees the swim club enterprise at the pool including pool maintenance, lifeguards, and membership.

Responsibilities

Coordinate successful handoffs from sales to guest services for retreat rentals.
Manage the rental retreat lifecycle post contracting phase through execution, including communication with group leaders to build out retreats and during key deliverable dates, during the retreat, and immediately post retreat.
Provide outstanding guest service to both internal and external stakeholders for events which include overnight retreat rentals, day conferences, simchas, and corporate service days.
Be responsive to group leaders and guests during their stay.
Provide regular communication between the Guest Services department and other Pearlstone departments throughout the year, both in Hospitality and in other divisions.
Communicate all retreat rental information timely and accurately as needed for the success of operations departments such as culinary, retreat services, maintenance, housekeeping, and hospitality services.
Upsell to add value to contracts including welcome baskets, culinary upgrades, programs, campfires, etc.
Partner with the programs team to provide programming for groups, so that events benefit from connecting Adam and Adamah, people and planet.
Notify guests staying on campus immediately of any emergency procedures and special instructions, and be a person responsible for responding to the emergency phone in rotation with other staff.
Be a part of the Emergency Response task force, working together with directors and staff of other departments to support safety protocols.
Supervise the Guest Services department.
Either manage or delegate primary responsibility for retreat rentals, day conferences, celebrations, such as weddings and bnai mitzvahs, and corporate service days.
Be the lead Guest Services contact and coordinator for Adamah program retreats and work closely with the programs team and Retreat Managers.
Manage the staffing calendar for the Guest Services department.
Work with the COO, Eve Wachhaus on business development and cultivation to support business development initiatives.
Build Standard Operating Procedures for Guest Services with support from the Director of Campus Hospitality.
Support and supervise the Amphitheater Manager in her role in overseeing the Amphitheater and campus hospitality.
Compile monthly reports, submit both reports and invoices and participate in accounts receivable.
Ensure that the Guest Services event coordinators and administrator manage lifecycles of their events, generate necessary reports and disseminate information as needed using Reserve, Retreat Guru and other software to appropriate colleagues.
Communicate guest changes, requests and allergy information promptly to the operations departments including culinary, retreat services and hospitality services, particularly National Culinary Director and Executive Chef.
Communicate center and event needs to various retreat rental and simcha vendors (e.g. linen company, specialty food vendors, alcohol delivery, etc.) and vendors dealing with the pool.
Provide guest services training to staff.
Supervise Event Coordinators, Guest Services Administrator, and Amphitheater Manager.
Oversee campus associates and lifeguards.
Attend weekly department meetings.
Attend monthly all-staff meetings.
Other tasks/duties as assigned.