Director of Housekeeping

Highgate Hotels•San Francisco, CA

14d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Housekeeping is responsible for ensuring that the Housekeeping Department operates in an attentive, friendly, efficient, and courteous manner. The role provides guests with quality service and a clean, safe environment while managing expenses efficiently and maximizing service levels. The position is at The Huntington, a historic hotel in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood that offers guest rooms and suites, fine dining, a three-level spa, and meeting and event spaces, and is undergoing a complete reimagination. The Director of Housekeeping oversees staff, room and public-area cleanliness, guest requests, housekeeping schedules and supplies, safety and risk-management practices, room-status reporting, laundry processes, and coordination with other hotel departments. The role also supports training, staff development, inspections, inventory, purchasing documentation, payroll review, and guest satisfaction.

Requirements

At least 2 years of progressive experience in a hotel or related field; or a 4-year college degree; or a 2-year college degree and at least 1 year of related experience.
Supervisory experience required.
Proficiency in Windows and company-approved spreadsheet and word-processing applications.
Ability to communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, with employees and guests at all levels.
Effective listening skills, including the ability to understand and clarify concerns raised by employees and guests.
Ability to multitask and prioritize departmental functions to meet deadlines.
Ability to handle problems by anticipating, preventing, identifying, and resolving them.
Ability to understand and evaluate complex information and data from various sources.
Ability to work long hours when required.
Ability to exert up to 50 pounds occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects.
Maintain regular attendance as required by hotel scheduling needs.
Maintain high standards of personal appearance and grooming, including wearing a nametag.

Responsibilities

Provide attentive, friendly, helpful, and courteous service to guests, managers, and fellow employees.
Respond to guest requests, problems, complaints, and accidents, and follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
Motivate, coach, counsel, train, and discipline Housekeeping personnel according to Highgate Hotel SOPs.
Maintain a scheduled cleaning program and detailed checklists for each position.
Assist in maintaining and controlling housekeeping equipment and complying with corporate Risk Management standards.
Manage large guestroom turns efficiently and ensure consistency with departmental opening and closing procedures.
Carry a pager at all times.
Prepare and conduct Housekeeping interviews as required and follow hiring procedures.
Inspect rooms daily, inspect rooms with supervisors daily, and assist with pre-arrival inspections of VIP rooms.
Ensure public areas, guest rooms, and back-of-house areas meet Highgate Hotel standards.
Maintain par levels of Housekeeping and Laundry supplies, order supplies and amenities, and assist with monthly and quarterly inventories.
Protect guest privacy and security by following hotel procedures.
Monitor work orders, submit them to Engineering, and follow up to confirm completion.
Conduct pre-shift meetings for room attendants and housemen.
Respond to emergencies using information in MSD sheets and keep those sheets current and accessible.
Balance and clear room status nightly, compare housekeeping and PMS reports, and resolve discrepancies.
Assist with reviewing staff hours for payroll and submit information to Accounting on time.
Assist with employee scheduling based on business forecasts, payroll budgets, and productivity requirements.
Follow SOPs for purchase orders, invoice vouchering, and checkbook accounting.
Maintain professional working relationships and open communication with managers, employees, and other departments.
Implement hotel policies and house rules, and ensure Housekeeping staff sign off on applicable Service Standards competencies.
Use pagers and radios professionally and follow proper radio etiquette.
Organize large-turn days, including group check-ins and check-outs.
Monitor out-of-order, out-of-service, discrepant, and show rooms, maintaining constant communication with Guest Services.
Monitor and act on special requests, including VIPs, special-needs rooms, and connecting rooms.
Attend weekly staff meetings and provide training on a rotational basis.
Maintain Lost and Found procedures, key control, and Housekeeping department participation in monthly team meetings.
Focus the department on its contribution to guest service and audit scores; monitor VIPs, special guests, and requests.
Review the Housekeeping log book and Guest Request log daily.
Maintain an organized filing system for purchases, invoices, schedules, forecasts, reports, and tracking logs.
Use the telephone and computer system to report and verify room status.
Record valet laundry and check incoming laundry at the end of the day to verify all items have been returned.
Store, secure, and issue supplies as needed to meet business demands.
Ensure regular maintenance and cleaning projects are completed on a biannual basis.
Maintain overall guest satisfaction and participate in Manager on Duty coverage as required.
Attend required hotel meetings and trainings, maintain regular attendance and professional grooming, comply with hotel standards, and help identify and solve operational problems.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Short-term and long-term disability insurance
401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions
Paid holidays
Paid vacation
Paid sick leave in accordance with applicable law
Employee assistance program
Educational opportunities and tuition reimbursement
Paid jury duty, personal, medical, and military leave in accordance with applicable law
State-specific paid holiday, vacation, and sick-leave provisions for employees based in Washington, Colorado, and California