Director of Rooms - Dollywood's DreamMore Resort & Spa - Exempt

All Career•Pigeon Forge, TN

About The Position

At Dollywood Parks & Resorts, we create memories worth repeating. We do this every day across Dollywood Resorts which includes over 600 rooms and 15 Food & Beverage outlets, all located in the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee. Our plan is to grow our resort footprint to over 1200 rooms across five resorts at Dollywood and to add other resorts to our overall company resort portfolio. Ask anyone who has visited Dollywood Parks & Resorts and they will tell you this place is different. It’s not a difference that you can touch or see - it’s a difference you can feel. We are seeking a Director of Rooms who will embody the heart and soul of our mission of creating memories worth repeating while caring deeply about our brand and our region. We want to work alongside someone who acts as an extension of our mission, values, and culture. This person is driven to create meaningful experiences for our hosts, guests, and community while simultaneously ensuring the success and profitability of our unique culinary offerings. This person also brings a spirit of fun, authenticity, collaboration, creativity and genuine hospitality to their life and work. We are seeking an individual who has the ability to bring the vision of the Dollywood Resorts to life. The recipe for the right Director of Rooms will be equal parts curious learner, innovator, administrator, mentor and motivator. The Director of Rooms is responsible for all Rooms, Entertainment/Recreation and Spa operations at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa. This role provides strategic vision, leadership, and supervision to all areas of responsibility ensuring high levels of guest satisfaction. This leader is expected to monitor guest and employee (Host) satisfaction, expense management of his/her teams, and focus on continuous improvement resulting in improved business results across all Shareholder Objectives. Furthermore, this role ensures that teams provide world-class service and outstanding guest and Host experiences in a way that achieves all shareholder objectives.

Requirements

Must be 18 years of age or older
Previous experience as hotel manager or General Manager is required
Minimum 5 years of leadership experience as a multi-faceted hotel leader with assistant department head or department head experience in front office and housekeeping required.
Proven track record with leading-edge methods of guest and employee satisfaction in a mid-large size hotel/resort environment required
College degree preferred. Degree in Business or Hospitality preferred.
Extensive practical experience would be considered in lieu of educational degrees
Requires a broad knowledge of hotel/resort operations with specific expertise in rooms operations. Should possess a strong working knowledge of revenue management and the successful strategies and practices that maximize revenue
Proven track record of successfully developing teams and individuals
Strong reading, writing, speaking, and presentation skills
Working knowledge of common office software such as word processing, presentation design, and spreadsheet software required
A working, hands on knowledge of PMS and POS Systems. Micros (POS) and Opera (PMS) preferred
Able and willing to facilitate resort based trainings in front of other leaders and Hosts
Driver's license and acceptable driving record required
Able to make a friendly impression when speaking to or corresponding with guests, vendors, and other employees
Must reflect Dollywood’s image by being genuinely friendly and caring and by taking pride in work
Must be self-motivated and disciplined
Must be able to prioritize and complete work assignments on a timely basis
Must maintain strict confidentiality and judgment regarding privileged information
Must be committed to continuous improvement
Must maintain a professional appearance with good personal hygiene
Must promote and support a “team” work environment by cooperating and helping co-workers
Must be productive in a fast-paced environment
Must maintain dependable work attendance and flexibility with assigned work schedules including any required overtime, evenings, weekends and holidays
Must be sensitive to the needs of our Guests and feel empowered to act to meet their needs within company guidelines
Must be able to utilize effective communication, problem solving, conflict management and interpersonal skills
Able to collaborate with cross-functional teams to plan, execute, and deliver projects ahead of schedule, fostering open communication and mutual support to achieve shared goals
Able to comprehend instructions and retain information
Able to perform duties consistently while creating a safe and secure environment for hosts and guests
Able to be flexible and handle frequent changes in priorities
Able to add, subtract, multiply and divide with accuracy
Must be able to communicate effectively with Guests and Hosts using approved communication methods
Able to tolerate various temperatures while working indoors and outdoors
Able to meet the physical demands of the job
Able to lift up to 40 lbs

Responsibilities

Direct and administer Rooms Division operations (front office, bell/valet, ticketing, housekeeping, laundry, entertainment/recreation and spa) to include, but not limited to daily operations, guest service standards and initiatives, product quality, inventory management and cost controls, merchandising and marketing, systems use management, budgeting and forecasting
Responsible for the resort-wide, overall levels of Guest Satisfaction with emphasis on key drivers of Net Promoter Scores
Develop department specific business and strategic plans that ensure coordination with the Dollywood Company and Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort & Spa - brand initiatives, vision, mission, core values, standards and goals
Serve as a true “product and experience” minded subject matter expert utilizing strong hospitality, business, and financial skills, and accustomed to achieving a balance across Guest experience, Host satisfaction, financial, safety, and organizational goals
Lead safety efforts for the Rooms Division and other areas of responsibility - e.g. health department, REI inspections, and internal and external audits, etc. Ensures compliance around employee safety committee meetings, General Safety Training and all company Safety Standards and Procedures
Conduct regularly scheduled walkthroughs of guestrooms, common areas and heart of house
Conduct regularly scheduled rooms division meetings with leadership
Participate in annual Rooms Division budgeting process
Monitor VIP and Special Guest Programs
Attend weekly revenue meetings
Strong understanding of what drives guest satisfaction; monitor guest feedback from all sources
Monitor and assess service and satisfaction trends and evaluate and address issues, systems and procedures to make improvements accordingly
Support the delivery of hospitality training to all guest facing Hosts
Respond to guest inquiries and requests and resolve guest issues and concerns in a timely, friendly and efficient manner
Build strong relationships with department leaders and managers to ensure clarity and consistency in their stewardship of respective responsibilities
Serve as the primary resort contact for transportation, aquatics and merchandise
Build strong relationships with Dollywood Enterprise teams including Safety/Security, IT, Finance and Accounting, Human Resources, Sales and Marketing, Aquatics, Entertainment, Merchandise and Transportation to ensure company expectations are achieved
Oversee the Manager on Duty program
Assure profitability/contribution of departments by closely monitoring labor, expenses, sales, cost of goods sold and inventory
Ensure department leaders are controlling staffing and labor expenses for their respective departments.
Maintain a close eye on Host retention and Host experience in each department
Ensure plans are in place to properly train and equip all Hosts to perform their job responsibilities
Establish and clearly articulate all performance standards, and constantly monitor all results to ensure that expectations are being met
Develop and promote an entrepreneurial spirit by making recommendations targeting increased Guest satisfaction, Host satisfaction, sales and profitability
Oversee the development of the teams’ leadership to ensure growth, build a strong bench, coach, inspire, empower, provide feedback, and ensure accountability to reach company goals and career objectives
Responsible for performance management for areas of responsibility and direct reports
Ensure compliance with all federal, state, local, and company regulations, policies and procedures
Act in the capacity of General Manager in his/her absence
Management reserves the right to change and/or add to these duties at any time