Hospitality Manager - West Loop

First Ascent LLC•Chicago, IL

2d•$42,000 - $47,000•Onsite

About The Position

First Ascent Climbing & Fitness is on a mission to share our love of climbing with everyone, connect people through movement, and create welcoming, uplifting spaces that strengthen minds, bodies, and communities. We are looking for a proactive, positive, supportive leader to serve as Hospitality Manager, helping us continually get better at what we do as we discover how to best serve our members and guests. ROLE SUMMARY As a Hospitality Manager, you provide the leadership the Hospitality Staff team needs to welcome and support newcomers and regulars alike, ensuring they feel at home in the gym and set up for success each visit. We will look to you to hire and train Hospitality Staff, coach your team to deliver a fantastic experience, seek out opportunities to improve the member and guest experience, keep the gym clean and organized, work collaboratively alongside the Gym Manager and other leaders—and have a blast along the way.

Requirements

Minimum 2 years of customer service experience
Exceptional communication skills; solid computer skills
Enthusiasm for climbing, fitness, and community-building
Friendly demeanor; positive attitude; flexible working style; creative problem solving skills
Strong computer skills
Ability to stand and move throughout the facility for extended periods
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and perform physical tasks including bending, reaching, and climbing
Ability able to concentrate through distraction and communicate effectively
Indoor, climate-controlled environment with moderate to loud noise levels

Nice To Haves

Experience leading a team preferred
Knowledge of climbing equipment and proper belay technique preferred
Upstanding reputation in the local climbing community

Responsibilities

Accountable for the Welcome Desk and front-of-house experience at your gym, ensuring friendly attentive service to everyone who visits the gym.
Serve as the Hospitality Lead on duty for up to 30 hours per week, providing structure, positive reinforcement, on shift coaching and support for the Hospitality Staff team.
Hire new Hospitality Staff, selecting candidates that will add to the positive and productive culture of the team.
Train Hospitality Staff with the knowledge, skills and mindsets to deliver the service FA is known for.
Coach Hospitality Staff through on shift conversations, 1:1 meetings and reviews to encourage their continued growth and improvement.
Schedule staff adequately for the needs of our members and guests, while ensuring your schedule remains within budget.
Review and approve payroll in a timely manner to ensure accurate, prompt pay for staff.
Become an expert on pricing, programs, policies, and climbing equipment, so you can serve as the source to answer questions for your team.
Drive membership growth by coaching staff on the value of membership and the best practices for having next step conversations with guests.
Communicate regularly on multiple channels with your team about programs, events, policy updates, gym-wide initiatives, etc.
Enforce gym policies, communicating them with members and guests in a friendly yet firm tone and acting as the authority on compliance for your team.
Address member/guest concerns or complaints with empathy, seeking to make it right in the moment when possible.
Ensure a clean, organized environment throughout the gym, holding your team accountable for completing regular and special cleaning tasks.
Maintain a fully stocked retail area, working with your team to stay up to date on inventory counts and reordering
Take initiative to identify areas that need attention beyond the standard task list and help improve the safety, cleanliness, and overall experience of the facility.
Gather member and guest feedback and champion changes that improve their experience.
Work collaboratively with the Gym Manager and other gym leaders to plan initiatives that add to the life of the gym.