Host/Hostess at The Warbler Hotel

Progressive HR Strategies•New Orleans, LA

16h•Onsite

About The Position

The Host/Hostess creates the first and final impression of The Warbler's dining experience. This role manages the rhythm of arrival, reservation, and seating across the all-day café and the Spanish restaurant with calm authority, precise communication, and personal recognition. The successful Host/Hostess understands that a polished welcome is not a script: it is the beginning of an individual guest's experience, whether they are picking up espresso before a meeting or arriving for a celebratory tasting menu.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
One year of guest-facing hospitality, reservations, reception, or luxury retail experience.
Comfort using digital reservation and POS systems and communicating by phone, text, and email with polished grammar.
Ability to remain organized and gracious in a fast-moving, guest-visible environment.
Reservation pacing, table-status management, basic revenue-awareness, and waitlist judgment.
Working knowledge of the Spanish restaurant's menu structure, tasting-menu format, dietary accommodation process, wine-bar seating, and café offerings.
Clear radio and internal communication; ability to relay sensitive guest preferences only to colleagues who need the information.
Conflict de-escalation and service recovery that protects both the guest's dignity and the integrity of the floor plan.
Stand and walk for up to 8 hours per shift, including frequent movement between the host stand, entrance, dining room, and café.
Lift and carry up to 20 pounds, including menus, small guest items, and host-stand supplies.
Work near entry doors, outdoor weather exposure, crowding, and varying noise levels; use stairs as required by outlet layout.
[State/local food-handler certification, if required]
[Responsible alcohol-service/TIPS or state equivalent, if required]
[Hotel guest-privacy and harassment-prevention training]

Nice To Haves

Experience with OpenTable platform.
Luxury hotel, fine-dining, concierge, or high-volume café experience.
Conversational Spanish or another language relevant to the hotel's guest mix.

Responsibilities

Welcome every guest promptly, using the guest's name whenever known and offering a sincere, tailored opening rather than a rote greeting.
Maintain accurate live reservation books in OpenTable platform, including preferences, allergies, celebrations, VIP designations, visit history, and seating notes.
Confirm reservations, manage waitlists, and communicate availability honestly while offering thoughtful alternatives such as café seating, bar seating, a later dining time, or a return reservation.
Build floor plans that balance server sections, table turns, accessibility needs, kitchen pacing, and the character of the restaurant; do not over-seat a section merely to reduce a quoted wait.
Coordinate with the restaurant manager, maître d', servers, sommelier, and kitchen expeditor to pace seating around tasting menus, large parties, and peak service windows.
Recognize in-house guests, repeat patrons, VIPs, and local regulars through the approved guest-recognition process while protecting privacy and avoiding public disclosure of room numbers or personal information.
Escort guests to the table with menus presented in pristine condition, describe relevant service options, and introduce the server or captain when appropriate.
Maintain the café's queue and counter flow during morning and lunch peaks; distinguish dine-in, take-away, mobile, and hotel-guest traffic without allowing the entrance to feel congested.
Conduct pre-shift checks of entry lighting, scent, music, menus, host stand materials, accessibility pathways, and the condition of waiting-area furniture.
Communicate delays, special requests, no-shows, cancellations, and guest-recovery needs to leadership in real time and document service notes accurately.
Answer telephone, text, and digital reservation inquiries with complete product knowledge, including restaurant menus, dress guidance, corkage policy, private-dining referral protocol, and café hours.
Close the host stand securely, reconcile reservation records, and prepare clear handoff notes for the next shift.
Make eye contact and acknowledge an arriving guest within moments, even when assisting another party; offer a clear promise of when assistance will be available.
Use names naturally and discreetly, confirming pronunciation when uncertain; never announce a guest's room number, status, or private occasion in public.
Anticipate comfort needs-shade, a quieter table, mobility accommodations, a high chair, or a place for a bag-without making assumptions about a guest.
Maintain immaculate grooming, poised posture, and a composed expression during waits, weather disruptions, and high-volume transitions.
Own the experience through departure by thanking guests personally and inviting a return in a manner appropriate to the occasion.