Openings Services Manager

Choice Hotels • North Bethesda, MD

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Opening Services Project Manager serves as the primary project manager for new construction, conversion, and rebranding hotel projects. This role directly supports net unit growth and revenue goals by delivering monthly, quarterly, and annual opening targets. The Project Manager maintains full portfolio visibility across all brands and provides regular updates through weekly leadership and compliance meetings. The role partners closely with Onboarding Project Directors, Area Directors, and New Construction Project Managers to successfully open properties and achieve ramp‑up targets.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience, with 5–8 years of project management experience required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage the complexities of hotel openings, including construction timelines, design submittals, and FF&E selection and procurement.
• Strong customer focus with the ability to balance multiple priorities in a fast‑paced, shifting environment.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving skills with strong attention to detail.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to influence without authority.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgment, and demonstrate accountability.
• Commitment to company values, including collaboration, performance excellence, sense of urgency, inclusion, integrity, customer focus, and respect.

Nice To Haves

• Hospitality industry experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Conduct initial project analysis to develop a tailored opening strategy based on project scope, contractual deadlines, franchisee experience, and business objectives.
• Partner with Onboarding Project Directors and Franchise Development teams during initial franchisee outreach to set the foundation for timely and successful openings.
• Manage franchisee access to systems and resources including Rules & Regulations, vendor contacts, Performance Zone, Choice University, and Okta.
• Advise franchisees, appointees, and management companies on project management best practices through consistent and proactive communication.
• Manage relationships with qualified vendors and cross‑functional internal partners including SkyTouch, Franchise Lifecycle, Operations and Portfolio Strategy, Procurement, Franchise Performance, Billing, Legal, Risk, and Design.
• Serve as a subject matter expert to resolve complex or unique obstacles to opening by leveraging historical data and prior experience.
• Independently manage a portfolio of 40–50 projects, maintaining schedules for consultations and inspections with minimal supervision and providing regular status updates to franchisees and department leadership.
• Negotiate and apply opening incentives and adjust key levers to accelerate openings and meet opening targets.
• Manage online processes for presell and commencement date activations.
• Facilitate revised PIP items and timelines, producing post‑executed addenda used for Opening Day inspections and Performance Zone scorecards.
• Direct the Franchise Lifecycle Team to activate, rebrand, or suspend properties not yet open, as needed.
• Lead rebrand openings in partnership with Area Directors, collaborating in advance on key markets and prominent clients.
• Report project status and risks to the Compliance Committee for not‑yet‑open projects.
• Ensure data integrity across company systems to accurately reflect the opening pipeline and forecasted openings.
• Maintain accurate project status and required legal documentation within Salesforce.
• Request and process legal addenda including room count, address, entity, and assumption changes.
• Travel up to approximately 10% (3–6 times per year) for project sites, team meetings, and company conventions.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Leave and paid time‑off for holidays, vacation, personal, family, volunteer, sick, jury duty, bereavement, military, and religious observance
• Financial benefits for retirement and health savings
• Employee recognition programs
• Discounts at Choice hotels worldwide

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level