Regional Director of Operations

Ascent Hospitality Management Co•Buford, GA

20h•$120,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Ascent Hospitality is seeking an experienced, strategic, and results-driven Regional Director of Operations to provide leadership, operational oversight, and performance management across its full-service, select-service, and extended-stay hotel portfolio. The role works closely with General Managers, hotel leadership teams, corporate leadership, ownership groups, and business partners to drive operational excellence, maximize profitability, develop talent, and ensure properties meet company standards and business objectives. The successful candidate will combine hands-on operational leadership with strategic thinking, coaching, and relationship-building to promote accountability and results. The position is based at Ascent Hospitality’s corporate office in Buford, Georgia, with approximately 75–80% travel throughout the assigned hotel portfolio. Ascent Hospitality owns and operates 42 hotels across Alabama, Indiana, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive hotel operations leadership experience.
Previous experience as a General Manager, Regional Director of Operations, Area Director of Operations, Regional Operations Director, or in a similar senior hotel leadership role.
Strong experience operating and leading full-service hotels.
Demonstrated success leading, coaching, and developing General Managers and hotel leadership teams.
Strong financial acumen, including experience managing P&L performance, budgets, labor costs, forecasting, departmental expenses, and profitability.
Ability to identify operational challenges, establish priorities, and implement effective action plans.
Strong understanding of guest service, hotel operations, quality assurance, brand standards, and full-service hotel environments.
Experience partnering with Sales and Revenue Management teams to improve occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, and overall hotel performance.
Excellent leadership, communication, coaching, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
Ability to balance strategic leadership with hands-on operational support.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to make data-driven business decisions.
Willingness and ability to travel approximately 80% throughout the assigned hotel portfolio.

Nice To Haves

Multi-property or regional hotel operations experience.
Experience working with major hotel brands and/or complex multi-property portfolios.
Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic operational leadership and oversight across an assigned portfolio of hotels.
Partner with General Managers to establish business goals, monitor performance, and drive operational excellence.
Coach, mentor, and develop General Managers and hotel leadership teams.
Monitor hotel financial performance, including revenue, labor, expenses, profitability, P&L performance, and budget achievement.
Analyze operational and financial reports to identify trends, opportunities, performance gaps, and areas requiring attention.
Partner with Sales, Revenue Management, and Marketing teams to support revenue growth, occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, and overall financial performance.
Ensure properties meet or exceed expectations for guest service, cleanliness, maintenance, safety, quality assurance, and operational standards.
Conduct property visits, operational reviews, leadership meetings, and performance assessments.
Develop and execute measurable action plans to address performance gaps and improve property-level results.
Support annual budgeting, forecasting, business planning, capital expenditures, and strategic initiatives.
Work with General Managers to identify staffing needs, improve retention, strengthen engagement, and build high-performing teams.
Support talent development, succession planning, leadership development, and internal promotion throughout the portfolio.
Partner with corporate functions to ensure alignment and execution.
Support hotel openings, renovations, repositioning, transitions, brand initiatives, and other strategic operational projects.
Ensure compliance with company policies, brand standards, safety requirements, employment practices, and applicable regulations.
Build and maintain relationships with hotel ownership, brand representatives, vendors, community partners, and other stakeholders.
Identify and implement portfolio-wide best practices to improve operational consistency and financial performance.
Promote accountability, collaboration, hospitality, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Travel extensively throughout the assigned portfolio to provide hands-on leadership, coaching, property support, and operational guidance.