Join our Hotels Team as the Interim Hotel Assistant Front Office Manager! This is a temporary role that is expected to start in April through August 9th, 2025.
Overview: This role manages Senior Front Desk employees and Front Desk Agents at the LEGOLAND California Resort Hotels.
Essential Functions:
The Assistant Front Office Manager is responsible for assisting the Hotels Manger to oversee the Front of House area/functions and overall guest experience of the Hotel. The incumbent will
- Support the Front Office Management members
- Lead the Front Office team in welcoming guests to the hotel through the arrival process, departure process and all other services required throughout the guests’ stay.
- Develop and lead a positive, professional and strong team, with a focus on guest satisfaction, quality of service and delivery and development of a high level of skills. Act as a role model in leading this through The Merlin Way.
- Ensure all queries and complaints are dealt with accordingly and exceed guests’ expectations along the way.
Operations
- Monitor and review all activities in the Front Office areas to ensure there is adequate cover to reduce guest waiting times, maximize efficiency and friendly service, cleanliness, health and safety (e.g. luggage blocking areas, safety of children etc.)
- Responsible for managing all hotel outsourcing contracts
- Continually review guest waiting times and guest satisfaction
- Review service flow to ensure maximum efficiency and reduce time taken to manage guest interactions, speed of check in and check out, etc.
- Provide a balanced level of support and leadership to both the day and night teams in the hotel.
- Empower the relevant members of the team to make decisions in order to resolve guest issues and ensure a positive outcome.
- Responsible for maintaining the House in PMS.
- Routinely checks and responds to Reservation email requests and inquiries.
- Communicates with Housekeeping and Engineering on the status of all room statuses and discrepancies.
BUSINESS IMPACT/RESULTS
- Monitoring of night staff performance.
- Ensure all cleaning is executed accordingly and to the correct standard.
- Ensure all Health and Safety documentation is recorded and up to date, including risk assessments.
- Communicate with Revenue Manager in terms of accuracy of night audit and other revenue related checks.
- Monitor and review inventory for all Front Desk and Front Office supplies and collateral.
- Required to adhere to, and maintain all policies relating to LEGOLAND California Resort. These controls include primary responsibility for the safeguarding of cash and Hotel revenues.
- To exceed targets within company set-out formal audits, including Health & Safety, HR, Finance and Control, Operations.
- Ensure there is adequate fire cover every night.
- Provide a balanced level of support and leadership to both the day and night teams in the hotel.
- Empower the relevant members of the team to make decisions in order to resolve guest issues and ensure a positive outcome.
- Ensure the whole team has a clear understanding of the exact nature of their roles and the importance of positive energy.
- Provide the relevant information, tools and training to the appropriate teams in order for them to deliver a high level of guest service.
CREATIVITY
- Monitor and review guest feedback to identify and influence any guest satisfaction or additional revenue generating activity.
- Explore and feedback any other sales opportunities and revenue streams.
- Proactively seek to identify different methods of working and new products in order to maximize inefficiencies within the operation.
- Create and facilitate trainings that are motivating and based off operational needs.
- To ensure that the Front Office is compliant with brand and company operating procedures
COMMUNICATION
- Directly responsible for all aspects of the daily Front Office operation, to ensure a continually superior Guest experience and standards of service and health and safety.
- Establishes, communicates and champions core standards throughout all guest facing areas.
- Work closely with the Hotels Manager in terms of striving to achieve the wider hotel objectives.
- Update the Hotels Manager on any operational issues in a timely manner, ensuring the earliest possible resolution and appropriate support in times of need.
- Deliver motivational and inspiring daily team briefs to ensure the team is up to date with any current issues and information they may need to be aware of.
- Establish a consistent way of communicating information to all staff in a 24 hour operation.
DECISION MAKING & AUTONOMY
- Monitor and review operation of the department and implement changes to improve efficiency.
- To ensure that the Front Office operates effectively on a day to day basis, in line with company and brand standards, and that the appearance of the Front Office creates a professional impression to guests and employees
- To be on duty / on call at various times
- In accordance with the company procedures to manage positive and poor performance to ensure maximum productivity, team member satisfaction and minimizing labor turnover.
- Adhering to the company guidelines when recruiting team members and identifying those who are demonstrating The Merlin Way.
APPLIED KNOWLEDGE & SPECIALIST SKILLS
- To review all business processes objectively and make recommendations to the Hotels Manager
- Develop a full working knowledge of the Front Office Operation in all areas of: Front Desk, PBX, Rooms Controller, and Reservations.
- Ensure all hotel SOPs, Risk Assessments and training (generic and specific) is carried out, reviewed, updated and recorded
MANAGING RESOURCES
- Ensure team and departmental costs are kept within the agreed budget.
- Establish and promote an environment which encourages input, initiative and creative approaches through coaching, review, target setting, feedback and team area ownership.
- Ensure all employees receive regular training to update their skills and knowledge and meet their own personal development needs.
- To proactively monitor employee performance throughout the Front Office, advising and coaching front line MC’s as necessary to ensure appropriate actions are taken to readdress any poor performance, and to recognize superior performance
- Drive Front Office training plans and evaluate to ensure that the training is relevant and achieves the required outcome.
- To develop a cohesive and trained team who are able to execute superior guest service and budget control
- Ensure team and department costs are kept within agreed budget.
COMPLEXITY & PROBLEM SOLVING
- Creative ideas for delivery of guest satisfaction and operational targets.
- Act as an incident controller to provide support and recovery to the Hotel.
- Coordination of all rescue and evacuation activities for the hotel.
- Demonstrate ability to resolve difficult guest situations which result in a positive outcome.
- Provide guest recovery within the scope of the complaint provided.