Guest Relations Manager

Nestled in the heart of Sonoma and mere steps from the unique charm and history of its Plaza, The Lodge brings this enchanting town to life in an authentic and nuanced way. Hand-crafted touches pay homage to centuries of local craftspeople. Programming emphasizes the process, resulting in a deeper appreciation for the finished product — be it wine, art, or olive oil. Welcoming associates display pride and love for the region…a sentiment that is all but infectious. And tightly woven community connections ensure our Sonoma resort guests feel like locals, and locals feel like friends.

Oversees and manages the guest experience for arriving, departing and in-house guests and VIP’s as determined by the hotel by ensuring accurate and timely information and services. Responds to inquiries regarding hotel information and guest concerns.  Manages and elevates the guest experience through activations and hotel presence within the Front Office and Club Lounge. Oversees and manages all aspects of the guest loyalty and VIP program to provide exceptional and personalized experiences for our most loyal guests. Promotes a safe environment and quality services to achieve maximum guest satisfaction and financial success. 

• Orchestrates, details, welcomes, develops and coordinates the delivery of VIP amenities. 
• Orchestrate the Front Office, Housekeeping, Concierge, and Restaurant outlets to provide a seamless experience for our guests throughout their stay.
• Work closely with the Executive Office to identify areas of improvement in the Guest Experience.
• Champions and improves ranking of our TripAdvisor program.
• Champions our growing Luxury Travel segment by developing relationships with guests & Travel Agencies.
• Helps mitigate late C/O, early C/I issue and ensure guest satisfaction even when pending.
• Fulfill the increasing demand for management presence on weekend to specifically cater to our premium guest.
• Execute last minute High-end Retail clientele, arrivals and departures that meet and exceed expectations.
• Champions the Guest Recovery program and helps develop solutions to reoccurring issues.
• Has presence in our Club Lounge level to assist in guest satisfaction.
• Owns and protects the Presidential and Vice-Presidential suites in order to curate and personalize each stay and evaluate all guests who occupy them.
• Own each Cobalt Member guest and be their personal concierge throughout their stay.
• Oversee all aspects of the guest loyalty program to include communicating prior to arrival, personalizing service before/during/after the stay, updating guest profile database, deciding and executing against all profile and special requests.
• Determine and order all supplies and maintain inventory control minimizing unnecessary expenses.
• Provide elevated customer service through pre-arrival engagement with guests of the loyalty programs as well as VIPs (research their preferences and successfully execute against all requests).
• Contact in-house VIPs and high value guests of the loyalty program to gain insight about their stay.
• Follow-up on any complaints or problems a guest may experience in a timely and professional fashion and determine response to ensure a quality guest experience.
• Serve as a historical docent of the Hotel to magnify the significance of the Hotel’s branding initiatives.
• Ensure proper communication to hotel on all hotel activities in a way that insures that guest needs are being met in a timely fashion.
• Skill and proficiency of all required computer systems (POS, PMS, MARSHA, EMPOWER, etc.)
• Control cash and credit card transactions and maintain complete responsibility for personal bank as specified by hotel bank agreement policy.
• Provide assistance, training, and communication to other employees and departments to contribute to the best overall performance of the department and hotel.
• Ensure optimum guest satisfaction.
• Maintain a friendly, cheerful and courteous demeanor at all times.
• Provide a warm welcome to all arriving and in-house guests; demonstrate the spirit of hospitality during each guest interaction.
• Courteously answer all guest inquiries and follow through on all requests. 
• Maintain excellent guest relations by keeping abreast of all in-house and area functions in order to answer questions and concerns with timely and knowledgeable responses, in person and on telephone.

Education/Formal Training

High School diploma or equivalent

Experience

Minimum two years previous experience as a front desk supervisor or minimum of four years front office experience in hotel work.

Knowledge/Skills

• Must have total understanding of all hotel front office procedures.
• Requires working knowledge of guest services and hotel services, policies or operations.  Working knowledge is generally learned on-the-job.
• Must have high school graduate level mathematical aptitude; know standard cash handling procedures and knowledge of computerized cash register systems.
• Must have past experience in dealing directly with the public and acquired general knowledge of basic customer service skills.
• Must be fluent in oral and written English.
• Must be able to use tact and understanding when dealing with a variety of customer service problems, including stressful and highly emotional situations.
• Must be highly organized and able to pay attention to minute written and verbal details, particularly when performing multiple tasks.
• Excellent comprehension and literacy required to review correspondence, initiate reports, conduct training, etc.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Ability to read written forms of communication and monochrome computer screen.
• Must be able to operate computer, calculator and telephone keyboards, for cash handling and paperwork processing.
• Must be able to understand and follow verbal/written instructions, work on more than one task at a time, and be able to communicate both verbally and in writing.
• 90% of shift is standing, Bending/kneeling - repeated bending and kneeling required
• Mobility - must be able to reach all areas of hotel to assist clients.
• Carrying and lifting of bar equipment, files and office items up to 25 lbs.

Environment

Work inside 95%Material/Equipment used. Prolonged standing at indoor, thermostatically climate-controlled workstation.