Manager, Guest Experience

Description

The Manager, Guest Experience is responsible for the long-term direction of guest service, concierge, valet, door, and bell desk operations, supporting all Guest Experience functions at The Marker Hotel Union Square. This role oversees departmental policies and procedures, ensuring effective communication and operational efficiency across the hotel. Additionally, this role collaborates with department heads to elevate the guest journey, strengthen reputation, performance and drive overall satisfaction. Through strong leadership, operational insight, and comprehensive training, this role ensures a seamless arrival through departure experience for every guest.

Located in the heart of San Francisco, The Marker Union Square is a distinctive boutique hotel that combines a vibrant atmosphere with personalized service and a strong sense of place. The hotel is part of the Preferred Hotels & Resorts collection.

Key Responsibilities:

1. • Oversee guest experience, concierge, valet, door, and bell desk operations, ensuring smooth and efficient front of house functions.
   • Develop, implement, and enforce departmental policies and procedures to optimize workflow and communication across the hotel.
   • Collaborate with department heads to ensure team members receive thorough training on hotel policies, procedures, and service expectations.
   • Lead recruitment, selection, and onboarding of team members, ensuring comprehensive training in property orientation, hotel systems, security procedures, cash handling, and elevated service standards.
   • Oversee compliance and training on web-based support services, including Iprefer Loyalty, Preferrednet, Expedia, Booking, Hotel Tonight, Airbnb/Rocket Stay, CapitalOne, Social Stations, Revinate, Micrometrics, Medallia, and TripAdvisor.
   • Maintain expert knowledge of property systems including PMS, CRS, and guest engagement platforms while ensuring the team is fully trained on operational technologies.
   • Engage in monthly departmental meetings focusing on service elevation, excellence, team building, performance goals, and next steps.
   • Analyze guest satisfaction data, online reputation metrics, and operational performance trends to identify opportunities for service enhancement and operational improvement.
   • Manage special projects, participate in committees, and oversee initiatives that contribute to operational excellence.
   • Ensure compliance with the relevant components of the Crescent Internal Audit.
   • Serve as Manager on Duty, prepare and lead daily Stand-Up communication, and maintain a strong leadership presence throughout the hotel.
   • Maintain full knowledge and compliance with hotel policies, procedures, and standards, ensuring operational efficiency across all front office functions.
   • Oversee budget management, labor forecasting, and cost control to maintain financial targets while ensuring optimal front desk coverage.
   • Ensure accurate completion and oversight of daily, weekly, and monthly shift logs, documentation, and financial close-out procedures.
   • Review and verify group bookings, ensuring accuracy in reservations, routing, charges, and guest experience planning.
   • Anticipate guest needs, proactively communicate with VIP and repeat guests, and ensure a seamless and elevated guest experience.
   • Lead guest satisfaction initiatives, oversee service recovery efforts, and work to enhance Net Promoter Scores (NPS) through proactive engagement.
   • Oversee leadership development and training strategies to build strong service culture and operational expertise within the front of house team.
   • Maintain in-depth knowledge of hotel features, room types, rates, promotions, occupancy levels, and guest arrivals/departures to optimize front desk operations.
   • Assign work duties to team, ensuring proper follow-up, task completion, and continuous monitoring of performance in accordance with service excellence standards.
   • Oversee group check-ins and VIP handling, ensuring an exceptional and personalized guest experience.
   • Manage overbooked situations and guest relocations ("walking" guests) with a focus on guest satisfaction and seamless resolution.
   • Coordinate amenity deliveries with bell staff and ensure timely service for special guest requests.
   • Provide performance feedback to team members through evaluations, coaching, and professional development initiatives.
   • Oversee operational improvements related to front office areas including lobby experience, guest arrival flow, and service infrastructure.
   • Support night audit operations, ensuring accurate financial reporting and smooth overnight functions in coordination with the Accounting department.

Qualifications:

• Previous hotel leadership experience, ideally in a Front Office Manager or Assistant Front Office Manager role.

• Strong knowledge of hotel systems, operations, and guest service best practices.

• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop a team in a high-paced hospitality environment.

• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

• Financial acumen with experience in labor forecasting, scheduling, and budget management.

• Ability to maintain professionalism under pressure and deliver service recovery with empathy and efficiency.

Why Join Us?

• Be part of a dynamic leadership team committed to operational excellence and service innovation.

• Opportunities for career growth and professional development.

• A collaborative, supportive, and engaging work environment.

PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

Customer Satisfaction:

Our customers are what we are about. One of the keys to a positive guest experience is positive interaction with Crescent staff. It is essential that you remain professional at all times, and that you treat all guests and associates with courtesy and respect, under all circumstances. Every Crescent associate is a guest relations ambassador, every working minute of every day.

Work Habits:

In order to maintain a positive guest and associate experience, your work habits should always meet and strive to exceed hotel standards for work procedures, dress, grooming, punctuality and attendance. You should be adaptable to change in your work area and in hotel procedures with a willingness to learn new skills and/or improve existing ones, have the ability to solve routine problems that occur on the job and ask for help whenever you are not sure how to do something.

Safety & Security:

The safety and security of our guests and associates is of utmost importance to Crescent. Every Crescent associate should adhere to the hotel security policies and procedures, particularly regarding key controls, lifting heavy objects, using chemicals, and effectively reporting safety hazards and safety concerns.

NOTE:

This description excludes non-essential and marginal functions of the position that are incidental to the performance of the fundamental job duties. Furthermore, the specific examples in each section are not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, they represent the typical elements and criteria considered necessary to perform the job successfully. Other job-related duties may be assigned by the associate’s supervisor.

Furthermore, this description is subject to change, in the sole discretion of the Company, and in no way creates an employment contract, implied or otherwise; each associate remains, at all times, an “at will” associate.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.