The Hotel

Step inside a legendary revival at The Watergate Hotel, a luxurious urban resort located along the banks of the Potomac River. Here modern design blends with a storied past to redefine luxury. A place where travel and business are occasions worth celebrating, attention to every detail is the standard, and intrigue can be found just beyond every curve.

Location

The Watergate Hotel is centrally located in Washington, D.C., a city of political power, prestige, and elegance is culturally rich with theaters, museums, architectural splendors and unforgettable national memorials. The Watergate Hotel is situated within walking distance of the best the city has to offer.

Strategic Intent

It is the mission and intent of this position that the incumbent will manage all aspects of the Housekeeping Department inclusive of all public areas, and the laundry/valet facilities. The intent of the incumbent is to maintain the cleanliness and order of the entire hotel to exceed expectation and operate in compliance with all Watergate Hotel standard and initiatives.

Organizational Structure

REPORTS TO: Rooms Division Manager

General Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist the Director of Rooms in the set-up of the Housekeeping Department, systems and SOP’s.
• Coordinate the efficient running of the Housekeeping and Laundry/Valet departments on a daily basis.
• Motivate, train, supervise, evaluate and discipline all Housekeeping and Laundry employees.
• Ensure that all reports required by various offices in the hotel are submitted on a timely basis.
• Ensure that all associates are in total compliance with all standards of operation and service standard requirements.
• Review all customer comments and feedback relating to the Housekeeping and Laundry/Valet departments, ensure that immediate action has been taken and formulate solutions to prevent dissatisfaction recurring.
• Ensure that all schedules are completed and meet staffing guidelines.
• Oversee the ordering of all supplies to ensure that par levels are maintained and that purchasing is in line with budget.
• Hold regular daily, weekly and monthly communication briefings with all housekeeping associates.
• Carry out inspections of rooms, public areas and back of house areas on a regular basis to ensure that high standards are maintained at all times.
• Ensure that linen is properly controlled and ensure that quality of linen laundry service is reviewed daily.
• Ensure that uniforms for all staff are maintained and controlled and coordinate with designers as required.
• Propose and initiate when approved, new services and products for our guests.
• Perform and oversee administrative duties such as scheduling, payroll, purchasing and inventory management reports.
• Participate in all regular and ad hoc operational meetings as required.
• Manage projects and any other reasonable duties as required by hotel management.
• Oversee housekeeping candidate selection and staffing.
• Oversee staff performance of all housekeeping and laundry associates.
• Ensure that the appraisal and succession planning systems and deadlines are utilized and adhered to.
• Ensure that all staff problems are handled expediently and tactfully.
• Complete ownership for the ongoing training requirements in the division.
• Oversee all vacation and leave requests to ensure that staffing guidelines are covered.
• Ensure that disciplinary procedures are undertaken fairly and in accordance to hotel policies.
• Comply with and enforce hotel grooming standards with all colleagues.
• Closely monitor all departmental expenses and labor to ensure that they are within budget.
• Participates in the preparation of the annual budget providing the Director of Rooms, Managing Director and the Financial Controller with information required to complete the division budget.
• Contribution to the preparation of Rooms annual CapEx plan and management of Rooms related CapEx projects and expenditure.
• Ensure operations meet all internal and external audit requirements.
• Work closely with the IT department to ensure that all deficiencies in guest room technology are reported and remedied immediately.
• Work closely with Director of Engineering to oversee maintenance of all rooms and public areas as required.
• Conduct regular maintenance walk through of the property, with Engineering Management, to identify any areas that require remedial action and to co-ordinate the timely completion of such.
• Manage the room preventative maintenance program in conjunction with the Director of Engineering to ensure that hotel standards for PM are maintained throughout the year and to ensure that the quality of the room product is maintained at the highest level.
• Work constantly with the Engineering Management team to ensure that any out of order rooms are returned to inventory expediently.
• Manage any third party vendor relationships; work with Financial Controller to review and revise any and all third party contracts to ensure the best interests of the hotel and its guests are at the forefront of all negotiations.

Experience and Requirements

• 5+ years direct, related experience in similar position for a luxury hotel.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management or related field is preferred.
• Prior experience managing third party vendors is required.
• Must have direct, related experience managing and motivating a high performing team in a diverse and dynamic environment.
• Strong communication skills are mandatory with fluency in English required.
• Demonstrated superior attention to detail is required; must possess a strong commitment to achieving excellence in the luxury hotel environment.
• Prior experience designing, implementing and leading effective training programs for continuous improvement.
• Must possess strong computer skills including MS Office, Opera, Time Saver, HotSOS, etc.
• Must be physically able to meet the demands of the position such as: lift/carry/push/pull 30+ lbs.; walk/stand for extended periods while on shift.
• Those with multi-lingual skills are preferred
• Flexible work hours to meet the demands of a 24 hour operation.