Welcome Desk Manager

Job description

W Rome is casting for a Welcome Desk Manager to join the first W Hotel in Italy. 

Reporting to the Director of Rooms, the Welcome Desk Manager is responsible for ensuring an authentic W experience to each and every guest.

About us

W Rome redefines the luxury hotel scene of the Eternal City through its informal yet impeccable Whatever/Whenever service and trademark high energy. It is the perfect match for the duality of the Italian, between reverence for tradition and defiance of expectations, a magnetic social hub shedding light on the future of the Eternal City.

The impact you’ll make

Own the daily pre-arrival planning and stay-personalization process

·  Assist Room Coordinator Pre-blocking rooms for all arrivals, with considerations of the estimated time of arrivals, personal guest preferences and stay history. Focus on Elite members and other VIP guest
·  Assist Room Coordinator allocating room upgrades based on availability, balancing upsell opportunities with prioritization of preferred rooms/room types for Elite members
·  Review special requests on reservations and coordinate with other related departments to anticipate and fulfill the ask/s, e.g. feather-free request, honeymoon or VIP setup
·  Ensure all special occasions stay information (e.g., birthday, anniversary, wedding couples, etc.) are taken note of and preferences are complied with and executed 
·  Assist Room Coordinator preparing same day reservations (day use, lay over, etc.) and print registration cards, as well as executing any related PMS updates (e.g. routing instructions, etc.)

 

Manage room inventory to maximize room revenue and occupancy 

·  Communicate and align with Revenue management leader and Dir. Of WW and WD on same-day sell/upsell strategy
·  Review and manage guestroom inventory for same-day sales to maximize yield and occupancy
·  Act as the main point of control for saleable rooms in conjunction with Revenue, Front Desk, Housekeeping and Engineering teams
·  Review arrival reports and communicate effectively to the Housekeeping department for proper room assignment process 
·  Monitor the percentage of vacant clean rooms based on arrival patterns to ensure that there are adequate vacant clean inspected rooms to manage arrival patterns
·  Ensure pre-blocked rooms are released as “Vacant-Clean-Inspected” (VCI) by Housekeeping and ready prior to guest reservations with ETA
·  Follow up and liaise on Item Inventory procedure with Housekeeping 
·  Coordinate with Housekeeping and Engineering teams to review and release on time the out-of-service and out-of-order rooms that were blocked for Rooms Preventive Maintenance (RPM)
·  Constantly keep track of changes in arrival patterns and room status (e.g. early check-out, late check-out, room change, unexpected stay-over, walk-ins, etc.) and communicate with Housekeeping
·  Manage and coordinate sold out and overbooking situations
·  Handle inventory balancing and error log review of PMS and Reservation systems

 

Responsible for monitoring Mobile check-in and check-out 

·  Be responsible of monitoring and taking care of the Mobile Guest Service Control Panel 
·  Review the panel to process mobile check-in requests, prepare room assignment according to the arrival time and pre-register with keys
·  Review the panel to process the mobile check-out requests, perform check-out on the PMS system and follow up with e-folios sending to guests

Responsible for managing group arrivals and departures

·  Coordinate with sales or events departments to obtain group arrival and departure information
·  Attend weekly Group Resume meetings 
·  Prepare and organize the group arrivals and departures by communicating with Living Room Manager and WW , Style and Welcome Desk teams to ensure flawless check-in and check-out experiences
·  Responsible to handle all group-related guest experience requests with Events Manager and group billing arrangements with Finance Team
·  Provide back-office support to the Front Office team 
·  Follow up and action on all same day traces in the PMS report for arriving guests
·  Review and prepare for early check-in, express and late check-out requests from guests and provide guidance to the associates based on occupancy and arrival patterns
·  Follow up on 3 rd party payments and pending accounts and Paymasters with necessary stakeholders involved
·  Review of daily rate checks and fix any possible rate variances
·  Take responsibility with Dir of WW and WD and Ass. Dir of WW and WD for credit risks guests
·  Liaise with Housekeeping to prepare showrooms for sales & marketing needs
·  Follow up on Missing Stay and Loyalty certification processes
·  Save daily contingency shift report 

OTHER JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

Policies and Procedures

·  Maintain confidentiality of proprietary materials and information (PCI requirements)
·  Follow company and department policies and procedures
·  Protect the privacy and security of guests and coworkers
·  Ensure uniform, pins, and personal appearance are clean, hygienic, professional and in compliance with company policies and procedures
·  Protect company tools, equipment, machines, or other assets in accordance with company policies and procedures
·  Perform other reasonable job duties 

Assist Management

·  Coordinate tasks and work with other departments to ensure that the department runs efficiently
·  Serve as a departmental role model or mentor by working alongside employees to perform technical or functional job duties
·  Help to onboard new hires

Working with Others

·  Support all co-workers and treat them with dignity and respect
·  Develop and maintain positive, productive working relationships with associates and other departments
·  Handle sensitive issues with associates and/or guests with tact, respect, diplomacy and confidentiality
·  Partner and assist others to promote an environment of teamwork and achieve common goals

Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement

·  Comply with quality assurance expectations and standards
·  Actively use guestVoice to support front desk execution on guest experiences or anticipate challenges prior to guest arrivals.

Check-in/Check-out

·  Accommodate requests for room changes when possible
·  Keep track of changes on room status (e.g., early check-out, late check-out, room transfer, unexpected stay over) for Housekeeping
·  Assist Room Coordinator Handling and managing “Queue” Rooms 
·  Review requests for late check-outs and provide guidance accordingly
·  Ensure rates match the market codes and exceptions are documented with an explanation
·  Verify and adjust billing for guests
·  Pre-register designated guests and prepare key packets
·  File guest paperwork or documentation
·  Process all guest check-ins by confirming reservations in computer PMS system, verifying guest identity, requesting form of payment, assigning room, and issuing room key in accordance with property policies and procedures in alignment with local laws
·  Activate room keys using electronic key machine and re-issue new room keys to guests as necessary by verifying guest identity and using electronic key machine
·  Secure valid form of payment prior to issuing room key
·  Clear departures in computer system to document that rooms are no longer occupied

Reservations/Blocking Rooms

·  Identify any over-commitments by room type and bed type
·  Block rooms in the computer and identify designated requirements and requests (e.g., guaranteed room types, special requests, VIP's, early arrivals, guest recognition)
·  Perform duplicate reservation checks
·  Confirm reservations and cancellations
·  Handle “No Show” and “Cancellation” reservations

Reports/Recordkeeping

·  Run daily arrival reports and identify any special requests
·  Maintain and update database containing preferences of repeat and VIP guests
·  Maintain Empower – GXP platform

Guest Services

·  Contact appropriate individual or department (e.g., Bellman, Front Desk, Housekeeping, Engineering, Security/Loss Prevention) as necessary to resolve guest call, request, or problem
·  Follow up with guests to ensure their requests or problems have been met to their satisfaction
·  Receive, record, and relay messages accurately, completely, and legibly

 

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

1.  Analytical Skills

·  Problem solving
·  Decision making
·  Computer skills

2. Interpersonal Skills

·  Customer service orientation
·  Interpersonal skills
·  Able to work alone and within teams
·  Diversity relations

3. Communications

·  Telephone etiquette skills
·  English language proficiency (verbal/listening/writing)
·  Listening, reading and writing skills
·  Report and log completion

4.  Personal Attributes

·  Dependability
·  Integrity
·  Positive demeanor
·  Initiative
·  Stress tolerance
·  Adaptability and flexibility
·  Safety orientation

5.  Organization

·  Detail orientation
·  Multi-tasking
·  Time management 
·  Planning and organizing

Education:                                                        High school diploma or ab

Related Work Experience:                           Minimum 2-years related Front Office work experience and PMS knowledge.    

Supervisory Experience:                              Required 

 

W Hotels’ mission is to Ignite Curiosity, Expand Worlds. We are a place to experience life. We’re here to open doors and open minds. We are constantly inspired by new faces and new experiences. A tuned-in, up-for-anything spirit is at our core and has made us renowned for reinventing the norms of luxury around the globe. Whatever/Whenever is our culture and service philosophy that brings our guests’ passions to life. If you are original, innovative, and always looking towards the future of what’s possible, welcome to W Hotels. In joining W Hotels, you join a portfolio of brands with Marriott International. Be where you can do your best work,​ begin  your purpose,  belong  to an amazing global​ team, and  become  the best version of you.