Mgr Hotel Operations Planning & Delivery

Role Purpose

Provide consultation and develop and execute training programs to hotel ownership and management of hotels in a pre-determined territory within the Americas Region. Analyze opportunities for hotels to utilize all IHG tools and resources and provide directed consulting to ensure hotels adopt and implement these tools and resources. Ensure the success of new General Managers by providing customized coaching and mentoring sessions within the first 45 days of the GM’s start date. Provide one-stop crisis management support when needed and work collaboratively within the organization to resolve issues facing our hotel operators. Work in collaboration with the field-based HPS Area Managers, assisting in the resolution of complex operations and distribution issues.

Key Accountabilities

• Coordinate and monitor the consulting activities of the team to ensure proper support of inbound calls and email requests from hotels, travel agents, and third party intermediaries, and proactive outbound calls and training events. Coach and develop staff; provide escalation support for difficult or sensitive subjects; hire, fire, assess, discipline, document performance, recommend salary and classification changes. Work with Regional Managers to provide analysis and insight into corporate level, wide reaching issues impacting our hotel’s ability to perform.
• Develop and facilitate online training programs for hotel owners, general managers, and management company representatives focused around IHG revenue tools, best practices, implementation of new standards and legal requirements, and general hotel operations.
• Research and analyze hotel performance and implementation of IHG tools and programs for 5-7 major markets in the Americas. Proactively contact and consult with hotel owners, general managers, and hotel management company staff on specific revenue & performance opportunities by way of targeted campaigns & centralized training events, based on this research and analysis, to drive adoption of tools, programs, and best practices. Drive quarterly goals for adoption rates within each major market.
• Reduce GM dissatisfaction and turnover by executing multiple detailed and customized onboarding sessions with new general managers in the region via personalized coaching calls and web training events. Ensure new GMs have full understanding of IHG tools and resources available to them and ensure that they are successfully beginning their journey on the Development Pathway towards GM certification. 
• Develop rapport with hotel owners and work collaboratively with Hotel Performance Support, Revenue Management, and Sales to support hotel specific action plans. As the Atlanta-based partner, work closely with HPS Area Managers to research, analyze, and resolve complex operations challenges.
• Organize and lead cross-functional discussions with internal IHG subject matter experts to provide input and develop corporate level action plans to resolve issues impacting hotel operations, sales, and revenues. 
• Provides hotel crisis management support in times of emergencies. May be called upon to lead regional crisis management response taskforce duties on behalf of Risk Management and Corporate Communications for large-scale emergencies.
• Review regional trends, issues, and opportunities with the Hotel Performance Support area managers in the region monthly. Provide leadership with monthly performance scorecard for the regional portfolio. Work with WARM team colleagues to develop new proactive training sessions to address challenges noted and to increasingly drive for high performance for hotels in the region.
• At the direction of the Senior Manager, independently complete special projects that increase hotel performance and guest satisfaction. This may include; the assessment of competitive data, translating new brand standards and operating procedures into training events, developing targeted call campaign scripts and documentation for use by the WARM operations consultants, facilitate hotel pilot programs, supporting the Hotel Performance Support, Revenue Management, and Sales organizations with ad hoc projects, etc.

Key Skills & Experiences

Education –

Bachelors or Master’s degree in Hotel Management, Business, Education, or a relevant field of work or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience. Proficiency in multiple languages highly desired.

Experience –

8+years in hotel operations as general manager or department head. Multi-unit operations and/or major market operations highly desired. 

Technical Skills and Knowledge –

• Demonstrated ability to effectively analyze hotel operations and discover opportunities for hotels to implement tools, programs, and best practices to increase revenues and guest satisfaction.
• Demonstrated knowledge of hotel operations; of rules, laws and regulations relating to new hotel openings; and of applicable systems and programs.
• Demonstrated clear, concise and succinct communication skills, including adapting both verbal and written communications to the needs and level of user.
• Demonstrated knowledge of hotel systems, programs, revenue management and training principles and procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to keep current with industry trends/changes.
• Demonstrated problem solving and time management skills. 
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to manage multiple tasks/clients required.
• Demonstrated aptitude to learn and adapt to fast changing environment and modify plans as needed.
• Demonstrated project management experience in organizing, planning and implementing program and promotion rollouts, hotel pilot programs and targeted centralized training events.
• Decisions made by this position directly impact IHG’s relationships with key customers, owners, investors and franchisees.