Housekeeping Manager - The Newbury Boston

Highgate Hotels: Highgate is a leading real estate investment and hospitality management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in major U.S. gateway cities including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a growing Caribbean and Latin America footprint. The hospitality forward company provides expert guidance through all stages of the property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition. Highgate has a proven record of developing its diverse portfolio of bespoke lifestyle hotel brands, legacy brands, and independent hotels and resorts with contemporary programming and digital acumen. The company utilizes industry-leading revenue management tools that efficiently identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive outperformance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices in New York, Chicago, Dallas, London, Miami, and Seattle. www.highgate.com. Location:
Highgate, in partnership with Major Food Group, has announced plans to open The Newbury Boston at One Newbury Street, located in the premier shopping and dining neighborhood of Boston’s Back Bay. This iconic property originally opened in 1927 as one of the first Ritz-Carlton hotels in the U.S. and most recently was the Taj Boston. The building will be thoughtfully transformed into a 286-room luxury hotel with 16,000-sq-ft of stunning event spaces, signature dining experiences and a reimagined front entrance on Newbury Street.
Overview: The Housekeeping Manager is responsible for ensuring the operation of the Housekeeping Department in an attentive, friendly, efficient and courteous manner, providing all guests with quality service and a clean and safe environment throughout their stay, while efficiently managing expenses and maximizing service levels. Responsibilities:

• Employees must, at all times, be attentive, friendly, helpful, and courteous to all guests, managers, and fellow employees.
• Respond to all guest requests, problems, complaints and/or accidents presented through reservations, comment cards, letters and/or phone calls, in an attentive, courteous and efficient manner. Follow up to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Motivate, coach, counsel and discipline all Housekeeping personnel according to Highgate Hotel SOP's.
• Ensure compliance to Standard of the Week training, using the steps to effective training according to Highgate Hotel
• Ensure staff compliance to Forbes standards.
• Maintain a regularly scheduled cleaning program (i.e. floor care, hard cleaning, mattress flipping, etc.) and maintain a detailed checklist for each position.
• Assist in maintaining and controlling all housekeeping equipment.
• Assist in ensuring compliance with all corporate Risk Management standards (MSDS, HazComm, etc.).
• Ensure that large guestroom turns are managed efficiently.
• Ensure consistency with departmental opening and closing procedures.
• Carry a radio/cell phone at all times.
• Prepare and conduct Housekeeping interviews as required and follow hiring procedures according to Highgate Hotel SOP's.
• Develop employee morale and ensure training of Housekeeping personnel.
• Inspect rooms daily, and ensure that follow up on defficencies is addressed in a timely basis.
• Assist the Director of Housekeeping in inspecting all VIP rooms prior to arrival.
• Ensure that public areas, guest rooms and back-of-house areas are cleaned to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Assist in maintaining required pars of all Housekeeping and Laundry supplies by ordering all needed supplies and amenities on a monthly or quarterly basis.
• Assist in conducting monthly and quarterly Housekeeping inventories on a timely basis.
• Ensure guest privacy and security through correctly following Highgate Hotel procedures.
• Monitor work orders and submit to Engineering according to hotel procedures. Follow up on work orders to ensure completion.
• Conduct pre-shift meetings for room attendants and housemen.
• Respond to emergency situations using information contained in MSD sheets. Keep MSD sheets current and easily available.
• Balance and clear room status nightly; compare the p.m. housekeeping report with the PMS room status report and resolve any discrepancies.
• Assist in reviewing Housekeeping staff's worked hours for payroll compilation and submit to Accounting on a timely basis.
• Assist in preparing employee Schedule according to business forecast, payroll budget guidelines and productivity requirements.
• Maintain Highgate Hotel SOP's regarding Purchase Orders, vouchering of invoices and checkbook accounting.
• Maintain a professional working relationship and promote open lines of communication with managers, employees and other departments.
• Ensure implementation of all Highgate Hotel policies and house rules. Understand hospitality terms.
• Ensure sign off of all Service Standards by Position competencies for Housekeeping staff.
• Operate radios and other devices efficiently and professionally in communicating with hotel staff. Ensure the proper use of radio etiquette within the department.
• Manage and organize large turn days (including group check-ins or check-outs).
• Monitor out-of-order, out-of-service, discrepant and show rooms.
• Must maintain constant communication with Front Office.
• Monitor and act on special requests as needed; VIPs, special needs rooms, connecting, etc.
• Attend weekly staff meeting and provide training on a rotational basis using steps to effective training according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Maintain and monitor "Lost and Found" procedures and policies according to Highgate Hotel standards.
• Maintain key control system for house keys.
• Ensure participation within department for monthly Highgate Hotel team meeting.
• Focus the Housekeeping Department on their role in contributing to the Guest Service and audit Scores.
• Monitor all V.I.P.'s, special guests and requests.
• Review Housekeeping log book and Guest Request log on a daily basis.
• Assist in maintaining an organized and comprehensive filing system with documentation of purchases, vouchering, schedules, forecasts, reports and tracking logs.
• Use the telephone and computer system for reporting and verifying room status.
• Record all valet laundry for valet cleaners. Check and review incoming laundry at end of day to ensure all items have been returned.
• Properly store, secure and issue supplies as needed to meet business demands.
• Ensure completion of regular maintenance and cleaning projects on a biannual basis.
• Ensure overall guest satisfaction.

Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of progressive experience in a hotel or a related field; or a 4-year college degree and 3 or more years of related experience.
• One year of Housekeeping Management experience in a luxury setting preferred.
• Must be proficient in Windows, Company approved spreadsheets and word processing.
• Long hours sometimes required.
• Medium work - Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects.