Front office manager

This is a wonderful opportunity for a creative, motivated, hard-working and career-oriented person to be part of a team of luxury hotel professionals in a foreign country.

General

The Front Office manage leads a team of receptionists and night auditors, whose schedule is defined, and he coordinates the work, with a constant concern to serve the client as best as possible. A true “conductor” of the hotel, the reception manager is often considered the right-hand man of the hotel director, and he logically moves on to management duties. The Front Office Manager performs, as part of his professional activity, all reception functions (front office) and provides all the activities of receptionist of hotel and para-hotel establishments. He/she is in charge of welcoming guests and participates in the quality of the stay within an accommodation establishment regardless of its size and category. – He/she plans, coordinates, supervises and controls operations and activities related to the booking rooms, filling the hotel, check-ins and check-outs. He/she guarantees the quality of the relationship to the host person, communication during the client’s stay in accordance with the procedures and standards of the company or the brand. He/she contributes to the development of the hotel’s turnover through sales and promotions, through the application of room rates and commercial policies, by optimising the average price and occupancy rate. – He/she provides the animation and training of the team responsible for the reception and engagement – He/she participates in the well-being, the comfort of the guest, the image of the hotel in the supervision of the reception areas and the facilities of the hall.

Skills

– Implementation of forecasting logistics: 

• Planning of bookings 
• Implementation and preparation of the stay
• Planning the hotel activity 
• Organizing the work facilities for the reception team
• Adapting the processes, methods to optimize the operation of the forecasting services 
• Welcoming the customer 
• Contributing to the respect of the hotel’s standards, of an atmosphere, the image of the company in the reception area

– Welcoming and guest stay management (implementation of the logistics of the stay): 

• Welcome or actively participate in the arrival of the client
• Carry out the operations of arrival: seating, registration of the customer, check-in, room allocation
• During the customer service: 
  • Help to maintain consistency between the quality of service, professional behaviors, business dynamics and all the services of the hotel
  • Preserve a framework of confidentiality, security … Customer file tracking
  • Design and/or participate in the development of hotel’s standard operating procedures
  • Provide customer-friendly services: Inform, advise the client

– Introducing the customer relationship: 

• Attitudes 
• Enriching the Customer Experience 
• “Grooming”, adapted body language 
• Addressing the client in his native language or in a language he understands, integrating, customs, culture…
• Acting, reacting in such a way that the customer “identifies” the preferred interlocutor
• Creating opportunities to enrich the customer relationship Listen to the customer’s request, show empathy…

– Billing, cashing, control of the customer consumptions: 

• Conducting accounting transactions related to the client’s stay 
• Conducting the control of cash flow 
• Managing the cash fund, deposits 
• Proceeding with foreign exchange transactions 
• Processing the debtors accounts

– Processing of information, coordination of activities: 

• Use of ICT, software, innovations … 
• Collect, process, coordinate information and disseminate it 
• Choose and write an internal and external message 
• Use the most appropriate mode and means of communication 
• Update customer information / team 
• Use desktop softwares, technological tools

– Hotel Marketing Optimizing the profitability of the hotel: 

• Deal with walk-in guest reservations
• Make a commercial offer tailored to the customer 
• Describe and present the hotel product 
• Use, build a suitable sales pitch 
• Know and sell the various promotions, the loyalty programs
• Ensure the correct application of the hotel’s pricing policy 
• Practice the additive sale, an upselling policy including the team 
• Create a customer loyalty/retention 
• Use customer feedbacks 
• Monitor the market & hotel positioning
• Participate in the development of the business action plan and budget
• Contribute to the optimization of income: “revenue management” policy…
• Monitor the performance of the establishment, the expenses related to the operation of the service

– Management, animation of the hospitality team: 

• Organize, lead…
• Train, supervise, lead the team 
• Develop skills 
• Take the lead when the hotel management is absent

Specific experiences

• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in the Craft (apart from apprenticeship),
• Being a competition finalist or having a title of excellence is considered an asset
• Successful experience in team management

Diploma and specific knowledge required

• Required diploma: Bac 3/4, Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in hotel and catering, or higher school of hospitality with an international orientation, Bac – 2: BTS hotel option A mercatics and hotel management, Bac: Bac techno hotel, CAP/MC: CAP hotel services, MC Home/Reception. These trainings will all need to be supported by several years of professional experience before you can access the responsibilities of reception manager; years of experience crucial for this profession.
• Except for French-speaking countries, he will have to be able to express himself in English – it is a question of knowing how to communicate with his team.

Remuneration

Compensation varies depending on the position, the candidate’s profile and the country. In the luxury hotel industry for a position abroad, depending on the hotel and the position, the remuneration includes a package that completes the employee’s net salary. The package includes at least one round trip to France per year and accommodation. Other benefits may be negotiated based on the position and the candidate’s qualification level.

Social security for expats

As far as social coverage is concerned, France is very well endowed internationally thanks to the Caisse des Français à l’Etranger (www.cfe.fr). By enrolling in the CFE, the expatriate and his family can benefit from the continuity of rights (health, retirement) that he can complete with a mutual like April International https://fr.april-international.com/fr used by a very large number of expatriates.

SAF’s role: more than connecting with the customer

SAF searches within its network of companies (the Customer), then searches and evaluates the candidates’ profiles in relation to the customer’s request. SERVICE A THE FRANCAISE develops an image of excellence internationally. Concerned about the quality of the candidates transmitted, the technical assessment of the candidates is done by the members of the technical assessors panel composed of the “Meilleurs Ouvriers de France”. Once the evaluation and internal selection of the candidate is done by SAF, the selected profiles are sent to the client who finalizes the recruitment by a remote interview (telephone or video conference). Once the selection has been made by the Client, the client is fully responsible for mobilizing the selected candidate and signing the contract. SAF will always advise the candidate throughout the evaluation process until the client is signed.