General Manager, One&Only Cape Town 
(21799)

At One&Only, we exist to create joy for our guests through anticipation, creativity, precision, empathy and warmth. We tailor every aspect of our guests’ stay to bring their dreams and desires to life. With an atmosphere that’s chic but wonderfully unstuffy™, and a team who are meticulous but warm, we seek to exceed our guests’ expectations at every possible turn. 

Set in the vibrant heart of Cape Town’s waterfront, surrounded by restaurants, shopping, art and entertainment; on the doorstep of Table Mountain; and within easy reach of spectacular beaches, national parks, and winelands; One&Only Cape Town is the ultimate curator of discovery, from active adventures, to mindful moments and exclusive, tailored experiences. The warm South African charm is one of our most unique and valued assets. With abundant knowledge and generosity, we anticipate our guest’s every need and surpass expectations. Whether we are designing the perfect family day out or arranging a romantic private dinner, we approach everything with imagination to spark a sense of playfulness, discovery and adventure. This is not simply our job, it’s our passion

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Operations/Property Management 

• Develops an operational strategy that is aligned with the brand’s business strategy and leads its execution.  Works with team to put sustainable work processes and systems in place that support the execution of the strategy.
• Keeps the Operations Team focused on the critical components of operations to drive guest satisfaction and the desired financial results; makes and executes key decisions to keep property moving forward towards achievement of goals.
• Champions change.  Ensures brand and regional business initiatives are implemented and communicates follow-up actions to team as necessary.
• Establishes a vision for product and service delivery on property.
• Continually communicates a clear and consistent message regarding operational goals to produce desired results.
• Identifies and analyzes operational challenges and facilitates the development of solutions to prevent reoccurrence.
• Ensures that all operational areas have an atmosphere that is conducive to the overall guest experience.
• Researches new products, services or trends and introduces ideas to operations to enable property to remain competitive.
• Analyzes pricing and services of competition and maintains active relationship with competition.
• Reviews staffing levels to ensure that guest service, operational needs and financial objectives are met.
• Tours building on a regular basis speaking with colleagues and guests to understand business needs and assess operational opportunities.
• Participates in public space walk-throughs with Engineering, Housekeeping and Stewarding to ensure guest rooms, public space and back of the house areas are well maintained and preventative maintenance processes are in place.
• Works with community and local officials to ensure operational issues that involve external parties can be resolved in a mutually beneficial manner.
• Ensures regional business initiatives are implemented and communicates follow-up actions to team as necessary.
• Communicates and executes departmental and hotel emergency procedures and ensures operations staff can do the same.

Guest Satisfaction

• Champions the brand’s service vision for product and service delivery and ensures alignment amongst the hotel leadership team.

• Fosters colleague commitment to providing excellent service, participates in daily stand-up meetings and models desired service behaviors in all interactions with guests and colleagues.
• Demonstrates and communicates key drivers of guest satisfaction for the brand’s target customer; ensures core elements of the service strategy are in place to produce the desired results.

• Serves as the customer advocate on the property.  Pulls together resources to resolve guest and operational issues and impact results.
• Is highly visible and interfaces with customers on a regular basis to obtain feedback on quality of product, service levels and overall satisfaction.
• Observes service behaviors of colleagues and provides feedback to individuals and/or managers; continuously strives to improve service performance.
• Facilitates/attends pre- and post-convention meetings to establish relationship with customer, understand group needs and set and manage expectations.
• Reviews comment cards, guest satisfaction results and other data to identify areas of improvement.  Reviews findings with leadership team and ensures appropriate corrective action is taken. 
• Analyzes service issues and identifies trends.  Facilitates the development of creative solutions to overcome obstacles and ensures implementation to continually improve guest satisfaction results.
• Ensures leadership team is focused on service failures or potential service failures for high profile groups e.g., space conflicts, direct billing errors or denials and works with team to identify long term solutions.
• Incorporates guest satisfaction as a component of staff/operations meetings with an emphasis on generating innovative ways to meet or exceed guest expectations and continually improve results.
• Ensures that a customer recognition program is in effect throughout all operations areas.

Human Resources

• Hires operations management colleagues who demonstrate strong functional expertise, creativity and entrepreneurial leadership to meet the business needs of the operation.
• Ensures operations managers develop a departmental orientation program and colleagues receive the appropriate new hire training to successfully perform their job.  Ensures managers cross-train colleagues to support successful daily operations.
• Creates appropriate development plans and develops colleagues based on their individual strengths, development needs, career aspirations and abilities.  Ensures the same is done for all managers in the property.
• Is knowledgeable of leadership talent in the property; identifies resource needs to strengthen team and plans for future openings.
• Sets goals and expectations for direct reports using the performance review process and holds staff accountable for successful performance.  Coaches team by providing specific feedback to improve performance.  Conducts annual performance appraisals with direct reports according to Standard Operating Procedures.
• Ensures service, technical skills and leadership training occurs throughout operations to support successful daily operations.
• Establishes and maintains open, collaborative relationships with direct reports and entire team.  Ensures direct reports do the same for their team.
• Establishes a presence with colleagues on property and actively solicits colleague feedback.  Utilizes an “open door” policy and reviews colleague satisfaction results to identify and address colleague problems or concerns.  Ensures colleagues are treated fairly and equitably.
• Ensures that regular on-going communication takes place throughout operations to recognize performance, set expectations and create awareness of business objectives.
• Celebrates successes and publicly recognizes the contributions of colleagues; ensures recognition occurs in all operations areas.
• Ensures hotel policies are administered fairly and consistently, disciplinary procedures and documentation are completed according to Standard and Local Operating Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs).
• Ensures team participates in community service events sponsored by Kerzner International to build teamwork and enhance community relationships (e.g., Community Clean-up Day, visits to senior citizens homes and homeless shelters).

Sales and Revenue Management 

• Provides input and supports overall sales strategy. 
• Suggests innovative marketing ideas to gain market share.
• Balances sales goals and commitments with operations ability to deliver against them.
• Participates in weekly sales strategy meeting to anticipate service and staffing needs.
• Attends the revenue management meeting, evaluates mix of transient and group revenue and provides pricing recommendations anticipates problem dates and proactively takes action to resolve problems.
• Reviews sales contracts for current year and next year.  Identifies dates when transient rates may be listing lower than group rates and recommends changes to rates if necessary or develops alternate strategy.
• Ensures operations team has a sales strategy with aggressive goals and motivates individuals to achieve these goals and maximize performance.
• Attends monthly projection meeting to anticipate long term planning needs.
• Communicates regularly with meeting planners on property, evaluates if operations is meeting service needs and provides feedback to operations team.
• Uses the STAR report, competitive shopping and other resources to maintain an awareness of the hotel’s market position.  Researches competitor’s strategies to identify ways to increase market share and maximize revenue.
• Participates in meeting planner site visits or inspections and prepares operations team for the same.
• Develops strong community and public relations by participating in local events or sponsoring activities that showcase the property.
• Has overall responsibility for operations sales performance against budget.  Monitors the department’s actual and projected sales to ensure revenue goals are met or exceeded and opportunities are identified and addressed.  Reviews RevPAR, meal period covers, room capture ratio and average check on a daily basis.
• Participates in sales calls with members of the sales team to acquire new business.

Financial Management

• Reviews financial reports and statements to determine how Operations is performing against budget.  Works with direct reports to determine areas of concern and establish ways to improve the departments’ financial performance.  Leads cost containment efforts within operations including organizational restructuring when necessary.
• Coaches and supports operations team to effectively manage occupancy & rate, wages and controllable expenses.  Strives to maintain profit margins without compromising guest or colleague satisfaction.
• Reviews the Wage Progress Report and compares budgeted wages to actual wages, coaches direct reports to address problem areas and holds team accountable for results.
• Conducts comparative analysis and gathers best practices.  Encourages operations team to either establish new processes or improve existing processes to yield greater productivity e.g., banquet set-up and group check-in process.
• Facilitates the capital expenditure process with the operations departments.  Works with direct reports to identify ways to improve product or service levels and add value for the customer and colleagues.  Ensures capital expenditure funds are being used to address the priorities outlined in the service strategy.
• Negotiates contracts with retailers, service vendors and other contractors to obtain agreements that are beneficial for the property in accordance with SOPs (e.g., Avendra).

   Owner Relations

• Provides the operational expertise during owner meetings; gives meaning or context to the financial results, demonstrates an understanding of cash flow and owner priorities.
• Shares new ideas for stimulating business opportunities, improving service and increasing profitability.
• Builds owner loyalty through good communication, recognition and involvement in key decisions.
• Understands the Management Agreement and ensures decisions are made in accordance to the agreement.
• Establishes relationship with owner as a business partnership and supports the relationship between the General Manager and the owner.
• Balances owner’s objectives and Kerzner International’s objectives to produce mutually beneficial solutions.

Other

• Performs other duties as assigned to meet business needs.

Skills, Experience & Educational Requirements

• Extensive knowledge of hotel operations and operating strategies
• Extensive knowledge of rooms operations
• Solid knowledge of food and beverage concepts and sales strategies
• Knowledge of revenue management and marketing strategies
• Ability to understand complex sales organization and corresponding sales processes
• Retail merchandising skills
• Knowledge of purchasing, inventory controls, supplies and equipment
• Knowledge of governmental regulations and safety standards
• Working knowledge of hotel laws governing operations
• Strong organization skills
• Ability to effectively manage labor productivity
• Financial management skills e.g., ability to analyze P&L statements, develop operating budgets, forecasting and capital expenditure planning
• Ability to use standard software applications and hotel systems
• Strategic Planning Skills
• Ability to evaluate business trends, determine applicability to customer profile and modify business strategies accordingly
• Ability to creatively execute against the strategy and drive results; can originate and invent new ways to create a unique guest experience and maximize revenue
• Ability to take constructive action without relying on directions from others
• Ability to network and build relationships to grow the business
• Ability to exercise flexibility rather than rigid adherence to procedures in order to accomplish goals
• Effective decision-making skills; can choose a course of action amongst options involving uncertainty or risk
• Strong problem-solving skills; encourages new innovative solutions when appropriate
• Strong communication skills (verbal, listening, writing)
• Effective influence skills
• Strong consensus building skills
• Effective change management skills
• Strong customer and colleague relation skills

Education or Certification

• High School Diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s Degree preferred
• 10 Years’ experience in a similar role in a 5 star environment required
• Sound financial knowledge working with budgets etc.
• A Three-year college degree or equivalent education/ experience.
• Four to five years of employment in a related position in a luxury hotel or resort.
• Requires advanced knowledge of the principles and practices within the Rooms Division/Food & Beverage/Hospitality profession.  This includes the knowledge required for management of people and complex problems.
• Ability to study, analyze, and interpret complex activities.
• Must possess highly developed communication skills to negotiate, convince, sell, and influence other managerial personnel, hotel guests, and /or corporate clients
• Highly organized and able to prioritize and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Computer literacy a must, with a strong knowledge of Word, Excel, Word, Outlook and PowerPoint.
• Ability to evaluate business trends, determine applicability to customer profile and modify business strategies accordingly
• Financial management skills e.g., ability to analyze P&L statements, develop operating budgets, forecasting and capital expenditure planning
• Knowledge of purchasing, inventory controls, supplies and equipment
• Ability to take constructive action without relying on directions from others
• Ability to network and build relationships to grow the business
• Effective decision-making skills; can choose a course of action amongst options involving uncertainty or risk
• Strong problem-solving skills; encourages new innovative solutions when appropriate
• Effective change management skills
• Strong customer and colleague relation skills

Our brand is expanding faster than ever before. We are investing in the growth of our company, and that means we are committed to investing in you. Join a team that is open-hearted, intuitive, generous, and spontaneous in spirit. We believe in making our guests happy beyond anything they have ever imagined. We wow them at every turn and create memories that will last a lifetime. You will be at the heart of this vision, to constantly innovate to deliver Amazing Experiences and Everlasting Memories.