Job Description

Company Description

AKA Hotels + Hotel Residences offers a blend of sophisticated hotel accommodations and spacious furnished residences, featuring exceptional business, wellness, and lifestyle amenities in iconic neighborhoods. As leaders in long-stay living, AKA redefines the hotel experience by harmonizing residential privacy with boutique hotel hospitality and style. AKA's tranquil and contemporary designs provide guests with a unique balance of comfort and personalized service. A division of Korman Communities, a family-run real estate business since 1909, AKA pioneered the furnished suite concept in 1966, continuing its legacy of innovation and excellence.

Role Description

This is a full-time, on-site role for a Director of Front Office at AKA Hotels+Hotel Residences, located in New York, NY. The Director of Front Office will oversee daily front office operations, ensuring exceptional customer service and satisfaction. Responsibilities include managing front-desk staff, streamlining reservations, implementing budgeting strategies, and coordinating closely with other departments to deliver a seamless guest experience. This leadership role demands keen attention to detail, proactive problem-solving, and a commitment to maintaining high operational standards.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE

· Lead, mentor, and develop the Front Office team, ensuring team members are equipped to meet guest needs with professionalism, elegance, and urgency.

· Foster a culture of continuous improvement, high engagement, accountability, and commitment to service excellence.

· Conduct regular training sessions focused on luxury service standards, guest engagement, brand standards, and operational execution.

· Provide ongoing coaching, counseling, and performance feedback to team members and managers.

· Set clear expectations and priorities for the team and reinforce consistent follow-through.

· Support recruitment, onboarding, retention, and succession planning for Front Office positions.

· Ensure all Front Office team members are properly groomed, uniformed, and presentation-ready at all times.

GUEST EXPERIENCE AND SERVICE EXCELLENCE

· Ensure consistently elevated service delivery across the guest journey, including pre-arrival, arrival, in-stay, departure, and post-stay follow-up as applicable.

· Lead and assist guest service representatives with daily operational Front Office duties.

· Resolve guest issues, service failures, and inquiries promptly and professionally to ensure guest satisfaction and loyalty.

· Anticipate guest needs and oversee effective service recovery for escalated concerns and VIP matters.

· Ensure all guest reservations are accurate, including billing instructions, routing, room assignments, traces, and guest preferences.

· Maintain high standards of arrival experience, lobby presence, bell service, concierge support, and overall first impressions.

· Ensure luxury personalized service standards are consistently executed by all guest-facing team members.

· Oversee the seamless daily operations of the Front Office departments.

· Manage all Front Office operations, including Front Desk, Guest Services, Concierge, Bell/Door, Reservations interface, guest experience, and related guest-facing functions.

· Supervise daily front desk activities according to established guidelines and luxury service standards.

· Prioritize and delegate daily work responsibilities to Front Office staff.

· Plan shift schedules and responsibilities based on business forecast, arrivals, departures, VIP activity, and operational needs.

· Schedule and lead Front Office meetings to identify and resolve operational issues, accounting variances, guest concerns, and housekeeping discrepancies.

· Develop and implement strategies to improve Front Office and Bell team performance, efficiency, and service execution.

· Ensure the facility, Front Office work areas, lobby, and arrival areas are maintained in a clean, neat, safe, and secure manner.

· Implement policies, processes, and systems that support operational efficiency, service consistency, and interdepartmental coordination.

· Ensure effective communication and coordination with Housekeeping, Engineering, Security, Sales, and Accounting.

· Manage staffing schedules, shift changes, payroll, and labor costs in alignment with business levels and productivity expectations.

· Monitor timekeeping practices, overtime, meal break compliance, and staffing deployment to ensure operational effectiveness and labor compliance.

· Actively manage union relationships, ensuring compliance with collective bargaining agreements and fostering a professional and constructive working relationship with union team members.

· Partner with Human Resources on investigations, grievances, disciplinary matters, attendance issues, and corrective action as needed.

· Ensure leadership practices and scheduling decisions are aligned with Local 6 requirements and other applicable labor obligations.

· Analyze daily, weekly, and monthly operating results to identify trends, service gaps, labor opportunities, and financial risks.

· Manage departmental budgets, expenses, and resource allocation effectively.

· Identify process improvements to achieve financial, labor, and service goals.

· Supervise billing, payment handling, paid outs, and other Front Office financial processes to ensure compliance with company standards and internal controls.

· Ensure accurate folios, routing, settlement, deposits, and audit readiness at all times.

· Partner with Accounting and night audit teams to ensure timely resolution of discrepancies and accurate reporting.

· Support revenue optimization by aligning room inventory execution, upgrade strategy, and guest placement with commercial goals.

· Ensure adherence to AKA luxury service standards and all luxury hospitality service expectations.

· Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness, organization, presentation, and professionalism in all guest-facing areas.

· Conduct routine inspections of lobby, Front Desk, bell storage, porte cochere, and related areas to ensure standards are upheld.

· Ensure all service procedures, guest recognition practices, and operational standards are consistently followed.

· Drive continuous improvement in service execution, process discipline, and guest satisfaction results.

· Ensure compliance with company policies, PCI standards, AKA payment handling procedures, and guest privacy protocols.

· Maintain a safe and secure environment for guests and team members by ensuring adherence to all safety and emergency procedures.

· Ensure proper incident reporting, documentation, and escalation protocols are followed.

· Partner with Security and Engineering to address safety, access, and operational concerns in a timely manner.

· Ensure compliance with all NYC and property-required certifications, sanitation standards, and operational regulations.

OTHER DUTIES

• · Perform other duties as assigned based on business needs and operational priorities.

Pay: $85,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

 Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Commuter assistance
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person

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