Guest Experience Assistant

Hornblower Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 21,000; Full time

Job summary

City Cruises UK, part of Hornblower Group, seeks a Guest Experience Assistant – Pier Crew to provide friendly guest services at ticket offices and piers across London, Poole and York. You will rotate between sales, passenger flow management and assisting boarding while representing our RESPECT values.

Ideal candidates have experience in hospitality or visitor attractions, excellent communication skills, and the ability to upsell products. Availability for weekends and events is required.

Qualifications

• Experience in guest services or customer-facing roles in visitor attractions or hospitality.
• Able to upsell and promote products and services to guests.
• Strong communication skills; able to convey information clearly to guests and teammates.
• Team player with a proactive, friendly, and professional manner.
• Flexibility to work weekends, holidays, and evenings as required.

Responsibilities

• Greet guests and deliver a welcoming, high-quality service at ticket offices and piers.
• Assist guests with boarding, passage, and information about London attractions and City Cruises products.
• Process enquiries, handle ticketing issues, and communicate delays or changes to customers.
• Manage cash and card payments accurately per company policy.
• Support with events and daily operations as part of the Pier Crew.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Teamwork

Upselling

Flexibility

English proficiency

Maths

Education

GCSE Maths and English (A-C)

Tools

POS systems

Ticketing/software apps

Job description

Hornblower Groupis a global leader in experienceand transportation.Spanning a 100-year history, Hornblower Group’s portfolio of international offerings includes water- and land-based experiences and ferry and transportation services. City Experiences, Hornblower Group’s premier experience division, offers dining and sightseeing cruises and walking and food tours through the City Cruises, Walks, and Devour brands. City Ferry, part of Hornblower Group’s Ferry and Transportation Division, is the largest private operator of high-speed passenger and vehicle ferries in the United States, carrying more than 10 million passengers annually and operating services including NYC Ferry, Puerto Rico Ferry, and other regional ferry systems. Hornblower Group’s subsidiaries include Hornblower Marine, which provides vessel outhaul and maintenance services at Bridgeport Boatworks in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and Seaward Services, Inc., a full-service shipping, waterfront logistics and management company that specializes in the operation and maintenance of government and commercial vessels. Additionally, Anchor Operating System, LLC, a Hornblower Group subsidiary and independent entity,provides reservation, ticketing and website integration services for clients in the transportation, tourism and entertainment industries. Today, Hornblower Group’s global portfolio covers over 10 countries, over 50 U.S. cities and serves more than 20 million guests annually. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Hornblower Group’s additional corporate offices reside in San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; London, United Kingdom; New York, New York; Dublin, Ireland; and across Ontario, Canada. For more information, visit hornblowercorp.com.

Position Summary

GUEST EXPERIENCE ASSISTANT – PIER CREW

City Cruises UK is part of the City Experiences division of the Hornblower Group, a global leader in world-class experiences and transportation services. We operate public dining and sightseeing cruises as well as private charters for corporate events, birthday parties, weddings, or other special occasions across London, Poole and York.

Operating as the first point of contact for our visitors, the Guest Experience Assistant – Pier Crew supports us in our mission to create amazing experiences for our guests by delivering a professional, polite and proactive service at the Ticket offices and across the Piers. As a member of the Pier Crew, you will rotate between working as a sales agent in our ticket office, managing passenger flow and assisting guests with boarding and disembarking of our vessels.

Duties & Responsibilities

Customer Service

• Provide exceptional hospitality to guests and coworkers as prescribed in our RESPECT service system
• Ensure that the highest level of customer care is shown at all times to ensure a clean, comfortable and safe environment for all our passengers
• Process pre booked Voucher and Trade customers accurately and efficiently at the ticket office Deliver clear and effective Communication to customers in regards to service delays or cancellations.
• Troubleshoot discrepancies with customers’ tickets / boarding information
• Responding to customer queries using your knowledge of London, its attractions and City Cruises products

Safety

• Adhere to all Health and Safety requirements in accordance with the company’s Safety Management System (SMS), ensuring the safety of passengers is protected at all times
• Participate in routine safety drills to prepare for major incidents
• Maintain the cleanliness and safety of all common areas
• Manage visitor flow, especially when large groups of passengers are on-board the vessel

Sales

• Work as part of the Pier team to ensure that Daily Revenue Targets are met by selling a variety of tickets for our local Sightseeing, Attractions and Dining products
• Actively promote our local and global products and services
• Strive to meet daily targets through a proactive and planned approach, actively promoting on-board/ticket promotions as appropriate
• To account for all cash handling and credit card payments accurately and in accordance with company policy and procedures

Administrative/Other

• Completion of all pre-departure forms and checklists
• Full completion of all daily forms and logs
• Support with the delivery of Special Events
• Be prepared to begin work at scheduled time
• Maintain uniform and personal grooming in compliance with appearance standards Additional duties as may reasonably be required
• Be an Ambassador for our RESPECT Service System

Requirements

• Previous experience in a guest services/customer facing role within the visitor attraction/hospitality industry
• Previous experience of providing an “At Seat” service with a willingness to proactively approach guests
• Customer Service orientated – Actively looks for ways to promote our business and enhance the guests’ experience
• Ability to work effectively as part of a collaborative team to achieve on-board sales/revenue targets
• Excellent communicator with the ability to effectively understand and convey written and verbal information to guests and coworkers
• Demonstrable experience in upselling and cross-selling multiple products and services
• Flexible “can do” approach with the ability to stay calm and work well under pressure
• Intermediate level Maths and English language skills (minimum A-C at GCSE level or equivalent)
• Available to work shift patterns covering Monday to Sunday and inclusive of public/bank holiday and some evenings to assist with special events
• Able to work for extended periods of time without sitting

Desirable though non-essential

• Experience with POS systems, apps and software highly desirable
• Ability to speak a second language
• Relevant industry/customer service related qualifications

All employees must commit to upholding our RESPECT values.

They are as follows:

• Respect We will value, appreciate and respect each other. We will foster diversity and inclusivity.
• Environment We will Respect our planet. We will conserve, protect, and educate. We will practice environmental stewardship.
• Safety #1 We will think and work safely. We will follow safety standards and instructions. We will create a safe and secure workplace.
• Professionalism We will conduct ourselves professionally. We will take responsibility for our actions. We #will own the problem until it is solved.
• Exceed We will continuously improve. We will exceed standards and expectations.
• Communication We will be open and honest. We will choose a respectful approach. We will share information with others effectively.
• Teamwork We will exist to serve others. We will anticipate the needs of others. We will have fun and practice “enthusiastic friendliness”.

As an equal opportunities’ employer, we are committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and do not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership. We aspire to create a diverse and inclusive environment. Candidates for employment or promotion will be assessed objectively against the requirements for the position.