Guest Services & Security Operations

Port Lympne Hotel and Reserve & Howletts Wild Animal Parks; Hythe; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

Comprehensive training and development

Company Pension

Free park entry for you and a guest

Discounts on food, retail and lodging

24-hour counselling line

Job summary

Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve are seeking a Night Guest Services & Security operative to work 8pm–8am on a four-night, four-off pattern. The role covers safety of the estate, accommodation and animal enclosures, as well as guest interactions overnight.

You will report to the Front of House Manager in picturesque Kent and may assist other departments while delivering high standards of guest care and security throughout the night.

Qualifications

• Experience in hospitality, guest services, security or customer-facing operational roles.
• Calm under pressure, proactive and able to use initiative during overnight situations.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and a positive, helpful attitude.
• Knowledge of GDPR, Health & Safety, Fire Safety and CCTV is advantageous; MS Office 365, Opera and CCTV systems familiarity helps.
• Full UK driving licence (manual) covering B, BE and B1 is required.

Responsibilities

• Overnight security and guest services duties to keep estate and accommodation areas safe and secure.
• Interact with overnight guests and assist with enquiries and requests.
• Support Guest Services and Park Operations departments as needed.

Skills

Guest services

Security operations

Night operations

Interpersonal skills

IT literacy

Tools

MS Office 365

Opera

CCTV platforms

Job description

Closing Date: 11 September 2026

Salary: £28,875.00 Per Annum, Plus Desirable Benefits

Permanent Position between the hours of 20:00 – 08:00

Four on, Four off Shift Pattern

Are you wild about creating memorable experiences?

Do you want to work in a place where you can hear the calls from howler monkeys, and the roar of a pride of lions?

Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve are looking an individual to join our Night Guest Services & Security Operations Department. The role will see you working between the hours of 8pm-8am in picturesque, historic surroundings. Reporting to the Front of House Manager, the successful candidate will ensure that Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve’s estate, accommodation areas, animal enclosures and offices remain safe and secure overnight. Responsibilities will also include acting as the night PR cover, interacting with and supporting our overnight guests’ enquiries and requests, as well as supporting the Guest Services & Park Operations Departments when required.

Who We Are Looking For

We are looking for a confident, approachable, and professional individual who enjoys providing excellent guest service whilst maintaining a safe and secure environment overnight. This is a varied role that combines elements of guest relations, night operations, problem-solving, and security, so we are seeking someone who is equally comfortable interacting with guests as they are responding to incidents and carrying out patrols across the reserve.

The successful candidate will have previous experience within hospitality, guest services, security, or a similar customer-facing operational role. They will be calm under pressure, proactive in their approach, and able to use their initiative when dealing with overnight situations and guest requests.

Strong interpersonal and communication skills are essential, along with a positive and helpful attitude. The ideal candidate will take pride in delivering a high standard of guest care, whilst also ensuring the safety and smooth operation of the park overnight.

A good working knowledge of GDPR, Health & Safety, Fire Safety, and CCTV procedures would be advantageous, alongside confidence using IT systems including MS Office 365, Opera, and CCTV platforms. A full, valid UK driving licence (manual gearbox) covering categories B, BE, and B1 is required. Experience in either hospitality, night operations, concierge services, security, or emergency response environments would be beneficial. A full job description is available on request.

Contract Details

The successful candidate will work 44 hours across four-night shifts on a four-on, four-off shift pattern, consisting of x2 12-hour shifts and x2 10-hour shifts between 20:00 and 08:00.

Working hours may include weekends and bank holidays. All applicants must have the right to work in the UK. Due to the remote location of the site, access to reliable transport is recommended.

The location:

Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve is a world-renowned wild animal park set within 600 acres of Kentish savannah. The Reserve is home to some of the world’s most rare and endangered animals and offers luxury short breaks accommodation, free roaming animal safaris, once-in-a-lifetime animal encounters and exquisite dining experiences. Most importantly, every one of our employees is part of real conservation in action and their efforts have contributed to animals such as black rhino and western lowland gorillas being returned to their natural habitats in collaboration with our partners at The Aspinall Foundation.

Why You Should Join Us

We’re on a mission to create memorable experiences that matter, and our Core Values ‘One Team’, Customer’ and ‘Pride’ are what drive us each day to become part of something extraordinary. As well as walking to work surrounded by the calls of Howler monkeys and the roars from our pride of Lions, you will join a supportive team who are passionate about their place of work.

Be part of the Port Lympne and Howletts family and join our pride.

You can also expect a host of other ‘roarsome’ benefits including:

• 28 days annual leave inclusive of bank holidays, pro rata start date & shift pattern, rising with length of service.
• Comprehensive training and development opportunities, including workshops and e-learning.
• Enhanced Sickness, Maternity and Paternity Policies.
• Unlimited free entry for you and a person of your choice into both of our parks as well as friends and family tickets.
• Exceptional discounts on food, retail and accommodation at our parks.
• Numerous retail discounts and access to a 24-hour counselling line through our Healthy Extras Scheme.
• Company Pension
• And many more length or service-related rewards and Benefits.

(Please note, this role may close early if we receive a high volume of applications.)

Your adventure awaits.

#joinourpride