40 - Rooms - Director, Housekeeping

Coury Hospitality; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Coury Hospitality is seeking an experienced Director of Housekeeping to provide strategic leadership for the Rooms Division. You will shape the department's vision, uphold luxury standards, and drive guest satisfaction through high-performing teams and flawless room presentation.

You will lead budgeting, staffing, and vendor relationships while collaborating with Rooms Division and Engineering to ensure operational excellence and sustainability across all guest areas.

Qualifications

• Extensive senior-level housekeeping leadership in luxury hotels.

Responsibilities

• Champion hospitality culture and service excellence across rooms, public areas, and back-of-house.
• Set and uphold cleanliness, presentation, and luxury standards.
• Ensure VIP programs, guest recognition, and service recovery effectiveness.
• Lead strategic direction, coaching, and mentorship to the Executive Housekeepers and department leaders.
• Develop staffing strategies, succession plans, and organizational structures for operational excellence.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, labor management, and long-range capital planning.
• Analyze guest feedback, quality scores, metrics, and KPIs to identify improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with Rooms Division, Front Office, Revenue Management, and Engineering to ensure room readiness and efficiency.
• Oversee vendor relationships, contracts, procurement, and inventory strategies for linens and amenities.
• Lead quality assurance programs, inspections, and brand audits; ensure safety and labor-law compliance.
• Implement sustainability initiatives and linen lifecycle programs; support responsible hotel operations.
• Represent the Housekeeping Department in leadership meetings and contribute to hotel strategy.

Skills

Senior leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Labor planning

Vendor negotiations

Team development

Quality assurance

Executive presence

Guest experience

Job description

Director of Housekeeping

Department: Rooms Division
Reports To: Director of Rooms / Hotel Manager / General Manager
Status: Exempt

Lead the Team Behind Exceptional Guest Experiences

At our hotel, every memorable guest stay begins with an impeccably maintained room and welcoming environment. We are seeking an experienced and passionate Director of Housekeeping to provide strategic leadership for one of the most critical departments in the hotel.

This is an exciting opportunity for a hospitality professional who thrives on creating exceptional guest experiences, developing high-performing teams, and maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness, presentation, and service excellence. As a key member of the hotel's leadership team, you will shape the vision, culture, and operational success of the Housekeeping Department while ensuring alignment with brand standards, financial objectives, and guest satisfaction goals.

What You'll Do

Inspire Excellence in Guest Experience

• Champion a culture of hospitality, service excellence, and attention to detail throughout the Housekeeping Department.
• Establish and uphold exceptional cleanliness, presentation, and luxury service standards across guest rooms, public areas, and back-of-house spaces.
• Ensure memorable guest experiences through effective VIP programs, guest recognition initiatives, amenity execution, and service recovery efforts.
• Serve as the senior point of contact for complex housekeeping-related guest concerns and resolutions.

Lead and Develop High-Performing Teams

• Provide strategic direction, coaching, and mentorship to Executive Housekeepers, managers, and departmental leaders.
• Build a positive, engaging work environment focused on accountability, teamwork, and professional growth.
• Develop staffing strategies, succession plans, and organizational structures that support operational excellence.

Drive Operational and Financial Success

• Lead departmental budgeting, forecasting, labor management, and long-range capital planning.
• Analyze guest feedback, quality scores, operational metrics, and key performance indicators to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Rooms Division, Front Office, Revenue Management, and Engineering teams to ensure room readiness and operational efficiency.
• Oversee vendor relationships, contracts, procurement, and inventory strategies for linens, amenities, equipment, and outsourced services.

Protect Brand Standards and Quality

• Lead quality assurance programs, inspections, and brand audits.
• Ensure compliance with all brand standards, safety regulations, labor laws, and company policies.
• Implement sustainability initiatives, environmental practices, and linen lifecycle programs that support responsible hotel operations.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Operations teams to maintain exceptional room conditions and preventive maintenance standards.

Executive Leadership

• Represent the Housekeeping Department in hotel leadership meetings and strategic planning initiatives.
• Contribute to overall hotel performance through collaborative decision-making, innovation, and operational leadership.
• Help shape the hotel's reputation as a premier destination for service excellence and guest satisfaction.

What We're Looking For

Qualifications & Experience

• Extensive senior-level housekeeping leadership experience within a luxury hotel, resort, or upscale hospitality environment.
• Demonstrated success leading large, complex housekeeping operations and management teams.
• Strong understanding of labor planning, productivity management, quality assurance, and operational best practices.
• Experience working with luxury brand standards, Forbes Travel Guide, AAA, and other hospitality quality programs.
• Proven ability to mentor and develop leaders while building engaged, high-performing teams.
• Strong financial acumen with experience in budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, and vendor negotiations.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Exceptional communication skills and executive presence.
• Passion for delivering outstanding guest experiences and fostering a culture of hospitality.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand, walk, and move throughout the hotel as needed.
• Ability to inspect guest rooms, public spaces, and back-of-house areas.
• Ability to use computers, phones, and standard office equipment.
• Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment in accordance with job responsibilities.

Why Join Us?

This is more than a housekeeping leadership role. It's an opportunity to shape the guest experience, inspire teams, uphold luxury standards, and make a lasting impact on the success of the hotel. If you are a hospitality leader who takes pride in creating exceptional environments where guests and associates feel welcomed, valued, and cared for, we'd love to hear from you.

This job description is not intended to create a contract of employment. Employment with the Company is at-will and may be terminated by either the employee or the Company at any time, with or without cause or notice, in accordance with applicable law.