Director of Guest Relations

The Peninsula Hotels; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Complimentary employee meals

Discounted parking

Discounted room nights

Job summary

The Peninsula Chicago is seeking a Director of Guest Relations to lead the Guest Relations function within the Rooms Division, delivering a consistently exceptional, personalized guest experience across pre-arrival to post-departure.

You will shape guest engagement strategies, mentor the leadership team, direct VIP experiences, and ensure brand and Forbes standards are met, while collaborating with operations and commercial teams in a luxury, Five-Star setting.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of progressive experience in luxury hospitality or guest experience leadership.
• Proven experience leading leaders and managing multi-functional teams in a high-touch service environment.
• Strong understanding of luxury service standards, personalization, and guest engagement strategies.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, particularly in high-impact guest situations.
• Financial and business acumen with experience managing resources and budgets.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English.

Responsibilities

• Set and lead the strategic direction for Guest Relations, ensuring a consistently exceptional and personalized guest experience across all touchpoints.
• Champion a guest-centric culture by embedding service excellence standards and ensuring alignment with brand and Forbes expectations
• Oversee the end-to-end guest journey, ensuring seamless coordination from pre-arrival through post-departure engagement
• Drive personalization strategies by ensuring guest insights and preferences are effectively utilized across departments
• Provide executive oversight of VIP guest experiences, ensuring flawless execution and proactive engagement
• Establish and monitor service recovery frameworks, ensuring timely, thoughtful, and brand-aligned resolution of guest concerns
• Partner with operational and commercial leaders to ensure a cohesive and elevated guest experience across all departments
• Lead and develop the Guest Relations leadership team, ensuring strong performance, engagement, and succession planning
• Identify opportunities to enhance the guest experience through innovation, process improvement, and service differentiation
• Leverage guest feedback and performance metrics to drive continuous improvement and strategic decision-making

Skills

Luxury hospitality

Team leadership

Guest experience strategy

Communication skills

Budget management

English proficiency

Job description

Job Description

The Peninsula Chicago is seeking a Director of Guest Relations to join our Rooms Division team and be an integral part of our guest-focused service.

• Work for a luxury Five-Star Five-Diamond property in the heart of Michigan Avenue, Chicago.
• Grow within a diverse multi-outlet property.
• Exceptional health benefits package and 401(k) with company match.

Key Accountabilities

• Set and lead the strategic direction for Guest Relations, ensuring a consistently exceptional and personalized guest experience across all touchpoints.
• Champion a guest-centric culture by embedding service excellence standards and ensuring alignment with brand and Forbes expectations
• Oversee the end-to-end guest journey, ensuring seamless coordination from pre-arrival through post-departure engagement
• Drive personalization strategies by ensuring guest insights and preferences are effectively utilized across departments
• Provide executive oversight of VIP guest experiences, ensuring flawless execution and proactive engagement
• Establish and monitor service recovery frameworks, ensuring timely, thoughtful, and brand-aligned resolution of guest concerns
• Partner with operational and commercial leaders to ensure a cohesive and elevated guest experience across all departments
• Lead and develolp the Guest Relations leadership team, ensuring strong performance, engagement, and succession planning
• Identify opportunities to enhance the guest experience through innovation, process improvement, and service differentiation
• Leverage guest feedback and performance metrics to drive continuous improvement and strategic decision-making

General Requirements

• Minimum 3 years of progressive experience in luxury hospitality or guest experience leadership
• Proven experience leading leaders and managing multi-functional teams in a high-touch service environment
• Strong understanding of luxury service standards, personalization, and guest engagement strategies
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence at all levels
• Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, particularly in high-impact guest situations
• Financial and business acumen with experience managing resources and budgets
• Excellent command of written and spoken English

Benefits We Offer

• 10 vacation days per year.
• 9 paid holiday days per year.
• 5 Chicago Paid Sick Leave days per year.
• 5 Chicago Paid Leave days per year.
• Complimentary employee meals.
• Discounting parking.
• Discounted and complimentary room nights at The Peninsula Hotels.
• 50% restaurant discount.
• 50% discount on spa services.
• 25% discount on spa retail.
• 80% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Complimentary life insurance.
• Complimentary long-term disability.
• Retirement plan with 5% company match.

The salary range for this role is $80,000-90,000 per year.