Director of Housekeeping

reitmr; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus Plan

Job summary

Sonesta International Hotels in Chicago seeks a dynamic Housekeeping Director to lead housekeeping and laundry operations across the property, ensuring cleanliness, guest readiness, and brand standards while partnering with Front Office and Engineering.

The role requires 5+ years in housekeeping leadership, budget oversight, and a passion for service. Compensation includes a base salary of $90,000–$100,000 with a bonus plan and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive housekeeping leadership experience.
• Experience as Housekeeping Director or similar leadership role in hotels.
• Knowledge of sanitation standards and OSHA regulations.

Responsibilities

• Lead housekeeping and laundry operations across guest rooms, public areas, and back‑of‑house spaces.
• Develop and coach teams to maintain cleanliness and brand standards.
• Monitor guest satisfaction, inspections, and service recovery opportunities.

Skills

Housekeeping leadership

Operations management

Budget planning

Vendor relations

Job description

We're People People. Are you?

We're Sonesta International Hotels-the 8th largest hotel company in the U.S. (and growing fast ).

With a dynamic mix of full-service and focused hotels across major cities, our diverse portfolio of owned, managed, and franchised properties means we're everywhere our guests need us to be.

But here's the thing-we're not just in the business of hotels, we're in the business of people. We bring service with passion, loyalty with purpose, and create experiences that genuinely connect-delivering quality, value, and memorable stays across 1,000+ properties in eight countries (and counting).

What this role is all about

Exceptional guest experiences start with clean, comfortable, and welcoming spaces - and our Housekeeping teams help bring that experience to life every day. As the Housekeeping Director, you'll lead all housekeeping and laundry operations across the hotel while driving cleanliness standards, operational excellence, guest satisfaction, and team performance.

This role is perfect for someone who thrives in a fast‑paced hospitality environment and enjoys balancing operational leadership, team development, service standards, and hotel performance. You'll oversee housekeeping operations across guest rooms, public areas, laundry, linen management, and back‑of‑house spaces while partnering closely with Front Office, Engineering, Operations, and hotel leadership teams to ensure the hotel consistently exceeds guest expectations.

If you're organized, service-driven, and passionate about hospitality leadership - we'd love to meet you.

What you'll be doing

• Lead all housekeeping and laundry operations across guest rooms, suites, public areas, back‑of‑house spaces, and hotel facilities.
• Recruit, train, coach, schedule, and develop housekeeping and laundry teams to support operational excellence and exceptional guest experiences.
• Ensure hotel cleanliness, presentation, sanitation, and brand standards are consistently maintained across all areas of the property.
• Monitor guest satisfaction, cleanliness scores, online reviews, room inspections, and service recovery opportunities to drive continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Front Office, Engineering, Operations, and hotel leadership teams to support seamless hotel operations and guest readiness.
• Oversee room inspection programs, housekeeping productivity, labor management, inventory control, linen management, and departmental budgets.
• Manage housekeeping supplies, equipment, vendor relationships, purchasing, and operational expenses to support efficiency and profitability.
• Ensure compliance with hotel operational procedures, sanitation standards, OSHA regulations, chemical handling guidelines, and safety policies.
• Support VIP arrivals, group business, special projects, deep cleaning initiatives, and hotel renovation or transition activities as needed.
• Maintain cleanliness and operational readiness across housekeeping closets, laundry areas, storage spaces, and employee work areas.
• Analyze operational KPIs, productivity reports, labor metrics, and housekeeping performance data to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Help foster a collaborative, energetic, and guest-focused culture aligned with Sonesta's People People philosophy.
• Any other duties as assigned.

What great looks like

• 5+ years of progressive housekeeping, hotel operations, or hospitality leadership experience preferred.
• Previous Housekeeping Director, Executive Housekeeper, Rooms Division, or hotel operations leadership experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of housekeeping operations, laundry operations, room inspection standards, inventory management, labor management, and hospitality service standards.
• Experience managing housekeeping budgets, operational forecasting, staffing plans, productivity metrics, and vendor relationships.
• Knowledge of sanitation standards, OSHA regulations, chemical handling procedures, and hotel safety requirements preferred.
• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to multitask and thrive in a fast‑paced hospitality environment.
• Experience using hotel operational systems, housekeeping management systems, and reporting tools preferred.
• Flexible availability including mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and on‑call support as needed.
• A passion for hospitality, leadership, teamwork, operational excellence, and creating exceptional guest experiences.

Anticipated Pay Range & Additional Job Information

Pay range is $90,000 - $100,000 and are eligible for a Bonus Plan.

The base pay offered may vary based on various factors, including but not limited to job‑related knowledge, skills, and specific/overall experience.

Sonesta recognizes that benefits play a vital role in helping ensure the health and financial security of employees and their families. We offer a variety of benefits to our employees including:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insu