Director, Rooms Division - InterContinental San Francisco

Socket.dev; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Socket.dev is seeking a senior Rooms Division Director in San Francisco to lead Front Office and Housekeeping for a luxury hotel. The role involves managing a large team, including unionized staff, and delivering elevated service while controlling costs.

You will partner with union representatives, drive guest satisfaction metrics, and ensure compliance with safety and regulatory requirements. The ideal candidate has a proven track record in large-scale operations and a collaborative leadership

Qualifications

• Progressive hotel or guest service leadership experience.
• Experience leading large front office and housekeeping operations.
• Experience with unionized workforces and collective bargaining agreements.
• Strong knowledge of labor cost management and scheduling.
• Demonstrated ability to drive guest satisfaction and financial performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead Front Office and Housekeeping daily operations to ensure luxury service.
• Partner with union reps and ensure compliance with agreements and regulations.
• Develop and coach colleagues; set goals and track progress.
• Oversee Night Audit and prepare daily reports.
• Manage security of cash, assets, and guest information.
• Collaborate across departments to deliver seamless guest experiences.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Union relations

Operational leadership

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management

Hotel management experience

Job description

What You’ll Do

Leadership & People Development

• Provide inspirational leadership to the Front Office and Housekeeping departments, overseeing a large team of unionized and non-union colleagues.

• Lead daily operations, establish priorities, and plan and assign work to ensure appropriate staffing levels and operational coverage.

• Partner effectively with union representatives and ensure departmental practices are consistent with collective bargaining agreements, company policies, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

• Build a high-performing, inclusive team culture grounded in trust, accountability, collaboration, and exceptional service.

• Develop colleagues through coaching, feedback, recognition, performance management, and meaningful career and development opportunities.

• Establish clear performance and development goals and actively support colleagues in achieving them.

• Ensure colleagues receive the training, tools, resources, and support necessary to deliver luxury service and achieve operational and revenue objectives.

• Recommend and initiate appropriate employee relations and HR actions in partnership with Human Resources.

• Foster strong relationships across departments and create a true one-team culture throughout the hotel.

Rooms Division Operations

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of Front Office and Housekeeping, ensuring consistently high standards of service, cleanliness, efficiency, and guest satisfaction.

• Ensure Front Office colleagues provide prompt, professional, personalized service and create genuine moments of recognition for every guest.

• Ensure guests are warmly welcomed upon arrival and that leadership maintains a visible presence throughout the operation.

• Respond personally and effectively to guest concerns and complaints, resolve issues with sound judgment, and use feedback to drive continuous improvement.

• Conduct regular inspections of the Front Office, guest arrival areas, public spaces, and other areas of responsibility, taking immediate action to address deficiencies.

• Oversee the Night Audit function and ensure accurate preparation of daily financial and operational reports.

• Maintain rigorous procedures for the security of cash, credit and financial transactions, guest security, inventory, and hotel assets.

• Ensure compliance with all applicable safety, security, privacy, governmental, and brand requirements.

• Communicate effectively with all relevant departments regarding VIP arrivals, large groups, key guests, special requests, and other operational requirements.

• Coordinate convention, group, and business activities with Sales and other hotel departments to ensure seamless delivery of contracted services.

• Serve as Manager on Duty as required and provide senior leadership during high-volume periods, special events, and operational challenges.

Financial & Commercial Performance

• Drive Front Office and Rooms Division revenue and profitability while maintaining luxury service standards.

• Use hotel systems, data, and established processes to maximize occupancy, ADR, upselling opportunities, and overall rooms revenue.

• Develop and implement strategies to increase revenue through upselling, walk-in business, room upgrades, loyalty engagement, and other guest-facing opportunities.

• Establish and achieve individual and departmental sales and profitability goals.

• Analyze guest satisfaction, operational, financial, and market data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

• Prepare and submit statistical, performance, forecast, and other management reports as required.

• Partner with hotel leadership to prepare departmental budgets, financial plans, forecasts, and business strategies.

• Regularly audit financial transactions and processes to ensure accuracy and compliance with governmental regulations, company standards, and data privacy requirements.

Guest Experience & Brand Leadership

• Champion the hotel’s luxury service standards and ensure every guest interaction reflects the property’s brand promise.

• Leverage guest satisfaction data and feedback to develop and implement action plans that consistently improve the guest experience.

• Develop strong relationships with key clients, VIPs, business partners, vendors, and other external contacts to strengthen loyalty and identify revenue opportunities.

• Provide guests with thoughtful and knowledgeable recommendations regarding hotel amenities, loyalty programs, restaurants, attractions, and experiences throughout San Francisco.

• Lead initiatives to increase guest engagement and promote hotel services, amenities, experiences, and offerings.

• Represent the hotel as a senior ambassador within the San Francisco community, building strong relationships with business leaders, civic officials, community organizations, and other influential stakeholders.

• Support local brand awareness and reputation through community engagement, partnerships, and outreach.

• Serve as a hotel representative for media inquiries when appropriate and in partnership with the hotel’s leadership and communications teams.

• Effectively communicate the hotel’s sustainability initiatives and identify opportunities to leverage the property’s environmental and social commitments to create business opportunities.

Safety, Security & Crisis Leadership

• Act as a central communication point during emergency and crisis situations, providing calm, decisive, and effective leadership.

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with local fire, police, emergency services, and other relevant agencies.

• Ensure departmental teams understand and consistently follow all safety, security, emergency preparedness, and compliance procedures.

Marketing & Business Development

• Partner with Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, and other hotel leaders to identify opportunities to improve overall hotel performance.

• Work with advertising agencies, consultants, vendors, and other external partners to maximize the effectiveness of marketing investments and ensure all communications align with brand standards.

• Identify opportunities to enhance marketing initiatives, guest engagement, and overall hotel sales performance.

• Support initiatives that strengthen the hotel’s visibility, reputation, and competitive position within the San Francisco market.

Other Responsibilities

• Collaborate with colleagues across the hotel to deliver seamless guest experiences and operational excellence.

• Take ownership of unexpected challenges and support the team wherever needed — including those moments when everyone must come together to get the job done.

• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Accountability

This is the senior Rooms Division leadership position within alarge, luxury, resort-style or flagship hotel, characterized by a sophisticated guest profile, extensive facilities and services, significant competitive pressures, and a high volume of VIP, group, and key guests.

The Rooms Division Director has direct and indirect responsibility for alarge Front Office and Housekeeping workforce, including a significant unionized employee population, and is accountable for operational excellence, colleague engagement, guest satisfaction, financial performance, labor management, and compliance across the division.

The successful candidate will be an experienced and highly visible hotel leader who can balance commercial objectives with exceptional service, effectively lead in a union environment, and inspire a diverse team to consistently deliver an elevated luxury experience.

Who We’re Looking For

Bachelor’s degree or higher education qualification in Hotel Administration, Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field; equivalent professional experience may be considered.

Minimum of four years of progressive hotel or guest service experience, including at least two years in a Rooms Division or hotel management department-head leadership role; equivalent education and experience may be considered.

Demonstrated experience leadinglarge-scale Front Office and Housekeeping operations, preferably within a luxury, resort, major urban, or flagship hotel environment.

Proven experience leadinglarge unionized teamsand working constructively with union representatives in a collaborative, professional manner.

Strong understanding of collective bargaining agreements, labor practices, scheduling, employee relations, and labor cost management.

Demonstrated ability to lead through a complex, high-volume operation while maintaining exceptional guest and colleague experiences.