Experience Manager, Luxury Dining

Churchill Downs; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Churchill Downs Racetrack is seeking an Experience Manager, Luxury Dining to lead guest experiences for luxury dining ticketholders and events. You will oversee race day luxury dining operations, develop programs, and drive customer engagement and retention.

Responsibilities include coordinating with senior managers, optimizing the customer journey, managing vendors, training staff, and analyzing feedback to improve service levels during Derby season and racing meets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from a four-year college or university.
• 2-4 years of professional experience in hospitality or a related field.
• Alternatively, an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead luxury dining guest experience for ticketholders and guests.
• Collaborate with senior managers to optimize the luxury dining journey.
• Organize and manage event touchpoints and communications campaigns.
• Oversee race day luxury dining operations and vendor coordination.
• Develop strategies to drive customer engagement and retention.
• Manage budgets and expense tracking for luxury dining.

Skills

Hospitality

Customer service

Communication

Team collaboration

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Presentation skills

Data interpretation

Time management

Microsoft Office

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

CRM systems

Excel

MS Office

Job description

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Title: Experience Manager, Luxury Dining

Requisition ID#: 5303

Location: Louisville, KY, US, 40222

Property: Churchill Downs Racetrack

Pay Range:

Churchill Downs Racetrack (“CDRT”), the world’s most legendary racetrack, has been the home of The Kentucky Derby, the longest continually held annual sporting event in the United States, since 1875. Located in Louisville, CDRT features a series of themed race days during Derby Week, including the Kentucky Oaks, and conducts Thoroughbred horse racing during three race meets in the Spring, September and Fall. CDRT is located on 175 acres and has a one-mile dirt track, a 7/8-mile turf track, a stabling area, and provides seating for approximately 60,000 guests. The stable area has barns sufficient to accommodate 1,400 horses and a 114-room dormitory for backstretch personnel. CDRT also has a year-round simulcast wagering facility . www.ChurchillDowns.com.

JOB SUMMARY

The Experience Manager, Luxury Dining supports the Churchill Downs Racetrack Luxury Sales & Services Department in leading and executing customer experience and customer service strategies for luxury dining ticketholders and guests. This position oversees race day luxury dining operations and develops and implements programs, initiatives, and activities designed to increase customer satisfaction and drive customer engagement and retention.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Luxury Dining Guest Experience

• Lead overall efforts to serve and engage luxury dining ticketholders and their guests.
• Collaborate with the Senior Manager, Concierge & Luxury Experience and Luxury Seating Sales & Services Manager to administer and optimize a holistic luxury dining customer journey, encompassing customer interactions from initial awareness through post-purchase engagement and beyond.
• Collaborate with the Luxury Seating Sales & Services Manager and utilize CRM details to identify unique client hospitality needs and create exceptional race day customer service experiences.
• Support the Luxury Seating Sales & Services Manager in designing and executing key touchpoints and communication campaigns to inform guests of relevant aspects of their race day experience.
• Organize production and manage fulfillment of customer deliverables to ensure luxury dining ticketholders are prepared to attend live race days.
• Represent Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby during event preparation, site surveys, client events, and race events, providing excellent customer service at all times.
• Develop strategies, programs, and initiatives to stimulate luxury dining engagement as a means of customer retention.

Race Day & Event Operations

• Oversee onsite preparation and race day services for luxury dining guests, with a focus on meeting and exceeding guest satisfaction expectations.
• Act as the primary point of contact for luxury dining operations on event race days, including site visits to assess dining venue readiness, daily customer reports, pre- and post-shift collaboration with service partners, and event day management.
• Collaborate with the Sales & Ticketing Strategy team, department staff, and key service stakeholders to establish detailed, actionable event operating procedures that support exceptional and consistent luxury dining events and guest services.
• Be present during operating hours and events to manage service staff training, day-of luxury dining operations, and race day experiences.
• Troubleshoot issues as they arise and determine appropriate resolutions.
• Provide service training, as applicable, to staff and team members.
• Serve as liaison among internal and external stakeholders, vendors, and partners to ensure services are cohesive and logistics and event day execution are well coordinated and on track.
• Oversee outsourced luxury dining vendors.
• Develop and adhere to the departmental luxury dining expense budget; monitor expenses and take action as necessary to help ensure expenditures are planned and approved.
• Conduct luxury dining ticketholder surveys and develop other methods to process guest feedback, helping ensure service needs and expectations are met.
• Identify opportunities to collect and analyze data related to luxury dining ticketholder trends, attendance, touchpoints, renewals, and other relevant measures to improve services and experiences.
• Conduct post-event analyses to evaluate performance and document learnings.
• Benchmark similar luxury concepts to identify opportunities to adopt and optimize policies at Churchill Downs and continuously improve services and member satisfaction.

REGULATORY

Ability to obtain and maintain a Kentucky racing license and successfully complete all applicable background check requirements.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from a four-year college or university.
• 2-4 years of professional experience in hospitality or a related field.
• Alternatively, an equivalent combination of education and experience.

REQUIRED SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrated passion for hospitality and/or the racing and entertainment industry.
• Collaborative, team-player attitude with the ability to work effectively across cross-functional teams.
• Exceptional attention to detail.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a commitment to a high level of customer service.
• Creative problem-solving ability and strong judgment skills.
• Strong presentation development and delivery skills.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation skills.
• Strong time management, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Ability to learn software specific to ticketing and CRM systems

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS & WORKING CONDITIONS

• Extended periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Regular use of a keyboard and mouse for typing and navigating software.
• Viewing a computer screen for prolonged periods.
• Ability to manipulate paperwork, including filing, sorting, and organizing.
• Moving within the office environment to attend meetings, use office equipment, or interact with colleagues.
• Occasional lifting of office supplies or paperwork (up to 20 pounds).
• Speaking and listening to colleagues and clients in person, over the phone, or via video conferencing.
• Working in a climate-controlled office environment with moderate noise levels.
• Performing repetitive tasks such as data entry or document preparation.
• Working under artificial lighting conditions typical of an office environment, which may include fluorescent or LED lighting.
• Role is onsite five days a week at the Louisville, KY Corporate Office and/or Churchill Downs Racetrack.
• Evening, weekend, and holiday work may be required during racing meets, Derby season, and other special events.

This work is performed primarily in a business office setting within a sports and entertainment facility. Events often take place outside of traditional business hours, on weekends, and on holidays. Some areas of the facility may be noisy and subject to changing weather conditions. Churchill Downs Racetrack spans 175 acres and more than 1.5 million square feet under roof with additional entertainment facilities not protected from weather conditions.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The above-noted job description is not intended to describe, in detail, the multitude of tasks that may be assigned but rather to give the associate a general sense of the responsibilities and expectations of the position. As the nature of business demands change so, too, may the essential functions of this position.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or disability.

Work With Us

Churchill Downs Incorporated is an inclusive and fun place to work. We celebrate unique approaches and points of view. We believe diversity is a mindset that drives excellence. We’re always learning, evolving and growing. We innovate through mutual respect of ideas and collaboration. This allows us to build a common language that inspires our team members and propels us toward the achievement of our vision.