General Manager (Pet Hotel)

Wag Hotels, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Wag Hotels, the leader in pet hospitality in Chicago, seeks a General Manager to oversee day-to-day operations, guest care, client relations, and staff development.

You will drive profitability, recruit and retain talent, manage labor and costs, and collaborate with the executive team to implement policies. Must be adept at handling guest concerns and maintaining a safe, clean environment for dogs and cats.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership and team management abilities.
• Strong communication and organizational skills.
• Ability to interpret financial statements and drive cost control.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall operational efforts to support Wag Hotels’ growth and profitability goals.
• Recruit, hire, and retain talent, fostering a culture of customer service, care, and safety.
• Manage labor and costs to meet P&L needs.
• Collaborate with the Executive team to develop and execute company policies.
• Handle client requests and concerns promptly, ensuring excellent customer satisfaction.
• Train teams on hotel tours, timekeeping navigation, and promote healthy communication.
• Evaluate and appraise staff, lead subordinates, and enforce disciplinary procedures.
• Navigate PEO system for back‑of‑house departments, including approving timecards, payroll submittal and scheduling.
• Support the Wag Hotels app, and verify retail inventory.
• Handle review management, ensuring prompt responses.
• Have full knowledge of care and safety policies, effectively training or assisting in training staff.
• Identify and address employee and client issues in a timely manner. Partnering with people in other areas of the business to ensure accurate responses.
• Familiarity with the employee manual and enforcement of regulations.
• Recognize and anticipate guest health and behavior concerns, communicating needs.
• Possess full knowledge of care and safety policies, effectively training staff on these policies.
• Ensure hotel cleanliness, communicate maintenance needs, and manage inventory and ordering.
• Manage facility maintenance, Schedule hotel maintenance and repairs, presenting quotes to the General Manager.
• Operate both front and back of the house in emergency situations.

Skills

Communication

Conflict Management

Managing Performance

Financial Management

Managing Change

Vision

Leveraging Diversity

Care and Safety

Job description

Join the Leader in Pet Hospitality

At Wag Hotels, we don’t just offer pet care — we create unforgettable experiences for furry family members. As a fast-growing leader in pet hospitality, we blend operational excellence with a deep passion for dogs and cats. If you’re looking to make an impact in a place that moves fast, values structure, and truly loves its four-legged guests, you’ve found your next home.

As a General Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring exceptional care for our guests, clients, and staff.

Competencies

• Communication: Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
• Conflict Management: Encourages creative tension and differences of opinions. Anticipates and takes steps to prevent counter‑productive confrontations. Manages and resolves conflicts and disagreements in a constructive manner.
• Managing Performance: The ability to take responsibility for one’s own or one’s employees’ performance, by setting clear goals and expectations, tracking progress against the goals, ensuring feedback, and addressing performance problems and issues promptly.
• Financial Management: Understands the organization’s financial processes. Prepares, justifies, and administers the program budget. Oversees procurement and contracting to achieve desired results. Monitors expenditures and uses cost‑benefit thinking to set priorities.
• Managing Change: The ability to demonstrate support for innovation and for organizational changes needed to improve the organization’s effectiveness; initiating, sponsoring, and implementing organizational change; helping others to successfully manage organizational change.
• Vision: Takes a long‑term view and builds a shared vision with others; acts as a catalyst for organizational change.
• Leveraging Diversity: Fosters an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.
• Care and Safety: Fosters a safe culture and environment and ensures team is properly trained to handle situations that could cause guests or employees to be harmed to attempt to prevent situations from occurring.

Responsibilities

Your duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Lead overall operational efforts to support Wag Hotels’ growth and profitability goals.
• Recruit, hire, and retain talent, fostering a culture of customer service, care, and safety.
• Manage labor and costs to meet P&L needs.
• Collaborate with the Executive team to develop and execute company policies.
• Handle client requests and concerns promptly, ensuring excellent customer satisfaction.
• Train teams on hotel tours, timekeeping navigation, and promote healthy communication.
• Evaluate and appraise staff, lead subordinates, and enforce disciplinary procedures.
• Navigate PEO system for back‑of‑house departments, including approving timecards, payroll submittal and scheduling.
• Support the Wag Hotels app, and verify retail inventory.
• Handle review management, ensuring prompt responses.
• Have full knowledge of care and safety policies, effectively training or assisting in training staff.
• Identify and address employee and client issues in a timely manner. Partnering with people in other areas of the business to ensure accurate responses.
• Familiarity with the employee manual and enforcement of regulations.
• Recognize and anticipate guest health and behavior concerns, communicating needs.
• Possess full knowledge of care and safety policies, effectively training staff on these policies.
• Ensure hotel cleanliness, communicate maintenance needs, and manage inventory and ordering.
• Manage facility maintenance, Schedule hotel maintenance and repairs, presenting quotes to the General Manager.
• Operate both front and back of the house in emergency situations.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 2 years of managerial or leadership experience.
• Ability to manage a team of 35+ employees.
• Must have flexible availability.
• Previous leadership experience at Wag Hotels is a plus.
• Previous animal experience is a plus.
• High‑level managerial experience.
• Ability to read, understand, and disseminate financial reports.
• Upbeat, motivating, and can‑do leader.
• Ability to navigate stressful situations.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to Reach and bend while standing for a long period of time.
• Ability to be around dogs and cats for an extended period of time.