General Manager - The Woodlands

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation; Williamsburg (VA); On-site; USD 94,800 - 142,200; Full time

Job summary

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is seeking a General Manager for the Williamsburg Inn to provide vision, planning, and financial controls that maximize occupancy, revenue, and cash flow while delivering exceptional guest service.

The role partners with other leaders, develops staff, and upholds Forbes standards. This position requires luxury hotel experience and strong leadership in a unionized environment to sustain top-tier guest satisfaction.

Qualifications

• Forbes 5-Star knowledge is required.
• Detailed understanding of resort operations departments.
• Experience in a union environment is necessary.
• Technologically savvy with ability to learn new technology.
• Analytical, problem-recognition and resolution skills are essential.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Able to sell strategic decisions to gain optimal business mix.
• Excellent team-leading and people-management skills.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to focus on guest needs and remain calm and courteous.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the hotel.
• Create an environment that ensures consistent guest satisfaction and seamless operations 24/7.
• Monitor performance via guest satisfaction systems and financial reports; take corrective action as needed.
• Maintain product and service quality; conduct ongoing evaluations and address complaints.
• Develop and manage long- and short-range financial objectives aligned with ownership's mission.
• Lead, train, and motivate management staff and ensure respectful, well-being-focused work environment.
• Foster an innovative, forward-thinking team attitude and drive continuous improvement.
• Hire, train, evaluate, and discipline staff in line with policies and the Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Team leading

People management

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Guest focus

Work under pressure

Job description

Who We Are

Founded in 1926, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, not‑for‑profit educational, historic, and cultural institution that owns and operates one of the largest and best‑known museum complexes in the world. Our mission is “that the future may learn from the past” through preserving and restoring 18th‑century Williamsburg, Virginia’s colonial capital. We engage, inform, and inspire people to learn about this historic capital, the events that occurred here, and the diverse peoples who helped shape a new nation.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the U.S. The Historic Area is the 301‑acre restored colonial capital with 88 original buildings and 525 reconstructed buildings. The Historic Area is staffed by highly trained, historically dressed interpreters and expert tradespeople who bring the 18th century to life. The Foundation also owns and operates two world‑class museums, the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, the Bob and Marion Wilson Teacher Institute, and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. Colonial Williamsburg is home to five world‑class accommodations, including the Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge Autograph Collection, the Griffin Hotel, the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotels and Suites, and the unique Colonial Houses in the Historic Area. Visitors may also indulge in food and drink at our many on‑site restaurants and taverns that blend a historically inspired dining experience with today’s evolved tastes. Each year over 5 million people visit Williamsburg and another 20 million engage with us digitally.

About the Position

The General Manager is responsible for providing vision and imagination as well as facilitating and implementing the planning, communication, administration and financial controls that maximize occupancy, revenue and cash flow of the overnight guest experience at the Williamsburg Inn. The role ensures exceptional guest service while continually working to exceed guest expectations, develops and motivates the management staff, and creates a work environment that focuses on respect and well‑being of employees, resulting in exceptional levels of employee performance and satisfaction. The General Manager partners with other business‑unit heads to share and resolve common strategic and operating problems and maintains all programs required by the Forbes Standards.

Essential Functions

• Full responsibility for the day‑to‑day operations of the hotel.
• Create an operating environment that assures consistent guest satisfaction and seamless operational functionality throughout all hours.
• Monitor the performance of the hotel through verification and analysis of guest satisfaction systems such as Revinate and Medallia and financial reports. Initiate corrective action as needed.
• Maintain product and service quality standards by conducting ongoing evaluations and investigating complaints. Initiate corrective action as needed.
• Develop accurate and aggressive long‑ and short‑range financial objectives consistent with the ownership’s mission.
• Establish and maintain a pro‑active human‑resource function to ensure employee motivation, training and development, alongside the HR department.
• Develop and maintain an innovative, forward‑thinking team attitude, driven to improvement.
• Develop, grow, and mentor team members and junior managers.
• Create a strong, open‑minded management culture throughout the entire hotel.
• Develop, implement and monitor policy, guidelines and standards and is responsible for the proper training of all employees in the established standards of service to ensure the highest levels of guest satisfaction.
• Oversee the hiring, training, evaluating and discipline of staff, ensuring that fair and legal practices are followed and that the Collective Bargaining Agreement is followed.
• Partner with other business‑unit heads to share, brainstorm and develop mutual strategies to resolve operating problems.
• Responsible for adherence to policies and procedures as set forth by the company relating to employment, environmental health and safety as well as laws relating to the operation.
• Conduct a weekly communications meeting with key reports to ensure all are aware of goals, objectives and activities within the resort and department.
• Represent the Williamsburg Inn in a helpful and hospitable manner to promote goodwill and protect its resources.
• Liaison with the Forbes Inspectors ensuring that all requirements are met throughout the year.
• Coordinate all training for Forbes.

Supervision to be Exercised

Direct: Assistant General Manager, Executive Housekeeper, Guest Service Managers, Bell Staff, Florist, Oversight of the Spa; Indirect: Concierge Manager.

Required Education and Experience

• Prior experience as General Manager for a major hotel.
• Luxury 4‑5‑star hotel management experience is strongly preferred.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of Forbes 5‑Star requirements.
• Detailed understanding of all resort operations departments.
• Experience in a union environment is necessary.
• Technologically savvy, possessing the aptitude and desire to learn new technology in ways that benefit the team and the hotel.
• Analytical skills, as well as problem‑recognition and resolution skills.
• Excellent communication and organizational skills.
• Able to sell strategic decisions to gain optimal business mix.
• Excellent team‑leading and people‑management skills.
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast‑paced environment.
• Ability to focus attention on guest needs, remaining calm and courteous at all times.

Compensation Disclaimer

The compensation listed below for this position represents the anticipated hiring range and is provided in accordance with Virginia pay transparency requirements. Actual compensation will be determined based on factors such as the selected candidate’s skills, qualifications, experience, education, certifications, internal equity, and the specific requirements of the role.

Range: $94,800 to $142,200