Luxury Hotel Operations Director — Guest Experience Lead

The Walt Disney Company; Kapolei (HI); On-site; USD 139,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rewards package

Job summary

The Walt Disney Company’s Aulani resort seeks a seasoned Hotel Operations Director to lead Front Office, Recreation, and IT, ensuring exceptional guest experiences and safe, efficient operations on Oahu. The role demands strategic vision, strong leadership, and a commitment to Disney’s Five Keys and local Hawaiian values.

You will oversee multiple teams, manage budgets and capital priorities, mentor leaders, and partner across departments to deliver seamless service and premium experiences for

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of progressive experience in luxury hotel hospitality, resort operations, or comparable service operations, including 5+ years leading multiple teams or departments at the managerial level.
• Proven ability to envision future possibilities and create breakthrough strategies for hotel and resort operations, aligning departmental plans with Disney Experiences objectives.
• Demonstrated strength in planning and prioritizing work across multiple departments, setting organizational priorities, and allocating resources to meet financial, safety, and guest-experience goals.
• Extensive leadership of large, diverse teams and multiple operating functions, with accountability for guest experience, safety, labor management, and financial performance in a complex hospitality or resort environment.
• Strong working knowledge of Front Office and Recreation operations, with the capability to provide effective executive oversight of Information Technology and technology-enabled guest experiences.
• Ability to interpret and use performance data, service metrics, and labor indicators to guide operational improvements and drive continuous improvement across multiple hotel departments.
• Highly developed collaboration and communication skills, with a team-oriented, culturally aware, and service-minded approach to building partnerships across resort operations, shared services, enterprise technology, and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated commitment to inclusion and to respectfully integrating Hawaiian culture, values, and community perspectives into guest and Cast experiences.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for Front Office, Recreation, and resort Information Technology operations, translating business priorities into clear operating plans for multiple related teams.
• Direct Front Office strategy and execution across arrival, departure, lobby, concierge, bell, valet, phone, and guest-services functions to ensure seamless, premium service delivery and timely recovery of complex guest concerns.
• Lead safe, engaging, and culturally relevant Recreation operations across pools, beach, water activities, cabanas, and related equipment, maintaining rigorous safety, water-quality, and regulatory standards.
• Provide executive oversight of resort Information Technology operations, infrastructure, end-user support, and technology-enabled guest experiences, ensuring system availability, cybersecurity compliance, and effective incident response in partnership with enterprise technology teams.
• Own departmental operating plans, budgets, forecasts, labor strategies, and capital priorities, using performance metrics and operational indicators to guide improvements in guest satisfaction, safety, service reliability, and financial results.
• Develop and implement strategy-oriented operating plans that align team responsibilities with Disney Experiences goals, empowering leaders to solve both immediate and long-term operational challenges.
• Build, coach, and retain a high-performing, inclusive leadership team by setting clear expectations, providing continuous coaching and feedback, and supporting career development and succession planning.
• Foster a positive, service-minded work environment that models Disney’s leadership behaviors and values, encourages creative problem solving, and ensures Cast feel respected, informed, and empowered.
• Model Disney’s Five Keys and Aulani values, including Kuleana, Mālama, Laulima, and ʻOluʻolu, in daily decisions and relationships.
• Collaborate with Housekeeping, Food & Beverage, Security, Sales, Revenue Management, Facilities, and external partners to optimize the end-to-end resort experience and support integrated Disney vacation offerings.
• Oversee strategic partnerships supporting transportation, excursions, lifeguard safety, housekeeping support, parking revenue collection, and electric-vehicle charging, ensuring service quality and alignment with resort standards.
• Provide visible leadership during peak periods, critical incidents, emergency response, and business disruptions, demonstrating sound judgment, crisis leadership, and care for both guests and Cast.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Budgeting

Team management

Guest experience

Operational excellence

Cross-functional leadership

Hawaiian culture

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Job description

The Walt Disney Company’s Aulani resort seeks a seasoned Hotel Operations Director to lead Front Office, Recreation, and IT, ensuring exceptional guest experiences and safe, efficient operations on Oahu. The role demands strategic vision, strong leadership, and a commitment to Disney’s Five Keys and local Hawaiian values.

You will oversee multiple teams, manage budgets and capital priorities, mentor leaders, and partner across departments to deliver seamless service and premium experiences for