Task Force Front Desk Manager | Palisociety

Palisociety; Lancaster (CA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) plan

Paid time off

Holiday pay

Sick pay

Career advancement

Employee discounts

Job summary

Palisociety is seeking a Task Force Front Desk Manager to provide on-site leadership across a portfolio of hotels in Southern California. You will close leadership gaps, lead front desk operations, and oversee night audits during coverage periods.

You will travel between properties, direct staffing decisions, and ensure guest service quality aligns with brand standards. Flexible shifts include evenings and weekends as needed.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in a hotel front office leadership role or equivalent multi-property experience.
• Experience directing, training, and holding staff accountable across properties.
• Willingness to travel regularly among Southern California properties.
• Strong working knowledge of front desk systems (Opera, Mews) and standard office tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead front desk operations across the Southern California portfolio and serve as on-site manager during callouts or leadership gaps.
• Direct staffing, scheduling, and service-recovery decisions and lead front desk teams on-site.
• Oversee check-in/check-out, reservations, folio and payment handling, and night audit processes.
• Ensure adherence to property SOPs, brand standards, and local policies across hotels.
• Drive portfolio-wide standardization of front office service in partnership with leadership.

Skills

Front desk leadership

Team training

Travel readiness

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Bachelor’s degree in hospitality (preferred)

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Opera PMS

Mews PMS

MS Word

MS Excel

MS Teams

Job description

WHO WE ARE:

Palisociety is a society of unique hotels and residences — Palihouse, Palihotel, Le Petit Pali, ARRIVE by Palisociety, and a growing collection of independently branded properties. Since our first hotel opened in Los Angeles in 2009, we've grown into a nationwide portfolio of neighborhood-centric hotels, restaurants, bars, and event spaces, earning recognition from Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, the New York Times, and more.

We consider our employees our greatest asset: structured training from day one, consistent feedback, and a clear path for growth. We develop our leaders from within, because the strongest hospitality companies are the ones that grow their own.

POSITION PROFILE:

The Task Force Front Desk Manager provides on-site leadership across a portfolio of hotels in the Southern California region, stepping in to lead front office operations wherever a property needs management support. This role exists to close leadership gaps quickly and reliably, covering absent front desk team members, and also leading teams through high-occupancy periods and special projects/events, while directing and standardizing guest service quality across the portfolio.

This position will work front desk and night audit shifts as needed.

THE TASK AT HAND:

• Lead and direct front desk operations at assigned hotels across the Southern California portfolio, stepping in as the on-site manager-in-charge during callouts, vacancies, or leadership gaps while covering front desk duties as needed.
• Serve as the ranking front desk leader on-site when covering a property: making staffing, scheduling, and service-recovery decisions, and directing front desk associates.
• Oversee check-in/check-out operations, reservations, folio and payment handling, and night audit processes at covered properties, ensuring associates are following procedure and guests' needs are met, and stepping behind the desk directly when needed to help cover all tasks.
• Evaluate each property's specific standard operating procedures, brand standards, and local policies upon arrival, and lead the on-site team's adherence to them, recognizing that expectations may vary hotel to hotel.
• Direct staffing and resource decisions during high-occupancy periods, group check-ins/outs, hotel openings, or other temporary spikes in front desk demand.
• Partner with each property's leadership team on front office administrative priorities as assigned, such as reviewing reports and audits, overseeing supply inventory processes, and managing correspondence on behalf of the department.
• Evaluate front office service delivery across properties, identify inconsistencies, and drive portfolio-wide standardization initiatives in partnership with leadership.
• Certified as a Property Brand Ambassador and reinforces consistent cleanliness and service expectations regardless of which property is being supported on a given day.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR:

Required

• 2+ years in a hotel front office leadership role (e.g., Front Office Manager, Guest Services Manager), ideally within a branded or multi-property environment.
• Demonstrated experience directing, training, and holding staff accountable, with the ability to lead a team you do not manage day-to-day.
• Willingness to travel regularly among properties across the Southern California region.
• Strong working knowledge of PMS systems (e.g., Opera, Mews); ability to learn additional systems quickly.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Teams
• Flexible availability, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, with ability to respond to last-minute leadership coverage needs. There is an expectation of flexibility for urgent coverage needs.

Preferred

• Prior experience in a task force, cluster, or multi-property leadership role.
• Experience designing or delivering training content to front-line associates and supervisors.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.
• Familiarity with multiple hotel brand standards.
• Work is performed across multiple hotel environments.

Physical

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods at the front desk and throughout the property.
• Ability to lift up to 40 lbs. occasionally (luggage assistance, supply transport).

WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU:

• Competitive compensation package with medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, plus 401(k).
• Paid time off, holiday pay, and sick pay.
• Career advancement and professional development as we open new hotels and restaurants nationwide.
• Employee discounts across our entire portfolio (25 hotels and more to come!).