Banquet Captain Full-time

Recognized as the #1 Best Canadian Hotel in Travel + Leisure's 2024 World's Best Awards, Fairmont Empress is located in Victoria, BC, overlooking the city's sparkling Inner Harbour. A Forbes recommended and MICHELIN key hotel that offers 431 beautifully appointed guest rooms and suites, Fairmont Spa with signature West Coast experiences, and Q at the Empress featuring Pacific Northwest cuisine, an award-winning wine list, and regionally focused cocktail culture. World-famous Tea at the Empress is served in the Lobby Lounge with stunning harbour views.

The magnificent property completed a $60+ million restoration in 2017 that celebrated its proud history while moving the hotel into a new era of modern luxury and transforming the iconic property into a must-visit destination. In 2023, the property introduced a revamped Fairmont Gold Experience, including a major renovation to the Fairmont Gold floor. 88 Fairmont Gold rooms and a newly renovated lounge are ready to accommodate guests. Located on Vancouver Island, Canada's Castle on the Coast is the ideal starting point to explore British Columbia's stunning natural and expansive beauty. Historic Hotels Worldwide recognizes the property's prestigious grounds as the Top 25 Most Magnificent Gardens in the World.

What is in it for you: 

• Employee benefit card offering discounted rates at Accor properties worldwide and additional benefits for Fairmont and Raffles colleagues  
• Exclusive Employee and Friends & Family Discounts at Fairmont Empress Hotel
• Exclusive access to the Pacific Northwest Food & Beverage Discount Program with 50% off at our dining destinations in Vancouver, Victoria, and Whistler
• Opportunity to develop your talent and grow within your property and across the world! 
• Complimentary meal during your shift through our Colleague Dining Program 
• Complimentary uniform laundering
• Access to our comprehensive benefits and wellness programs, including extended healthcare benefits and RMT, dental, vision, and complimentary counseling, wellness sessions, financial and family planning through LifeWorks
• Access to our company-matched Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP)
• Opportunity to develop your talent through coaching and our Leadership Mentoring Programs
• Hourly pay rate of $23.44 to $26.79

What you will be doing:

• Ensure smooth and efficient functioning of the day to day operations of the Banquet department by monitoring and organizing of the duty assignments, conducting daily briefings, call in staff upon authorization.
• Assist in the management and coordination of all conference programs including box handling, arrival, departure, meeting room set ups, flips and meal functions.
• Cultivates excellent guest service through the proactive interaction and on going communication with the meeting planners and guests ie. Meeting set-up, meeting session, meal requirements, wine pairing, timelines, temperature control and upselling hotel services.
• Exceed guest satisfaction goals for the Department and follow up on all concerns and opportunities as identified through direct guest interaction.
• Develop and maintain a constructive, harmonious and communicative working relationship with all supporting departments including kitchen, stewarding, maintenance, catering and housekeeping, ie. pre service meeting with Chef to discuss meal details, dietary concerns,  verification of function timelines.
• Proactive monitoring of departmental productivity through organizing of tasks, assist in improvement of revenues and cost control, working with Banquet Team to implement procedures or programs for improvement wherever necessary.
• Assist management team in administration of Banquet Department, daily reporting on events, accurate billing and other required paperwork.
• Liaise with the Conference Services /Catering Department/VCC on an ongoing basis to ensure that our customer’s expectations are being anticipated and exceeded.
• Provide guidance and mentorship for all colleagues to enhance colleague morale.
• Assist with training and development of all colleagues and on-going recognition of the Banquet team.
• Maintain a safety culture within the department and ensure departmental adherence to and awareness of Health & Safety standards.
• Supervise and assist with room sets and service delivery.
• Ensuring that all equipment, fixtures, and furniture of the department are kept in good supply and in the best repair possible.
• Communicate all pertinent event information to the team, including the event log to share internally with the department for record keeping.
• Other duties as assigned.

Your experience and skills include:

• Minimum one year supervisory/managing experience (within the last five (5) years) with preference given to minimum one year Food & Beverage supervisory experience in a high volume banquet/catering facility, with either minimum two years of event operations experience or minimum one year experience as a server in a fine dining establishment.
• Proven strong leadership ability and motivational skills with ability to communicate with a professional business manner.
• Ability to effectively understand the “big picture”, solve problems and make decisions in a personable and confident manner and with consideration to Hotel interdepartmental impact.
• Ability to calmly and efficiently manage conflicts, critical situations and challenges.
• Execute multiple tasks within strict deadlines while displaying attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to work well with minimal supervision.
• Demonstrated team player with proven success in relationship building.
• Previous experience training and developing co-workers.
• Demonstrated commitment to provide excellent service and exceed guests’ expectations.
• Impeccable grooming and presentation.
• Fluent English language skills; both written and verbal.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food preparation, wines, beers and mixology.
• Demonstrated excellent organizational skills – showing flexibility in handling multiple priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel etc.)
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Current Serving it Right certification or equivalent
• Knowledge of Silverware, PM Oracle is an asset

Physical Aspects of Position (include but are not limited to):

The position of Banquet Captain is physically demanding.  The successful applicant must be physically capable of performing repetitive work, including kneeling, pushing, pulling, and lifting and carrying up to 20 pounds. Must be able to stand and walk for long periods of time (for up to 8 hours), with the occasional ascending or descending of ladders, stairs and ramps.  

Visa Requirements: Must be legally eligible to work in Canada. The hotel is unable to assist candidates in obtaining Canadian work authorization.

Your team and working environment: Welcome to Canada’s Castle on the Coast. The Empress Hotel sits proudly at the centre of culture and history in Victoria, British Columbia. This is the best of all worlds – where contrast meets distinction, opulence blends harmoniously with the understated and fabled history meshes with contemporary affairs. This award-winning Victoria hotel and National Historic Site is an alluring blend of classic and contemporary, vintage and cutting-edge: Where Modern meets Iconic. Come join our wonderful team of hospitality experts!

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:
We are an inclusive company and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent.

Why work for Accor?
We are far more than a worldwide leader. We welcome you as you are and you can find a job and brand that matches your personality. We support you to grow and learn every day, making sure that work brings purpose to your life, so that during your journey with us, you can continue to explore Accor’s limitless possibilities.
By joining Accor, every chapter of your story is yours to write and together we can imagine tomorrow's hospitality. Discover the life that awaits you at Accor, visit https://careers.accor.com/

Do what you love, care for the world, dare to challenge the status quo! #BELIMITLESS