Director of Rooms - Raffles Diriyah

Raffles Diriyah is a glamourous new landmark in Diriyah – Saudi Arabia’s “City of Earth”. Set against the UNESCO World Heritage site of Al-Tuarif and the scenic Wadi Hanifa. Inspired by Nadji heritage, and infused with Raffles’ timeless elegance, Raffles Diriyah set the standard for gracious hospitality, cultural curiosity, and legendary service.

At Raffles Diriyah, people are the soul of everything we do. We are champion of culture, custodians of community and passionate curators of meaningful guests’ experience. Here, guests arrive as visitors, leave as friends, and return as family.

The Director of Rooms is a key pre-opening leader responsible for the successful set-up, launch and ongoing direction of all Rooms Division operations.

 This role will establish Raffles brand standards, recruit and develop high-performing teams, and design exceptional guest journeys. Following opening, the Director of Rooms will drive service excellence, operational efficiency, and financial performance across the Rooms Division, ensuring a seamless transition from opening to steady-state operations.

Leadership Presence & Brand Stewardship

• Sets the standard for luxury experiences through hands‑on leadership, emotional intelligence, and authentic guest connection.
• Serves as a visible, confident, and refined leader across the property cultivating strong engagement with guests, residents, and colleagues.
• Acts as a brand ambassador for Raffles Diriyah, representing the hotel vision with sophistication, creativity, and impeccable judgment.
• Partners closely with the General Manager and Executive Committee to translate strategic priorities into clear pre-opening and operating goals, structured action plans, and measurable outcome.

Operational Performance & Strategic Execution

• Lead the pre-opening planning and set-up of the Rooms Division, including Front Office, Housekeeping, Guest Relations, Concierge, Raffles Butler, and related functions, ensuring seamless execution and consistency of experience.
• Oversees financial performance, including pre-opening budgeting, forecasting, budgeting, cost control, and revenue optimization across all outlets.
• Drives performance against Forbes Travel Guide, LQA, and internal brand standards, ensuring all venues meet and exceed luxury benchmarks.
• Develops and executes action plans based on guest feedback, financial results, and audit outcomes, fostering continuous improvement year‑round.
• Work closely with Revenue Management, Sales, and Marketing to support pre-opening pricing, positioning, and go-to-market strategies.
• Maintains deep expertise in luxury dining standards, ensuring leaders are trained, empowered, and accountable.
• Ensures effective labour management, productivity, and operational KPIs to balance service excellence with financial discipline.
• Brings proven pre-opening and project management experience required to navigate both short‑term operational initiatives and long‑range capital plans.
• Maintains transparency and strong communication within a high‑touch ownership environment.

Culture, Talent & Engagement

• Leads hiring, onboarding, and training to ensure alignment with brand standards and cultural values.
• Builds a high‑performance culture rooted in collaboration, creativity, and accountability across Rooms Department teams.
• Partners closely with People & Culture to drive engagement, retention, and development initiatives within the division.
• Translates colleague engagement insights into actionable plans with measurable outcomes.
• Mentors and develops Rooms leaders, strengthening succession pipelines and long‑term capability.
• Sustains energy, creativity, and a sense of purpose within a dynamic and competitive luxury dining landscape.

Guest Experience, Safety & Brand Standards

• Takes ownership of the end‑to‑end Rooms guest experience, ensuring exceptional service, quality, and consistency across all venues.
• Champions innovation and creativity, continually elevating dining concepts, service rituals, and guest engagement.
• Drives personalization and memorable moments that reflect modern luxury while honouring Raffles heritage.
• Ensures compliance with health, safety, sanitation, and regulatory standards across Rooms operation.
• Analyses guest feedback and quality metrics to implement structured improvements and sustain excellence.
• Oversee the end-to-end guest journey design, ensuring Raffle experience from pre-arrival to post-departure.

• Establish guest feedback, service recovery, and online reputation processes in readiness for opening.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive Rooms leadership experience within luxury or ultra‑luxury hotel brands.
• At least 5 years in a senior Rooms leadership role (Director of Rooms, Executive Assistant Director of Rooms, or equivalent) within a Forbes‑rated, or comparable luxury property.
• Proven success leading diverse teams, in high‑end luxury, ultra-luxury hotels.
• Strong financial acumen with demonstrated experience in revenue growth, cost control, and profitability within complex Rooms operations.
• Bachelor’s degree in hospitality management, Tourism, Business, or a related field preferred.
• Deep knowledge of luxury service standards, culinary trends, and operational best practices within the global luxury dining landscape.

Leadership Style & Personal Attributes

• A dynamic, emotionally intelligent leader with a passion for hospitality, and guest experience.
• Warm, polished, and service‑driven, with the ability to inspire teams and connect authentically.
• Creative and commercially minded, balancing innovation with operational discipline.
• Highly detail‑oriented with strong judgment and problem‑solving capabilities.

• Employee benefit card offering discounted rates at Accor properties worldwide.
• Complimentary duty meal.
• Opportunity to develop your talent and grow within your property and across the world!
• Ability to make a difference through our Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability activities.

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

• We are an inclusive company and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent.