Room Division Manager

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is where the intimate equally coexists with the infinite – an unrivaled portfolio of more than 90 extraordinary hotels where grand moments of life, heartfelt pleasures and personal milestones are celebrated and remembered long after any visit. Since 1907, Fairmont has created magnificent, meaningful and unforgettable hotels, rich with character and deeply connected to the history, culture and community of its destinations – places such as The Plaza in New York City, The Savoy in London, Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Banff Springs in Canada, Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, and Fairmont The Palm in Dubai. Famous for its engaging service, awe-inspiring public spaces, locally inspired cuisine, and iconic bars and lounges, Fairmont also takes great pride in its pioneering approach to hospitality and leadership in sustainability and responsible tourism practices. Fairmont is part of Accor, a world leading hospitality group counting over 5,400 properties throughout more than 110 countries, and a participating brand in ALL - Accor Live Limitless – a lifestyle loyalty program providing access to a wide variety of rewards, services and experiences.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Rooms Division Manager is responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership across the Rooms Division, ensuring seamless coordination between Front Office, Housekeeping, Guest Services, Concierge, Guest Relations, and other associated functions.

As a key leader within the hotel, the incumbent will champion the Fairmont philosophy of gracious, personalised and anticipatory service, ensuring that every guest experience reflects the sophistication, warmth and distinctive character of a luxury hospitality destination.

The role requires a strong balance of luxury service delivery, people leadership, operational efficiency, commercial acumen and brand compliance, with a focus on creating memorable guest experiences, developing high-performing teams and maximising departmental profitability.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Luxury Guest Experience & Service Excellence

• Champion Fairmont’s luxury service philosophy, ensuring consistently personalised, intuitive and anticipatory service throughout the guest journey.

• Establish a culture of genuine hospitality, attention to detail and meaningful guest engagement, ensuring that every interaction reflects the Fairmont brand promise.

• Oversee guest arrival, registration, in-house experience and departure, ensuring a seamless, refined and memorable experience.

• Personally engage with VIPs, luxury travellers, repeat guests, loyalty members and guests requiring special attention, ensuring their preferences are understood and thoughtfully delivered.

• Drive effective guest feedback management, service recovery and complaint resolution, ensuring timely intervention and sustainable corrective action.

• Monitor guest satisfaction scores, online reputation, loyalty engagement and quality audit results, translating insights into measurable service improvements.

• Ensure the consistent delivery of Fairmont standards, luxury service rituals, brand service essentials and applicable quality assurance requirements.

2. Rooms Division Operations & Leadership

• Provide overall operational oversight of Front Office, Housekeeping, Guest Relations, Concierge, Bell Services and other assigned Rooms Division functions.

• Ensure seamless coordination between Rooms Division, Reservations, Revenue Management, Engineering, Security, Food & Beverage and other hotel departments.

• Monitor room availability, occupancy, arrivals, departures, room readiness, room allocation, VIP movements and special guest requests to ensure operational preparedness.

• Maintain the highest standards of cleanliness, room presentation, maintenance, public-area appearance and overall product condition.

• Ensure effective management of room discrepancies, out-of-order rooms, room moves, upgrades, overbooking situations and guest requests.

• Conduct regular operational inspections, service observations and departmental reviews to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Establish clear operating procedures, service standards, escalation protocols and accountability measures across all Rooms Division functions.

• Ensure that operational decisions prioritise guest comfort, colleague safety, service quality and commercial performance.

3. Luxury Housekeeping & Product Presentation

• Ensure guest rooms, suites, corridors, public areas and associated facilities consistently meet Fairmont's luxury standards.

• Drive meticulous attention to detail in room presentation, amenities, linen quality, turndown service, cleanliness and the overall guest environment.

• Collaborate with Engineering and other relevant departments to ensure timely resolution of maintenance concerns and preservation of the hotel product.

• Monitor room inspection scores, cleaning productivity, turnaround times, guest feedback and quality audit findings.

• Ensure appropriate management of lost and found items, guest belongings, room access and other housekeeping controls.

• Oversee the effective use of operating supplies, linen, amenities and departmental resources without compromising the luxury guest experience.

4. Commercial Performance & Financial Management

• Contribute to the hotel's rooms revenue strategy in partnership with Revenue Management, Sales and Reservations, supporting occupancy, Average Daily Rate (ADR), RevPAR and overall profitability.

• Monitor Rooms Division budgets, payroll, labour productivity, operating expenses and departmental financial performance.

• Identify opportunities to optimise room inventory, upselling, room upgrades and ancillary revenue while protecting brand positioning and guest satisfaction.

• Ensure effective workforce planning, roster management, productivity monitoring and deployment of colleagues in line with business volumes.

• Control departmental costs, inventory, consumables and operating supplies while maintaining the standards expected of a luxury hotel.

• Review financial reports, departmental performance indicators and budget variances, implementing appropriate corrective measures.

• Contribute to forecasting, annual budgeting, capital expenditure planning and operational business reviews.

5. People Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, inspire and develop Rooms Division leaders and colleagues, fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, accountability and service excellence.

• Demonstrate visible leadership and act as a role model for Fairmont's values, professional conduct and luxury service standards.

• Ensure effective manpower planning, recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, succession planning and colleague engagement.

• Identify high-potential talent and establish development plans, cross-training opportunities and career progression pathways.

• Conduct regular performance discussions, departmental briefings, coaching sessions and leadership reviews.

• Promote a respectful, inclusive and psychologically safe working environment where colleagues feel valued and empowered to deliver exceptional service.

• Ensure compliance with hotel policies, the Accor Code of Ethics, applicable employment laws and workplace standards.

• Collaborate with People & Culture to address employee relations matters, training requirements, engagement opportunities and performance concerns.

6. Brand Standards, Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Fairmont brand standards, Accor operating procedures, quality assurance requirements and applicable luxury hospitality benchmarks.

• Lead departmental readiness for internal and external quality audits, inspections and brand assessments.

• Review audit findings, guest feedback trends and operational gaps, ensuring clear ownership, corrective action and timely closure.

• Maintain effective controls relating to guest privacy, data protection, key management, cash handling, billing accuracy, security and incident reporting.

• Ensure compliance with fire and life safety procedures, emergency response protocols, hygiene requirements and applicable statutory regulations.

• Promote responsible and sustainable operating practices in line with the hotel's environmental and social commitments.

7. Interdepartmental Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with the Director of Operations, Hotel Manager and Executive Committee to achieve the hotel's strategic, operational and financial objectives.

• Establish strong working relationships with Revenue Management, Sales, Reservations, Engineering, Food & Beverage, Finance, Security and People & Culture.

• Partner with the Reservations and Revenue teams to optimise room allocation, inventory utilisation, upselling and guest preference management.

• Coordinate with Sales and Events teams to ensure seamless execution of VIP arrivals, group movements, events and special guest requirements.

• Ensure timely communication of operational priorities, guest concerns, incidents and service recovery measures to relevant stakeholders.

• Represent the Rooms Division in operational meetings, business reviews, quality discussions and strategic planning sessions.

8. Innovation, Continuous Improvement & Guest Personalisation

• Identify opportunities to enhance the guest journey through service innovation, digital solutions, process improvement and personalised hospitality.

• Use guest profiles, preference history, feedback and operational data to anticipate needs and create tailored experiences.

• Encourage teams to develop thoughtful, distinctive service touches that elevate the Fairmont experience beyond standard expectations.

• Review emerging luxury hospitality trends and benchmark service practices to maintain competitiveness and relevance.

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives that enhance guest satisfaction, colleague productivity, operational consistency and profitability.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Performance will be evaluated against agreed hotel and departmental targets, including:

• Guest satisfaction, online reputation and loyalty engagement scores.

• Fairmont brand compliance, quality assurance and LQA audit performance, as applicable.

• Rooms Division operational excellence and service delivery standards.

• Room readiness, housekeeping inspection scores and maintenance resolution.

• Rooms revenue contribution, upselling performance and inventory optimisation.

• Departmental payroll, operating expenses, productivity and budget adherence.

• Guest complaint resolution, service recovery effectiveness and repeat guest satisfaction.

• Colleague engagement, retention, training completion and internal talent development.

• Compliance with safety, security, brand and statutory requirements.

• Successful execution of departmental improvement plans and operational initiatives.

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Hotel Management, Hospitality Management or a related discipline.

• Typically 8–10 years of progressive experience in hotel operations, including substantial leadership experience within the Rooms Division of a luxury or upper-upscale hotel.

• Previous experience in a Rooms Division leadership role or equivalent senior operational position is preferred.

• Experience in luxury hotel environments, preferably with an internationally recognised hospitality brand.

• Strong understanding of Front Office, Housekeeping, Guest Relations, Concierge and overall rooms operations.

• Experience managing departmental budgets, forecasting, labour productivity, guest satisfaction and quality assurance.

• Familiarity with hotel property management systems, guest feedback platforms, revenue systems and operational reporting tools.

• Demonstrated capability in leading diverse teams, developing talent and delivering measurable operational improvements.

Our commitment to Diversity & Inclusion:

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