Guest Experience Manager

Primary Job Duties

• Guest Experience Audits: Conduct regular observations and experience audits across the guest journey, including booking, pre-arrival, arrival, front desk, concierge, housekeeping, restaurant, spa, activities, events, departure, and service recovery. Partner with leaders to address opportunities and verify improvement.

• Guest Journey & Service Standards: Map and continuously improve guest touchpoints before, during, and after the visit. Establish practical standards for communication, presence, anticipation, discretion, service recovery, attention to detail, and ownership.

• Feedback Systems & Reputation: Oversee the collection, analysis, and reporting of guest feedback from surveys, reviews, direct channels, and operational observations. Identify recurring themes, opportunities, and trends and translate findings into actionable training or operational improvements.

• Service Recovery & Recovery: Manage the property’s online and on-site reputation. Empower frontline employees and managers to Own It through appropriate real-time service recovery while personally supporting high-level guest escalations when appropriate. Ensure recovery opportunities are documented and used as learning opportunities.

• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Serve as a central bridge across Lodging, F&B, Events, Housekeeping, Spa, Sales, HR, Marketing, and other operational teams to share guest insights, create a consistent guest journey and shared understanding of experience standards.

• The Whim Way & Luxury Standards: Serve as an internal champion of The Whim Way. Translate Whim Hospitality's brand promise, mission, vision, and core values into clear, observable behaviors and service standards that define a luxury, iconic experience.

• Training & Development: To elevate the guest experience this role will support Whim training for leadership roles (managers of managers), including onboarding, department training, position-specific training, knowledge assessments, practical skills certification, and ongoing service development.

• Culture & Recognition: Champion a culture in which employees understand that every role contributes to the guest experience. Develop and support recognition initiatives that highlight employees who demonstrate Own It, Elevate the Experience, Care Deeply, and Stay Curious.

• Performance Metrics & Continuous Improvement: Establish and monitor guest experience KPIs, satisfaction trends, response times, review themes, training completion, certification, and other relevant measures. Use data and direct observation to recommend changes and continuously improve the Whim experience.

• Brand Stewardship: Protect and strengthen Whim Hospitality's luxury brand standards through employee education, guest-facing observations, service language, professional conduct, and consistent representation of the brand.

Experience & Education

• Hospitality Background: 3–5 years of progressive guest relations, front office, or operations management experience at a 4/5-star luxury hotel, upscale boutique resort, or premium guest experience operation.
• Luxury Standard Familiarity: Deep working knowledge of luxury service evaluation frameworks, with direct experience implementing Forbes Travel Guide or AAA Diamond standards highly preferred.
• Brand / Property Reputation Management: Demonstrated experience in managing and strengthening brand and property reputation.

· Educational Foundation: Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Marketing, Human Resources, Organizational Development, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant leadership experience may be considered.

Technical & Analytical Skills

• Data Literacy: Proven ability to manage guest feedback platforms, analyze data trends, and translate Net Promoter Scores (NPS) into actionable operational changes.
• Property Systems: Proficiency with modern Property Management Systems, alongside standard office productivity suites.
• Operational Observation: Ability to evaluate real-time guest interactions, identify root causes, and translate observations into clear coaching and development opportunities.

Core Competencies & Soft Skills

• Emotional Intelligence: Exceptional emotional intelligence, empathy, and active listening skills required to handle high-stakes service recovery and sensitive VIP guest dynamics gracefully.
• Interpersonal Influence: Strong cross-departmental leadership skills to guide, inspire, and hold diverse teams accountable without having direct operational authority over them.
• Communication Mastery: Polished verbal and written communication skills, essential for writing formal executive guest responses and delivering engaging, impactful staff training sessions.

· Brand Mindset: Strong understanding of how employee behavior, operational details, and guest interactions collectively shape brand perception.

· Continuous Improvement: Curious, observant, solutions-oriented, and comfortable identifying opportunities, testing improvements, and measuring results.

Operational Fit

• Schedule Flexibility: Ability to work a flexible schedule including some weekends, evenings, and holidays, to observe guest interactions across a broad range of occasions and to support the team.

Presence in the Operation: Willingness to spend meaningful time in guest-facing and operational areas rather than functioning solely from an office.