FEATURED JOB OPENING: General Manager Couple - Lenox, MA

THE LEADERSHIP / MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY:

We are seeking a hard-working couple with unquestionable character, unparalleled reliability, charismatic leadership, and management hospitality experience of at least 5 years in a property of similar scale, with an on-site fine dining restaurant.  Ideally you will have experience in higher-end properties (example: AAA 4-diamond and up).

The couple will be responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operation and should expect to work on average 60 hours per week per person, and you understand the importance of doing whatever it takes, and hours will vary day to day and week to week.   It may make sense to have one person focused on the FOH restaurant and one focused on the hotel operations.  There are PROs and CONs to either scenario, and we are looking for input form the couple on what they think would work best in this specific scenario.   The successful candidates will:

§  Enjoy a genuine love of hard work: you truly enjoy what you do in this role to serve guests and make their experience special and memorable

§  Exemplify a buck-stops-with-you-attitude: you are extremely reliable and understand that this trait is critical to success in this position

§  Possess unquestionable character: you will be entrusted with a multimillion dollar property and the business reputation with owners who are not on property all of the time

REQUIRED SKILLS & COMPENTENCIES:

§  Outstanding guest interaction skills: delivering a 5-star experience; effectively resolving problems when necessary

§  Proven sales ability to close contracts from inbound inquiries (weddings, corporate functions, group room sales, F&B events)

§  Effective and proven leadership capabilities; you evaluate your contribution to the business based on outcomes and results obtained; not on the effort, energy or hours that you put into the position

§  On-floor management of staff in restaurant & inn; holding staff consistently accountable to service standards; delivering progressive discipline when necessary

§  Scheduling the staff, managing hours and costs to defined labor targets

§  Executing processes to ensure consistent operation 7/24/365 including periods of absence; and regardless of who else is working

§  Hiring and interviewing skills for the acquisition of seasonal staff

§  Taking initiative to maintain the property while maintaining a cost conscious mindset

§  Evaluating the efficiency levels of the operation to adjust and refine accordingly with creative solutions / design & implementation of systems

§  Proactively managing P&L to a budget

§  Intermediate QuickBooks skills

§  Intermediate computer skills, Excel, Word, Outlook

NICE-TO-HAVE SKILLS & COMPENTENCIES:

§  Marketing, social media, and some SEO skills

§  Press connections, writing press releases, email blasts

§  Knowledge of wine and creation of wine lists

§  “Handy” skills for minor improvements (painting, and small repairs)

CURRENT SITUATION:

Gross revenue has increased on average 40% per year since 2010 and many improvements have been made to the physical property.  For over a century, The Berkshires have been a vacation playground for well-heeled New Yorkers, harkening back to the Gilded Age where nearly 100 “cottage” mansions dotted the landscape.  Home to Tanglewood, the summer performance venue of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and many other cultural attractions garnered the Berkshires designation by National Geographic as one of the top vacation destinations in the world.

The hospitality business in this region is highly seasonal, with almost 40% of annual revenue occurring in the combined July and August period.  This makes year round staffing and staff planning a challenge.  We have been utilizing hospitality students from France, and J1 work and travel students from all over the world.  While this has been successful, it requires a very robust and highly effective training program to bring these employees to high levels of productivity very quickly, relative to the short eight week “high” season.

There is a currently an interim hospitality consultant in place for day-to-day operations, an executive chef, and a sales person to contract rooms and F&B events.  The current challenge is the need to significantly improve the service in both the hotel and restaurant and to ensure a much higher level of consistent guest experience, as the property positions itself into higher luxury tiers.

COMPENSATION:

The compensation will be a combination of base pay and incentive pay as well as housing that will be provided nearby the  property (walking distance).

The base pay for this position will be $60K-$70K depending on the experience and skills of the successful couple.  The incentive pay package will be reviewed with specific applicants to the position, but should be between $90K and $100K total, provided targets are met and costs are managed to.

HOW TO APPLY:

Please email a detailed resume for each person and 3 professional and 2 personal references.  Also include a cover letter that address how you would spend your first 100 days at the property to settle into the position to be successful.  Also outline how you believe it would make sense to split the duties between each person who is part of the couple based on this description.