South Africa: Hotel General Manager – Atlantic Seaboard posted by C & G Hospitality Recruitment T/A Hotelrecruiters

About the Role

A well-established Conferencing & Leisure Hotel in the Atlantic Seaboard region is seeking a strategic, hands-on General Manager to take total accountability for the property’s direction, execution, and financial performance. The successful candidate will be responsible for optimizing guest satisfaction, driving revenue across rooms and food & beverage (F&B) sectors, ensuring strict compliance with corporate standard operating procedures (SOPs), and fostering high employee engagement.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic & Financial Management P&L Accountability: Manage the property’s Profit and Loss (P&L) statement, accurately forecasting revenues, managing operational costs, and optimizing EBITDA.
• Budgeting & Forecasting: Formulate annual capital expenditure (CapEx) and operational budgets in alignment with corporate financial objectives.
• Revenue Optimization: Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Management teams to execute dynamic pricing, yield management, and distribution strategies to maximize RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) and ARR (Average Room Rate).
• Procurement & Asset Management: Oversee property procurement processes, inventory control, and supplier contracts to minimize waste and exploit economies of scale.
• Operational Excellence & Guest Experience
• Daily Operations: Direct and oversee all hotel departments including Front Office, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage (restaurant, bar, and conferencing), Maintenance/Facilities, and Security.
• Quality Assurance: Enforce strict adherence to brand standards, service protocols, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) across all departments.
• Guest Relations: Monitor and review guest feedback platforms (e.g., TripAdvisor, OTA reviews, internal guest satisfaction surveys). Implement immediate corrective actions to resolve guest grievances and sustain high review scores.
• Facility Maintenance: Direct preventative maintenance schedules and asset management strategies to ensure the physical property, equipment, and grounds remain in pristine condition.
• People Leadership & Culture
• Talent Management: Oversee the recruitment, onboarding, training, and continuous performance evaluation of the property’s management team and line staff.
• Performance Culture: Establish clear departmental objectives, conduct regular performance reviews, and implement succession planning.
• Employee Engagement: Cultivate a collaborative, high-performance working environment to minimize staff turnover and maintain high morale.
• Compliance, Health & Safety
• Legal Compliance: Ensure full property adherence to national and local statutory regulations, including labor laws (BCEA/LRA), liquor licensing, health and safety acts (OHSA), and municipal bylaws.
• Risk Management: Implement and test emergency response protocols, crisis management plans, and property security measures to safeguard guests, staff, and assets.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s Degree or National Diploma in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a closely related field from a recognized institution.
• A minimum of 5 to 7 years of experience as a Hotel General Manager or Deputy General Manager within a reputable 4-star or 5-star hotel environment.
• Proven track record managing a property with extensive Food & Beverage (F&B) operations, banqueting, and conference facilities catering to up to 150 delegates.

Qualifications

• Advanced working knowledge of Property Management Systems (PMS), Point of Sale (POS) systems, and MS Office Suite.

Salary & Benefits

• Salary details not specified in the original job description.