Nestled in the city's heart, Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai, offers a stunning fusion of modern design with a touch of oriental flair, redefining hospitality standards.

With unparalleled views of Dubai's skyline, the iconic Burj Khalifa, and the sparkling Arabian Sea, this urban retreat offers 224 luxury Residences and 259 Rooms & Suites.

Going beyond traditional hospitality, Mandarin Oriental Downtown, Dubai, it's not just a hotel but a lifestyle destination, offering relaxation, luxury, and memorable experiences.

Scope of Position

The Head Hostess will support the Restaurant General Manager, oversee the host team, manage reservations and ensure that every guest receives an exceptional welcome. The role is mainly responsible for providing seamless experience to our guests upon arrival. It also includes responsibility of table management strategy, operational, administrative and guest related tasks.

Responsibilities

Departmental:

• Support the Restaurant Manager in all operational and administrative aspects of the restaurant.
• Act as the main point of contact of F&B restaurant reservations team.
• Prioritise high level of guest engagement and have an absolute focus on collaborating with other departments to ensure guests return.
• Enforce and monitor that operational standards of the guest arrival and satisfaction during their stay in the hotel or restaurant, as per our policies, SOP and quality measures are in place always.
• Assign side duties to all hostesses and follow through.
• Oversee the daily operation of the outlet and manage hostess shifts effectively to assure a smooth and effective overall operation.
• Maintain a good relationship and steady communication with the front office, concierge team and restaurant reservations team, particularly during in house long stay guests.
• Ensure that reservations are managed well within the outlet and seating capacities are effectively maximised.
• Ensure accuracy of all menus: current, spelled correctly, clean and presentable and ascertain menu description are up to date and distributed appropriately.
• Assist the Restaurant Manager to plan and execute special promotional activities for the outlets and plan for festive season events related to the outlet.
• Take full control over group bookings for the restaurant, in coordination with the F&B Groups Reservations in charge.
• Observe the competition, current market and international trends, prices with the market and other new ideas and forward them to the Restaurant Manager.
• Consistently implement robust Customer Relationship Management process to ensure database is accurate at all times for guest recognition.

Colleague Relations:

• Provide leadership, direction, and support to all outlet colleagues at any time, particularly during the operation hours and mainly focusing on the hostess team.
• Give feedback and coaches hostesses for motivation and improvement.
• Encourage proactive, efficient, and effective inter-departmental communication within and beyond the F&B division to promote a climate of teamwork and enthusiasm.
• Provide necessary trainings for the hostess team. Routine role plays during the operation and sit-down trainings regarding administration.

 Guest Relations:

• As this is the key importance of this role, being able to communicate effectively with other departments as well as key people across the city is a must. Being well connected and providing smooth access to all main events and venues throughout the city.
• Being fully in charge of making guests profiles and maintaining them with updated preferences and key features that keep the guest coming back.
• Strong anchor at the door to ensure smooth guest arrival.
• Daily brief and communicate with all hostesses about the daily target and reservations highlighting special attention and guests’ preferences.
• Personally monitor and follow through on any requirements of VIP guests.
• Ensure customer satisfaction from arrival to departure in accordance to the MOHG Legendary Quality Experiences (LQEs)
• Constantly drive and motivate the team to create specific WOW moments to surprise and delight guests in the restaurants.
• Handle effectively any kind of customer complaints being verbal or written.

  Skills and Qualifications

•  High School qualification or equivalent.
• Degree or Higher National Diploma in Hospitality/Hotel/Business Management is preferred.
• Market understanding is a must, mostly relying on experience in restaurants that mainly focus on the Dubai residents.
• Social media knowledge and understanding the impact of social media influencers.
• Previous experience in guest relations roles is preferred.
• Experience from upscale standalone restaurants or luxury hotels is required.
• Ability to understand guest needs and expectations and to deliver superior customer service through own initiative and through driving and motivating the team accordingly.
• Proven ability to successfully support, motivate and lead a large and diverse team.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Verbal and written communication skills in Arabic or other languages are essential.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with guests and colleagues
• Exceptional organizational skills and attention to detail, with the ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast-paced environment.
• Physical capabilities to stand for a long period; Flexibility to work a variety of shifts, including evenings, weekends, and holidays as per business needs.