Director of Front Office

About Dream Downtown

Dream Downtown pays homage to its storied past as the former National Maritime Union headquarters while embodying the vibrant energy of modern New York City. From the moment guests enter the hotel, they are immersed in an atmosphere unlike any other. A glass-bottom pool suspended above the lobby, dynamic social spaces, buzzing nightlife, innovative dining concepts, and 314 loft-style guest rooms and suites create an experience that is both unexpected and unforgettable.

As much a place to play as it is to stay, Dream Downtown attracts travelers seeking the best of New York City. Our guests expect exceptional service, authentic experiences, and genuine connections. Our colleagues deliver all of that while having fun, embracing creativity, and bringing energy to every interaction.

If you are a high-performing hospitality leader who thrives in a fast-paced luxury lifestyle environment, enjoys developing talent, driving revenue, and creating unforgettable guest experiences, this is the opportunity for you.

Position Overview

The Director of Front Office is responsible for leading all aspects of Front Office operations, including Front Desk, Guest Services, Uniformed Services, Concierge, Reservations, and Pool Attendant operations. Reporting directly to the Director of Operations, this role serves as the strategic leader of the hotel's arrival, stay, and departure experience while driving operational excellence, financial performance, and colleague engagement.

This role is responsible for elevating the guest experience to the highest level by ensuring every leader and colleague within the department consistently performs to established service standards and expectations. The Director of Front Office develops a culture where hospitality is personalized, authentic, memorable, and distinctly New York.

Beyond traditional guest service leadership, this position is responsible for training and empowering teams to curate personalized micro-local experiences that connect travelers to the culture, neighborhoods, dining, entertainment, arts, wellness, and hidden gems that make New York City one of the world's most sought-after destinations.

The Director of Front Office is also a key business leader responsible for revenue optimization, room inventory management, upselling performance, forecasting, labor management, and operational collaboration. Through partnership with Revenue Management, Housekeeping, Engineering, Security, Food & Beverage, Sales, and Accounting, this role ensures the hotel achieves a perfect sell strategy while maximizing room revenue opportunities and enhancing the overall guest journey.

Key Responsibilities

Guest Experience Leadership

• Lead all Front Office operations to ensure exceptional guest service standards, and consistent execution of the Dream Downtown guest experience.
• Drive guest satisfaction, reputation management, audit performance, and service recovery initiatives.
• Personally oversee VIP arrivals, special requests, celebrity guests, group arrivals, and elevated guest experiences.
• Respond to guest concerns, complaints, accidents, and service opportunities in a timely, professional, and empathetic manner.
• Establish a culture where every guest interaction is personalized, meaningful, and memorable.
• Ensure seamless communication and coordination between all operational departments throughout the guest journey.
• Champion the hotel's philosophy of service and ensure consistent execution across all Front Office functions.

Local Experience & Destination Programming

• Develop and implement strategies that position Front Office colleagues as ambassadors of New York City.
• Train and coach Front Office leaders and colleagues to curate personalized micro-local experiences tailored to individual guest interests.
• Ensure team members confidently recommend dining, culture, arts, nightlife, wellness, shopping, entertainment, and neighborhood experiences.
• Create partnerships and destination knowledge programs that enable colleagues to provide authentic local recommendations.
• Inspire teams to transform routine guest interactions into memorable experiences that drive guest loyalty and return visits.
• Establish destination expertise as a core competency within the Front Office team.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead, mentor, coach, and develop Assistant Front Office Managers, Front Office Managers, Guest Service Managers and hourly colleagues.
• Build a culture of accountability, engagement, empowerment, and high performance.
• Conduct interviews, hiring, onboarding, and succession planning activities.
• Provide ongoing coaching, performance management, and career development opportunities.
• Hold leaders accountable for achieving operational goals, service standards, and financial objectives.
• Conduct regular leadership meetings and departmental communication sessions.
• Foster an environment where colleagues can have fun, be themselves, and perform at their highest potential.

Revenue Optimization & Financial Performance

• Maximize room revenue, ADR, occupancy, and upsell performance through strategic inventory management.
• Partner closely with Revenue Management to execute effective sell strategies and maximize hotel profitability.
• Drive room upgrade conversion and premium room category sales.
• Participate in daily selling strategy meetings and revenue discussions.
• Ensure no-show, cancellation, and billing revenues are accurately captured.
• Monitor labor costs, scheduling efficiency, and departmental productivity.
• Assist in preparing budgets, forecasts, payroll controls, and financial reporting.

Operations Management

• Oversee Front Desk, Concierge, Guest Services, Uniformed Services and Pool Operations.
• Ensure proper execution of all Dream Downtown policies, procedures, and operating standards.
• Develop, update, and implement departmental Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Review Front Office logs, Night Audit reports, guest requests, and operational reports daily.
• Monitor package handling, key control, lost and found, cash handling, inventory controls, and departmental supplies.
• Maintain operational readiness and ensure all systems and technology function effectively.
• Ensure completion of daily MOD responsibilities and operational checklists.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Maintain strong working relationships with Housekeeping, Revenue Management, Engineering, Security, Sales, Food & Beverage, Accounting, and Human Resources.
• Collaborate across departments to identify opportunities to improve efficiency, guest satisfaction, and revenue performance.
• Participate in Rooms Division and operational leadership meetings.
• Serve as a key contributor to overall hotel strategy and performance initiatives.

Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure adherence to company policies, financial controls, and operational standards.
• Oversee credit policy compliance and front office cash-handling procedures.
• Manage incident reporting, guest investigations, and risk mitigation efforts.
• Partner with Security and Human Resources on workplace safety and employee relations matters.
• Maintain confidentiality of guest, colleague, and business information.

Success Factors

The ideal candidate is:

• An inspirational leader who develops future hospitality professionals.
• Passionate about creating world-class guest experiences.
• A strategic thinker who understands both luxury hospitality and commercial performance.
• Obsessed with service excellence and continuous improvement.
• Skilled at driving revenue while maintaining an exceptional guest experience.
• Knowledgeable about New York City and passionate about sharing its unique character with visitors.
• Highly collaborative and capable of building strong cross-functional partnerships.
• Visible, approachable, and engaged with both guests and colleagues.
• Someone who believes that hospitality should be fun, energetic, and unforgettable.

Why Join Dream Downtown?

At Dream Downtown, we believe exceptional guest experiences start with exceptional leaders. As Director of Front Office, you'll have the opportunity to shape the guest journey, develop top hospitality talent, drive revenue performance, and create a culture where service excellence and fun coexist. If you're ready to lead one of New York Cit