Director of Operations - Embassy Suites by Hilton Birmingham

Position Summary

The Director of Operations provides senior leadership for hotel operations with primary oversight of Front Office, Housekeeping, Guest Services, and Food & Beverage operations, including Embassy Suites’ Made-to-Order Breakfast and Evening Reception. This role partners closely with the General Manager to ensure seamless hotel performance and serves as the primary operational leader during periods when executive oversight is required.

The Director of Operations is responsible for driving guest satisfaction, operational excellence, financial performance, and team engagement through visible leadership, cross-functional coordination, cross-department collaboration, and disciplined execution.

Key Responsibilities

Hotel & Operational Leadership

• Provide senior operational leadership across the hotel, ensuring continuity of operations and consistent decision-making

• Direct and coordinate the activities of key guest-facing departments to deliver an outstanding guest experience

• Serve as the escalation point for complex guest, operational, and team member matters

• Lead executive-level initiatives, operational priorities, and special projects as assigned

• Ensure full compliance with Hilton, Embassy Suites, ownership, and regulatory standards

• Maintain strong communication with department leaders to align performance, expectations, and priorities

• Own and drive the hotel’s Stay Experience and Guest Experience initiatives, ensuring consistent execution across all departments and guest touchpoints throughout the arrival, stay, and departure journey in conjunction with Stay Score, drive the Hilton Customer Promise

   

Front Office & Rooms Operations

• Oversee all Front Office and guest services operations including check-in/check-out, room inventory, availability, and system utilization

• Monitor all rooms-related systems and procedures that impact the guest experience

• Ensure reservation, housekeeping coordination, and room readiness standards are consistently met

• Oversee VIP and group arrival processes, amenities, special requests, and service delivery

• Review daily operational and financial reports, analyze trends, and implement corrective actions

• Lead service recovery efforts to resolve guest concerns and protect brand loyalty

• Drive upselling and revenue-enhancement initiatives

• Adopt and champion Hilton’s Travel with Purpose platform, ensuring responsible business practices, environmental stewardship, and community engagement are integrated into hotel operations and decision-making

Housekeeping Operations

• Provide oversight and strategic direction for housekeeping operations in partnership with the Housekeeping Manager

• Ensure cleanliness, service, and product quality standards are consistently achieved for guest rooms, public areas, restrooms, offices, and meeting/banquet spaces in accordance with federal, state, local, and company health, sanitation, and safety standards

• Partner with the Housekeeping Manager to:

  • Establish operational priorities and performance expectations

  • Support systems use and management

  • Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and inventory control

  • Ensure policy and procedure implementation and compliance

• Review operational performance, productivity, guest feedback, and quality scores; provide guidance and corrective action as needed

• Support the development of the housekeeping leadership team through coaching, mentoring, and performance management

• Collaborate on recruitment, training, evaluations, recognition, and corrective action for housekeeping leadership roles

• Ensure proper usage, storage, and labeling of chemicals and cleaning supplies through training oversight and compliance monitoring

• Partner with Property Operations and other departments on rehabilitation, renovation, and capital improvement projects, ensuring minimal operational disruption

Food & Beverage Operations

• Provide operational oversight and leadership of Food & Beverage functions with emphasis on:

  • Made-to-Order Breakfast

  • Evening Reception

• Ensure consistent food quality, service standards, and brand compliance

• Manage labor, scheduling, inventory control, and expenses within approved budgets

• Ensure compliance with health, safety, sanitation, and alcohol awareness standards

• Conduct routine inspections of food and beverage operations

• Utilize guest feedback and performance data to drive continuous improvement

Team Member Leadership & Culture

• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing team members and department leaders

• Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, recognition, and corrective action as appropriate

• Promote collaboration, accountability, and a positive work environment

• Ensure completion and documentation of all required Hilton and brand training programs

• Lead by example through visible, hands-on operational involvement

 Financial & Performance Accountability

• Support hotel financial performance through effective labor management, cost control, and operational efficiency

• Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and performance review processes

• Analyze operational data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement

• Partner with department leaders to achieve guest satisfaction, quality, and profitability goals

• Analyzes monthly statement of operations and prepares written comments regarding the monthly statement of operations for the General Manager’s review.

• Monitor and analyze guest experience data, satisfaction scores, and Stay Experience metrics; partner with department leaders to implement targeted improvement plans

• Partner with department leaders to support sustainability initiatives, waste reduction, energy efficiency, and community engagement efforts aligned with Travel with Purpose goals