Front Office Manager (M/F)

About the company

Nestled in the heart of nature, on the edge of Champagne and only 1.5 hours from Paris, the Château de Courcelles, a member of Relais & Châteaux since 1992, is an exceptional address. Our prestigious hotel-restaurant opened its doors more than 35 years ago, forming a privileged triangle with Soissons, Laon, and Reims.

Our authentic 17th-century Château houses a 4-star hotel with 20 rooms, inviting serenity within a 25-hectare park. Guests enjoy a warm and personalized welcome in an estate with several points of interest: a French Garden, forest, tennis court, and an outdoor swimming pool heated during the beautiful season.

La Table de Courcelles, the 1-star MICHELIN Guide gastronomic restaurant, is led by Chef Massimiliano Sena. Its cuisine is distinguished by its visual elegance and gustatory refinement, offering an experience rich in flavors and colors. The passion of the Chef and his brigade is combined with the use of local products to guarantee an exceptional moment.

Constantly evolving, the Château de Courcelles has recently enriched its offering with a vast Orangerie dedicated to private and professional events. Ambitious future projects are underway, including the opening of a local Brasserie, new rooms, a gym, and many other facilities.

The estate is brought to life by a team of 40 employees, young, dynamic, and professional, coming from diverse backgrounds. Their activity is varied, ranging from welcoming guests at the hotel and restaurant to organizing weddings, private receptions, and professional meetings, not to mention the complete privatization of the estate.

Your tasks

We are looking for a Front Office Manager (M/F) to strengthen the teams of this department and improve the quality of our standards. Reporting to the General Manager, you will ensure the management of the reception, the customer journey, as well as the reception team. Possessing an innate sense of service and a smile, you are naturally attentive to others and love making the guests' stay unforgettable.

• Supervise hotel and restaurant reservations, front and back office management
• Welcoming, following up, and building customer loyalty (implementing newsletters, private sales, etc., in collaboration with the Sales Department…)

• Ability to respond to special requests and organize tailor-made stays in collaboration with the Housekeeper
• Processing and monitoring debtors

• Control daily hotel & restaurant billing, collections, and reception cash reconciliations
• Implement and ensure the application of reception procedures

• Ensure the optimization of hotel turnover (upselling, sales of additional services…) and participate in the Yield Management strategy to guarantee hotel occupancy (upgrades, rate evolution, minimum stay…)
• Ability to read reports to anticipate activity and establish forecasts (TO, PM, revenue per room, etc.)

• Ability to handle customer complaints and manage e-reputation
• Competitive intelligence

• Knowledge of consortiums (Virtuoso, Serandipians, Amex Centurion, etc.), OTA, etc…
• Management of reception team schedules and participation in recruitment

• Organize information meetings and ensure effective communication of information within the team and with other managers
• Guarantee excellence and compliance with hotel standards, notably by ensuring compliance with Relais & Châteaux standards and the professional presentation of your team

• Daily coordination with other Department Heads

Requirements

Graduated from a hospitality training program, you have proven experience of more than 2 years in Reception. Initial experience as a Front Office Manager in luxury hospitality is appreciated, and experience in a Relais & Châteaux House is a plus.

• Fluent English is essential, a second language is appreciated,
• Good knowledge of IT tools (Office pack, "Mews" PMS software, Channel Manager…)

• Knowledge of "Yield Management" techniques
• Good team spirit and good interpersonal skills (concern for customer satisfaction, listening skills…)

• Excellent organizational and time management skills,
• Discretion and attention to detail

• Good team spirit and good interpersonal skills (concern for customer satisfaction, listening skills…)
• Dynamic and motivated

• Ability to synthesize and analyze
• Comfortable with numbers

• Ability to manage a team, to transmit knowledge, and to support them

What we offer

• Permanent contract (CDI)
• Supervisory staff contract / 43h
• The warm atmosphere of a family home, with the advantages of a global association such as Relais & Châteaux
• The beauty of the working environment: an authentic residence, a green setting
• Two consecutive days off, during the week and depending on activity
• Company meals for lunch and dinner depending on schedules
• Sharing of tips for the entire team, with generous clients
• Annual closure of 2 weeks in January
• A referral bonus for employees who sponsor future hired candidates
• A Social and Economic Committee to represent employees
• Access to Relais & Châteaux preferential rates, at the end of the trial period: €150 per night for two people, breakfast included, -25% on food and beverages.
• Access to preferential rates at the Château, at the end of the trial period: discount on our finest menus at the gastronomic restaurant, discount at the hotel, discount on gift vouchers…
• Annual staff evening, occasional events throughout the year, election of employee of the semester, snacks for staff children…
• Possible mobility within the Relais & Châteaux association

Other

This position is during continuous daytime hours.

Hotel and Restaurant open 7 days a week; presence is required on weekends.