Our client, is one of South Africa’s oldest working farms, strategically located in the heart of Stellenbosch Winelands. We have an opportunity for an experienced Hotel Duty Manager to join our client’s team.

Position Scope

The Hotel Duty Manager is a newly established operational leadership role created to strengthen day-to-day execution, cross-departmental coordination, and visible management presence on the floor. Reporting to the Hotel Manager, the role supports both the Rooms Division Manager and Executive Chef by acting as the operational link between these departments and helping ensure the smooth running of the hotel during live service periods. The Duty Manager serves as a key operational anchor during live service periods, enabling seamless collaboration between Rooms Division, Food and Beverage and all other departments.

Core Responsibilities

Operational Coordination & On Duty Oversight: 

• Act as the primary operational link between Rooms Division and Food & Beverage during assigned shifts to delivery Everyday Excellence to our Guests and Team
• Provide on-duty operational support to the Rooms Division Manager and Executive Chef
• Coordinate operational activities across departments to maintain service continuity and guest satisfaction
• Maintain real-time oversight of arrivals, departures, VIP guests, restaurant reservations, events, and outlet capacity
• Communicate operational updates and priorities to relevant teams to support alignment during shifts
• Coordinate handover between shifts to maintain continuity of operations
• Conduct regular walkthroughs of all guest-facing and operational areas to identify early action points and support proactive maintenance of the guest experience

Guest Experience & Service Recovery: 

• Act as the senior point of contact for guest engagement during shifts
• Coordinate the guest experience across all services to ensure seamless delivery throughout the guest journey
• Engage with guests during their stay to identify needs and enhance the overall experience
• Resolve guest complaints, feedback and escalations with professionalism, empathy, and urgency to achieve positive outcomes and protect the hotel’s reputation
• Implement and follow through on service recovery actions in collaboration with relevant departments

Leadership Support & Collaboration: 

• Act as the visible management presence on duty in support of departmental leaders
• Provide guidance to operational staff during shifts to maintain service standards
• Support resolution of team-related issues to maintain productivity and morale
• Promote a collaborative working environment to support effective service delivery
• Reinforce service standards, SOPs and operational priorities
• Support Heads of Department through coordination, communication and real-time problem solving 

Decision-Making Authority & Escalation: 

• Make operational decisions during assigned shifts to maintain service continuity, guest satisfaction, and safety, within approved hotel policies, procedures, and service standards
• Resolve routine on-shift issues in real time and coordinate appropriate service recovery with the relevant departments
• Escalate matters involving significant financial impact, serious guest dissatisfaction, employee relations concerns, safety incidents, reputational risk, or exceptions to policy to the Hotel Manager or relevant Head of Department
• Document key decisions, incidents, guest recovery actions, and escalations in the shift handover to ensure accountability and operational continuity

Role Development: 

• Contribute actively to the development and refinement of the Duty Manager role
• Monitor service delivery to identify improvement opportunities and support continuous enhancement
• Identify operational and administrative gaps, risks, or inefficiencies, and propose practical improvements
• Support cost-control initiatives during shifts by monitoring operational usage, avoiding unnecessary wastage and escalating cost-related concerns where appropriate
• Support the Hotel Manager in embedding this role into the hotel’s leadership structure

Health, Safety & Compliance: 

• Act as the main point of contact during shifts for compliance, risk and operational incidents, escalating matters to the appropriate manager where required
• Support compliance with all health, safety, hygiene, company policy, and operational procedure requirements
• Apply safety, security, and emergency procedures to protect guests, staff, and assets
• Respond appropriately to incidents and emergencies, report incidents and risks to management, and support corrective action

Experience, Qualification & Skill

• Minimum 4 years’ experience in a Duty Manager or supervisory role within a luxury 5-star hotel or similar hospitality environment, with proven exposure to Front Office, Housekeeping, Food and Beverage, Guest Relations, Service Recovery, and operational coordination
• Strong operational understanding of Rooms Division and Food and Beverage operations
• Proven leadership, organisational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to train, mentor and motivate a team
• Guest-focused approach, with the ability to anticipate guest needs and create personalised, high-quality guest experiences
• Warm, engaging, and professional communication style, with exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Calm, solutions-driven approach with sound judgement and resilience when working under pressure
• Strong sense of professionalism, discretion, and accountability
• Proactive and resourceful, with the ability to anticipate challenges, resolve issues and make sound operational decisions
• Experience with Opera, HubSpot and Dineplan
• Commitment to sustainability, authenticity, and the values
• Own reliable transport
• Flexibility to work shifts, weekends, and public holidays

Start date:

Priority Position

Remuneration Guide:

Competitive CTC

Consideration

Candidates, who are already residing in the Cape Winelands Region will have preference. We can only consider South African Citizens or applicants who hold a valid South African Permanent Residence! No Work Permit applications will be accepted! Applicants, who live in other provinces of South Africa still need to attend personal interviews and if requested to do any cook-offs, will do so completely at their own expense. We handle high volumes of applications daily and will only be able to reply, via e-mail, to candidates who have met our clients’ requirements.

Due to the high volume of CV’s received, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

All applications submitted must contain:

• Updated CV with contactable references
• Certified Tertiary Educational documents
• Certified Written Reference Letters
• Recent presentable profile photo

How to apply

Email us at info@pmrecruitment.co.za

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