Guest Services Associate

Location: The Elmwood (Waterville, Maine) Hours: Year-round, part time or full time. Weekend and Holidays required. Pay Rate: $16 - $19 an hour depending on experience. Experience: Experience in a customer service field is preferred, but not required. The Elmwood, a newly renovated motel property located on Kennedy Memorial Drive, is seeking Guest Services Associates to join our team and assist in opening and managing the property. We're looking for good listeners who love being active and staying on your feet, working evenings, weekends, and holidays. Show us your drive, presence and love of perfection by sending us your resume to work as a Guest Service Agent! Position includes processing arrivals, departures, reservations, administrative, concierge work, cleaning, and caring for appearance/design. Experience in customer service, reception desk, or restaurant/hospitality front-of-house preferred. Some weekends and holidays required. JOB DESCRIPTION: Guest Service Associates are responsible for the critical first impression our guests have of our properties. Guest Service Associates demonstrate exceptional hospitality in an attentive, friendly, and efficient manner going above-and-beyond to ensure that guest experiences will be worth remembering. The key service roles begin with greeting guests and ends in delivering a departure experience that makes a guest want to be a return customer. This position requires an outgoing, enthusiastic personality, strong attention to detail, and the ability to work without constant direct supervision. SUMMARY OF ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS: Maintain a neat and professional appearance in accordance with property standards. Welcome and acknowledge each and every guest with a smile, eye contact, and a friendly verbal greeting, using the guest's name when possible. Register and orient arriving guests according to property standards. Be knowledgeable about the property, its programs, amenities and experiences. Have a working knowledge of properties phone and other communication systems. Answer telephone calls with a pleasant demeanor according to property etiquette, listening carefully to guest requests, and clearly taking, dating, distributing or filing notes as needed. Be knowledgeable of your role in the properties reservations process. Serve as concierge, sharing knowledge of the area surrounding your property suggesting activities and recreation, dining options, and assisting with ground transportation and local driving directions. Continually build rapport with property guests. Engage guests in conversation at the desk and when you encounter them around the property. Actively listen to and respond positively to guest questions, concerns, and requests. Anticipate guest service needs. Proactively approach guests needing service or assistance. Manage and resolve all guest complaints (and compliments) in a professional and courteous manner, maintaining composure under pressure, allowing guests to speak first and then providing solutions to their issues or concerns. Follow through to ensure guest satisfaction with the resolution. Know who to call upon if you cannot solve a guests problem. Work with colleagues to ensure that guests needs are continually met. Maintain an efficient and effective flow of information with guests and all internal departments. Record any special guest needs reported, making notes for future visits according to property specifications. Maintain accurate guest accounts and folios, house banks, deposits, petty cash and cash drawers according to property specifications. Understand cash reporting requirements. Be fully knowledgeable about how to post to and maintain guest folios according to property specifications. Must have computer skills sufficient to meet property system needs which may include Microsoft Word, Xcel, database operations, point of sale and property management systems. Process guest check-outs and collect and process payments with efficiency. Be able to explain everything on a guest folio and be able to make corrections as needed. Thank guests with genuine appreciation and bid them a fond farewell at departure. Be responsible for security of any room or supply closet keys, as well as for respecting the confidential nature of some front desk correspondence, transactions, and activities. Be knowledgeable of property specific safety and security procedures. Deliver messages, faxes, packages to guests in a timely manner. Perform light housekeeping duties to ensure that the appearance of front desk and lobby areas is according to property specifications. Label all lost and found items according to property procedures. Know who to notify in case of broken equipment or unsafe/unsanitary conditions. Manually handle/lift/carry product up to 50 pounds between knee and shoulders. Must have bilateral fine manipulation of both hands which may be repetitive for entire shift. May be vertically mobile for entire shift. Protect the assets of this property and management group. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS: Must be eligible to work in the United States of America. Must be at least 18 years of age. Ability to communicate in English, both orally and written, with guests and employees, some of whom will require high levels of patience, tact and diplomacy. Ability to work with computers. Ability to work as a part of a team. Ability to understand verbal and written directions, as well as workplace safety signage. Active listening and observation skills. Ability to work under pressure and deal with deadlines and stressful situations.