Manager Franchise Operations Central Europe

Salary Details

Salary Description: Competetive Salary Offered

Job Description For Manager Franchise Operations Central Europe

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is now seeking a Manager Franchise Operations Central Europe to join our team in Berlin, Germany.

Job Summary

The Manager Franchise Operations Central Europe will be responsible for the overall performance of their portfolio of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (WHR) franchised hotels within the DACH region and will be required to establish, support, maximise and maintain relationships with both existing and new franchisees/ owners and General Managers (GMs), in order to drive overall performance, i.e. contribution, revenue opportunity, quality and guest service measures, operational excellence, compliance and brand engagement. They will help manage critical relationships with key stakeholders, for example hotel ownership companies and General Managers, the success of which will have a fundamental influence on the company's balance sheet. They will add value in respect to both operating hotels and new opening/ conversion hotels according to brand standards as early as possible, quality, brand engagement, revenue management, service and financial measures. This person will engage with the franchisee community throughout their designated territory to maintain the service, quality and consistency of approach required by our brands while enhancing overall performance of the hotels. They will be responsible for operational support and will be required to document and deliver a strategic plan for the support, enhanced performance and ongoing retention of the hotels within their remit, acting as an ambassador for WHR and each of its brands, as well as being a consultant to each individual property.The Manager will act as an ambassador for the organisation and the key point of contact for critical clients within the region.

Responsibilities

Performance, contribution and operational excellence

Plan, execute and track a strategic cycle of active support with franchisees, owners and hotel GMs in the region by means of on-site visits, cluster meetings and remote contact. This will include the execution of detailed visits with agendas, the production of subsequent reports, projections, action plans and meeting minutes to be documented in our internal system 'Salesforce' and distributed as necessary. Key areas of focus and measurement will be accounts receivable, revenue opportunities, quality and guest service as measured by QA audits as well as commercial performance tracking and utilising the Brand Engagement Scorecard to optimise performance and engagement. This will also include activities not only focused on achieving operational excellence but also hotel retention, particularly at risk hotels.

Pre-opening and opening process

In conjunction with the Director Franchise Operations (DFO), the Training Officer and the New Openings Manager, deliver the necessary processes to ensure a smooth pre-opening and opening. This will include the execution of the pre-opening visits, including delivery and coordination of all required standards and that these are fully met to open and operate as a branded hotel within the Wyndham family. This will also include all matters related to brand operations as well as fire life safety, insurance and compliance. The Manager will collaborate with internal Wyndham colleagues to ensure that all property teams have received the Wyndham welcome training before the opening date and all opening requirements have been verified and opening certificates have been delivered. They will be a subject matter expert in the essence and elements of all of the WHR brands in order to be able to protect them in the marketplace.

Brand engagement tools and systems

Facilitate the roll-out of all Wyndham brand initiatives or operating procedures, including training, operations standards, sales, revenue and marketing, and ensure that these are in line with the overall strategic plan for both the Operations function and WHR as a whole. Most significant points of contact will be with Operations Support, Sales & Marketing, Loyalty Marketing, Revenue and Learning & Development teams to ensure that hotels receive and implement the tools and programmes needed in the respective marketplace.The Manager will actively suggest initiatives and solutions, and initiate engagement at the hotel level for corporate driven schemes, initiatives and programmes.

Account/ stakeholder management

Answer inbound inquiries and requests from GMs/ franchisees across all areas of hotel operations and performance, e.g. revenue management, operations, new initiatives and standards. Continuously align with GMs/ franchisees to support development of the franchisee/ owner relationship and debrief from franchisees/ owners, and/ or prioritised hotel interactions.

Hotel business review meetings (BRMs)
Lead regular hotel business review meetings with each hotel to discuss individual hotel performance, set performance goals and develop a strategic plan for the year. These will be based on a needs analysis at the hotel level. The purpose of these meetings will be to enhance overall performance, contribution and return on investment. The Manager will also implement measures for feedback and measurement of the impact of these activities.

Complexity

The Manager will have a broad liaison throughout the organisation and externally at all levels and functions, and will therefore forge and nurture strong relationships with decision makers within the franchise community as well as internally. They will be required to visit each franchised hotel regularly and tour the entire hotel, front of house and heart of house, giving general operational and brand specific advice and guidance whilst exercising a level of influence within this group. They will work with some autonomy and therefore be required to refer upwards any critical decisions to be made on behalf of the business. A level of proactivity and autonomous working is required due to the dispersed nature of the primary client base. They will act as an ambassador for all Wyndham departments as part of a unified team, and will be able to identify and access the necessary resources to make consultative recommendations. They will be the first point of contact for key stakeholders and their teams, and therefore play an integral part in strengthening the company's value proposition with the franchised community.

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) Responsibility

As part of the Regional Operations team, the Manager's activity has an impact on the company's revenue generation along with support from their functional specialist colleagues, and therefore contributes to the overall revenue performance of WHR. Quantifiable measurement will be based on comparison of year on year results in the following key performance indicators:

• RevPar Growth
• Royalty fees Income
• Level of outstanding debt amounts
• Satisfaction surveys from franchisees
• Brand engagement
• QA and guest satisfaction results
• Wyndham Rewards enrolments
• Property retention

They will measure these regularly for each of the hotels within their territory and will themselves be measured on moving these constantly upward. In particular, they will have a level of responsibility for the collection and recovery of aged debt and therefore the impact of this on the company's cash flow.

Abilities/ Key Competencies/ Skills

Alongside the professional competencies outlined below, the successful candidate will demonstrate the fundamentals of Wyndham's Count on Me! Service Culture to be Responsive, Respectful and Deliver a Great Experience. This will form the cornerstone of their approach as they carry out all tasks with the Count on Me! Building Blocks in mind;
Compassionate, Engaged, Dependable, Courteous, Engaged, Inclusive, Hospitable, Prepared and Personalised.

Relationships:Initiates, builds and maintains lasting professional relations based on mutual respect and understanding. Several touchpoints with franchisees and GMs of each individual hotel during the year, including visits, conference calls, direct calls, cluster meetings, trainings, business review meetings etc.

Detail Focus:Demonstrates the ability to achieve thoroughness and accuracy when accomplishing a task.

Problem solving:Takes an innovative approach to problem solving applying the best fit solution for the situation in hand.

Communication:Communicates clearly and effectively written and verbally. Fosters an open and honest communication style and has strong presentation skills.

Analysis:Able to read, analyse and summarise numerical or verbal data in order to assess a commercial situation and present a compelling business case based on real information. All this by protecting individual data and ensuring confidentiality.

Empathy:Able to consider, understand and empathise with the priorities and challenges of others.

Commercial and financial acumen:Demonstrates good knowledge in commercial and financial fundamentals, able to predict the impact of particular activities on the bottom line of the business.

Consultative:Makes purposeful observations and recommendations to create positive improvements and advances for the customer.

Customer service:Fosters a customer oriented approach, and is responsive and respectful in keeping with the fundamental concept of hospitality.

Flexibility:Adaptable and accepting of change, able to cope with an evolving business landscape applying the best fit solution to each unique situation.

Autonomy:Takes a planned and organised approach to their work and is able to work affectively without daily supervision.

Experience/ Certificates/ Education

• Qualified to degree level or equivalent, ideally within a hospitality or related discipline.
• Proven track record as a Hotel/ General Manager or functional regional Manager with full P&L responsibility.
• Fluency in written and spoken English and German is essential.
• Able to undertake regular national travel, including nights away from home.
• Must be able to travel regularly throughout the DACH region.
• Proven capability in strategic planning and commercial acumen.
• Proven experience in a multinational and multicultural business environment.
• Experience of a franchised environment would by an advantage.

COMPANY OVERVIEW:

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is the world's largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties with approximately 9,200 hotels across over 95 countries on six continents. Through our network of approximately 872,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the hospitality industry. Headquartered in Parsippany, N.J. with offices around the world in London, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, Dubai and more, Wyndham employs more than 2,000 corporate team members worldwide who are dedicated to the Company's mission of making hotel travel possible for all. Supporting thousands of franchisees and a growing global portfolio of 24 hotel brands-think household names like Wyndham, La Quinta, Ramada, Days Inn and Super 8-Wyndham team members are a widespread group of individuals with diverse interests and backgrounds. Our unique Count on Me culture, commitment to flexibility and core values of Integrity, Accountability, Inclusivity, Caring and Fun are just part of what continues to make Wyndham an award-winning best place to work.

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Employment Status: Full-time