General Manager - Hilton

An exciting opportunity for a General Manager at the highly anticipated opening of Hilton Accra Cantonments, this opening will mark the debut of Hilton’s first trading hotel in Ghana.

The Property

The hotel will be located in Cantonments, an upscale suburb which is home to multiple embassies and high commissions – including the US and French embassies which will be within walking distance of the property. Hilton Accra Cantonments will also be less than five kilometres from Kotoka International Airport, making it a convenient choice for international and domestic travellers alike.

For more than a century, Hilton Hotels & Resorts has set the benchmark for hospitality around the world. Once open, Hilton Accra Cantonments will bring this hospitality to life, featuring 145 guest rooms and a range of dining options including an all-day dining restaurant, a lobby lounge and a pool bar. In terms of leisure facilities, the hotel will offer a gym, spa, and outdoor swimming pool. In addition, it will have more than 900 square metres of event space including a ballroom, seven meeting rooms and an executive boardroom.

This exciting venture promises to elevate the hospitality experience in Ghana’s vibrant capital.

The Role

This exciting General Manager position will be responsible for managing the hotel, Hotel Management team, and hotel targets to deliver an excellent Guest and Team Member experience while managing profitability and meeting our Owner's expectations.

What will I be doing?

Specifically, you will be responsible for performing the following tasks to the highest standards:

• As 1st Hilton in the country, you and your team will build the reputation and activation of Hilton.
• Manage and lead the hotel opening and the ongoing operation.
• Manage ongoing profitability of the hotel, ensuring revenue, guest satisfaction and Team Member engagement goals are met and exceeded.
• Lead in all key property issues including capital projects, customer service, and refurbishment.
• Ensure all decisions are made in the best interest of the hotel, owner, and Hilton.
• Deliver achievable hotel budgets and set other short and long-term strategic goals for the property.
• Provide exceptional leadership to hotel Team Members focusing on Hilton culture and values.
• Lead in all aspects of business planning.
• Comply with Hilton Brand Service Standards.
• Ensure costs are controlled.
• Manage and develop the Hotel Executive team to ensure career progression and effective succession planning within Hilton.
• Hold regular briefings and communication meetings with the HOD team.
• Respond to audits to ensure continual improvement is achieved.

What are we looking for?

The ideal candidate will possess excellent leadership skills with a strong focus on Owner relations, Commercial and Operations, guest experience and Team Member engagement. Enthusiastic and passionate, you will have current experience as a General Manager within a similar quality hotel, a pioneering vision, with entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to deliver a strong Hilton entry within a competitive market and ideally with openings experience.

A General Manager serving Hilton brands is always working on behalf of our Guests and working with other Team Members. To successfully fill this role, you should maintain the attitude, behaviours, skills, and values that follow:

• Highly experienced General Manager
• Tier 1 City experience and multi-market experience, ideally in Africa
• Deep understanding of the commercial environment
• Deliver innovative commercial opportunities with experience in increasing profitability and the ability to deliver a strong Hilton entry within a competitive market
• Meticulous attention will be crucial
• Entrepreneurial combined with pragmatism
• Capability to assume responsibility and confidently lead hotel owners
• Strong operational knowledge from a people/leadership perspective – the GM needs to be “present” and lead from the front
• Exceptional people leadership and retention of talent – bring a team together on a journey and instilling the Hilton culture and values
• Passion for networking, being highly visible to foster networks and relationships
• Experience of delivering exceptional guest experience and driving SALT scores
• Outstanding communication abilities and a commanding presence
• Robust business insight, demonstrating proficiency in enhancing profitability, overseeing budgets, formulating revenue proposals, and forecasting outcomes within a property of comparable size
• In-depth knowledge of the hotel/leisure/service sector
• Degree or diploma in Hotel Management or equivalent
• Please note limited schooling is available