Director of Guest Experience

Key Responsibilities:

Ritz-Carlton Culture & Gold Standards Leadership

• Serve as the property's primary custodian and ambassador of The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards.
• Lead the implementation, education, reinforcement, and continual evolution of the Credo, Employee Promise, Motto, Service Values, and Three Steps of Service.
• Ensure daily line-ups are facilitated and embedded, to grow service culture initiatives, and guest experience workshops across all departments.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive luxury service education strategy for Ladies and Gentlemen at all levels.
• Champion a culture of empowerment, personalization, and anticipatory service.
• Drive engagement around service excellence through recognition, storytelling, and best-practice sharing.

Guest Experience Strategy

• Develop and implement the hotel's luxury guest experience vision and standards.
• Create meaningful and memorable experiences that differentiate The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne within the luxury market.
• Identify opportunities to elevate guest touchpoints across all stages of the guest journey.
• Work with quality & Learning Specialist on guest feedback, satisfaction metrics, social media commentary, and quality assurance results to identify trends and opportunities.
• Lead service recovery strategies and ensure effective and timely resolution of guest concerns.
• Partner with operational leaders to continuously improve guest satisfaction and loyalty scores.

Operational Leadership

Provide direct leadership and oversight to:

• Guest Relations
• Club Lounge
• Concierge
• The Ritz-Carlton Spa

Responsibilities include:

• Building high-performing teams focused on exceptional luxury service delivery.
• Establishing clear service standards and performance expectations.
• Developing succession plans and leadership capability within each department.
• Ensuring service consistency and operational excellence across all guest-facing teams.
• Managing departmental budgets, workforce planning, and productivity targets.

Luxury Experience Oversight

• Oversee all VIP, Celebrity, Group VIP and bespoke guest experiences.
• Ensure personalization strategies are effectively executed across every guest segment.
• Lead the planning and execution of special guest moments, celebrations, and unique experiences.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration to ensure seamless guest journeys.
• Maintain visibility within public areas and engage directly with guests to build relationships and gather feedback.

Luxury Experience Collaboration

While not holding direct operational management accountability for the property Food & Beverage venues, the Director of Guest Experience will:

• Partner closely with F&B leadership to elevate luxury service delivery within all Level 80 experiences.
• Influence service culture, guest engagement, personalization, and luxury standards within the venue.
• Coach leaders and teams on Ritz-Carlton service philosophy and luxury hospitality behaviours.
• Identify opportunities to enhance the guest experience across dining, lounge, event, and special occasion experiences.
• Ensure consistency of Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards throughout all guest touchpoints on Level 80.

Talent Development & Capability Building

• Develop future luxury hospitality leaders through coaching, mentoring, and structured development programs.
• Design and deliver guest experience and service excellence training initiatives.
• Foster a culture of continuous learning and professional growth.
• Partner with Human Resources to strengthen luxury service competencies and onboarding programs.
• Support leadership development and succession planning across guest-facing departments.

Quality & Performance Management

• Monitor guest satisfaction scores, loyalty feedback, quality assurance audits, and reputation metrics.
• Develop and execute action plans to address opportunities and celebrate successes.
• Ensure compliance with Marriott International and Ritz-Carlton brand standards.

About You:

• Deep understanding of luxury hospitality and personalized service delivery.
• Thorough knowledge of The Ritz-Carlton Gold Standards and service philosophy.
• Outstanding leadership, coaching, and influencing capabilities.
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to inspire cultural change and drive employee engagement.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Expertise in guest recovery and relationship management.
• Commercial awareness and strategic thinking capability.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple departments and stakeholder groups