General Manager - 4-Star Hotel, Lusaka

About the role

A 4-star hotel in Lusaka is looking for a General Manager to provide overall strategic and operational leadership. The GM leads the hotel's departments, drives revenue growth and profitability, and ensures the property meets 4-star standards.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and implement the annual business plan, operating strategy and departmental objectives, and lead the preparation of budgets, forecasts and business plans.
• Drive revenue growth through room occupancy, ADR and RevPAR, and work with Sales, Marketing and Reservations on corporate, leisure, conference and events business.
• Monitor financial indicators such as GOP, EBITDA, departmental profitability, payroll and cash flow, and review monthly management accounts.
• Manage operating expenses, procurement, inventory and working capital, and work with Finance on credit management and revenue collection.
• Lead the Heads of Department and ensure coordination across Front Office, Housekeeping, F&B, Kitchen, Finance, Sales & Marketing, HR, Engineering and Security.
• Champion guest service appropriate to 4-star positioning, resolve complaints promptly and drive improvements in guest satisfaction and online reputation.
• Ensure restaurants, bars, banqueting, conferences and events meet quality and profitability standards, and grow catering opportunities.
• Oversee staffing, performance assessment, training, succession planning and compliance with labour legislation.
• Maintain the property to 4-star standards, oversee preventive maintenance, utilities, energy and water conservation, and ensure compliance with health, safety, fire, food hygiene and environmental requirements.
• Prepare monthly performance reports and present them at management and Board meetings, and report accurately to the Operations Director – Offshore.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Hotel Management or a related discipline; an MBA or professional management qualification is an advantage.
• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive management experience in hospitality, with substantial senior management experience.
• At least 3-5 years as a Hotel General Manager, Deputy General Manager, Hotel Manager or Operations Manager.
• Demonstrable experience in a 4-star or 5-star hotel environment.
• Strong experience in hotel operations, financial management, revenue management, sales and business development.
• Sound knowledge of hotel systems, PMS and revenue management systems; knowledge of the Zambian hospitality market is an advantage.