Hotel Café Royal enjoys an unrivalled setting on Regent Street where the elegance of Mayfair, energy of Soho and sophistication of St. James combine. It's where history, culture, business and the stage are just steps away. That's one reason why, for 150 years, people who make a difference have made their way through these doors. For Oscar Wilde and Muhammad Ali, Winston Churchill and David Bowie, David Chipperfield and Albert Adri, Hotel Café Royal has always been the vibrant living room of London, the place to convene, converse and celebrate. Our serene rooms and suites have been created in a modern and sophisticated style characterised by a refined simplicity touched with grand classical features in stone and copper. The overall effect of the hotels 159 guestrooms and suites, including seven signature suites that echo the glories of Café Royals past, is calm, assured and distinctive. A great opportunity has arisen for a passionate and exceptional Deputy Head of Events & Groups to join and help lead our energetic Events & Groups team. Your role: As our Deputy Head of Events & Groups your role is to work closely with the Head/Regional Director of Events & Groups to lead and inspire your team in promoting our hotel event facilities and services in the most engaging and informative way to our domestic and international clientele and business partners. Passion to provide a personalised guest experience, strong selling skills, deep product knowledge combined with knowledge of the latest trends in the London Events scene, along with passion and confidence in selling and planning large and complex events are required trademarks for this position to successfully master the elegant delivery of our products and services. Working as part of a larger management team, with some direct reports, you will demonstrate a flexible and adaptive hands-on approach in order to empower and guide a dedicated team to deliver a consistently high standard of booking and event management services to our guests. You will oversee a range of yield and revenue duties including the management of the hotels events inventory and youll also be passionate about food and drink, with an exceptional knowledge in food, wine and beverages. In collaboration with the Head/Regional Director, Events & Groups, you will be required to implement and execute strategies to maximise revenue, set rates and manage event inventory in line with hotel forecast and budget. Your profile: As a true hospitality professional, you will be well versed in Events sales , planning and operations and have the finesse to execute a range of services with both personality and style. Possessing distinct leadership qualities to provide a credible and consistent role model, you will be passionate about excellence in service standards to develop and coach a team skilled in anticipating guest needs and exceeding expectations. You will have 6+ years in a proven background in a similar role, ideally gained within a luxury hospitality environment, with both strong selling and planning experience. Your communication skills will be exceptional with the ability and confidence to build strong working relationships at all levels of the business and to connect and converse effectively with guests visiting us from all over the world. Core Expectations: Respond same business day to incoming enquiries via phone, email, third party agencies, and in-person Possess and exude knowledge of the Hotel and its offerings and how the clients event will best be organised within its spaces Strong understanding of departments revenue goals and how to quote and negotiate based on the departmental strategy Maintain a fluid understanding of how to best negotiate keeping the clients and Hotels best interests in mind Quick conversion of event only bookings, and assist in conversion of ancillary Hotel requests, including bedrooms (less than 10) and F&B outlets, to appropriate level as set out by department and in accordance with departmental budget Manage group (minimum 10 bedrooms per night) bookings including or excluding event space, suite events and events only bookings, juggling and fulfilling requests and demands from various markets Intuitively guide client through event/group planning process with information and deadlines to extract required detail for Hotels execution Maintain a high level of detail in all data entry (including rooming lists, Salesforce), paperwork (BEOs, estimates, resumes/memos) and documentation according to Hotel standards Communicate with the Hotel departments appropriate to the requests and demands of the client while staying within Hotel guidelines to enhance the guest experience through thoughtful and personal touches Own complete billing cycle for clients from deposits to estimates to final invoicing with accuracy and timeliness and consistently maintain a Represent the Hotel and brand at an appropriate level while being a brand ambassador at networking events inside and outside the Hotel Be a team player, supporting both departmental peers and Hotel-wide employees Maintain timeliness and attendance while balancing appointments and networking/entertaining commitments Key Expectations: Focus and own large scale and VIP enquiries, including corporate and private events as well as Hotel-sponsored events, as dictated by the business from negotiation to contracting to execution (handover) Account Manage repeat business through client entertainment and gaining thorough knowledge of clients event cycle and expectations Represent and lead department at various internal meetings and communicate accordingly post-meeting to ensure clarity for all requests Partner with Culinary and Event Operations leadership to successfully identify needs between teams and to support strengthening of execution and experience Prepare departmental forecasts and learn about monthly P&L and annual budget to strengthen knowledge and understanding in financial areas, including introduction to SmartSpace system and dynamic pricing structure Act as an example to the team regarding all internal processes and procedures and support in teams understanding and development of any implemented changes, including creation &/or revision of P&Ps Mentor coordinator/executive colleagues with bi-monthly meetings to advise on progression, support on challenges, monitor attendance and grooming, discipline accordingly and perform reviews Support Head/Regional Director of Events & Groups with ad hoc requests as necessary, including interviews for future team members Act as interim and lead office responsibilities in lieu of Head/Regional Director of Events & Groups Benefits: Competitive salary including service charge Access to heavily discounted friends and family rooms rates at Hotel Café Royal Two complimentary rooms nights per year (after 1 year of employment) Up to 50% colleagues discount in all our food and beverage outlets Colleague wellness sessions in our Akasha spa each month including osteopath, podiatrist, yoga and fitness classes (as well as staff discounts on spa treatments) Regular social events, including our infamous Summer Party and Black-Tie Annual Awards dinner (Q1) Christmas celebrations, including colleague lunch, childrens party and Christmas gift Automatic membership of the companys life assurance scheme from day one Generous discounts on retail and dining in Central London through the West End Club app Mental health support including Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and mental health champions in all departments A variety of external benefits including gym discounts and free eye tests Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loan A wide range of both internal and external training and development programmes to support all of our colleagues career progression The usual bits and bobs such as free meals on duty, uniform laundry, pension & holiday

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