POSITION SUMMARY

Being a key member of the shipboard management team, the Guest Services Manager possesses a
dynamic outgoing demeanor with a passion for ‘Delivering the Wow’ through industry leading
service while demonstrating exemplary problem resolution skills. The Guest Services Manager
continually strives to exceed hospitality industry standards, while ensuring complete guest and
team satisfaction. This role establishes and drives a positive working environment and focuses on
operational goals where training, leadership, development, and recognizing overall team
performance are paramount. Leading by example and from the front of the house, the Guest
Services Manager is the ship’s driving advocate for delivering outstanding customer service to our
guests that goes above and beyond their expectations each and every time.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Royal Caribbean International expects each shipboard management team member to relentlessly
exemplify the principles of the Anchored in Excellence Credo to all team members. In addition, all
duties and responsibilities are to be performed in accordance with Royal Caribbean International’s
The Royal Way, SQM standards, USPH guidelines, environmental, and safety policies.
1. In accordance with Royal Caribbean International’s philosophy of Anchored in Excellence ,
each employee conducts oneself in a professional and courteous manner at all times. This
applies to physical and verbal interactions with guests or fellow shipboard employees
and/or in the presence of guest contact and crew areas.
2. Manages a team that excels in delivering industry leading service to our individual,
international and group guests. Responsible for motivating, coaching, training, evaluating
and tracking development on an individual and team level. Takes the lead in ‘Owning the
Problem’ and ‘Delivering the Wow’ embracing an ambassador’s role in tutoring other
divisions on the key drivers of these standards. Takes an active role in attending all hotel
division meetings to speak and educate on these standards as a content expert. Encouraged
to maintain and further develop strong rapport with Human Resources Manager and
Financial Controller.
3. Responsible for leading a team of empowered individuals who will strive to deliver focused
and extraordinary customer service, taking ownership and accountability for reacting to
guest feedback and requests effectively and efficiently. Through maintaining a detailed
knowledge of all guest ratings and comments establishes a culture throughout the Guest
Services team for owning issues and resolving to the full. The Guest Services Manager will
ensure that at all times the Guest Services team is empowered to achieve these goals and
establishes a reputation for prompt and industry leading service. The Guest Services
Manager will also use every guest issue as an opportunity to coach and mentor the Guest
Services team, emphasizing empowerment and focusing on a desire to find permanent
solutions to guest feedback. Cultivating a trend for eliminating repeat comments the Guest
Services Manager will use discretion whenever possible and manage all challenges as they
arise only escalating to a higher management level when absolutely necessary.
4. Effectively balances operational needs between the Financial and Guest Services Divisions
through synergetic communication of guest issues, in order to optimize positive guest
comments and ratings of the overall Guest Services operation. Confers with the Financial
Controller to review guest comments (pertaining to financial issues) implementing revisions
and improvements to any relevant financial process that impact guest satisfaction.
5. Mentors, develops and provides both classroom-style and on-the-job training to team
members to strengthen their current performance and preparation for succession planning.
Elevates the fleet- wide retention rate of employees by encouraging the cross training of
Guest Services positions within the division. Strong ability to coach and develop team
members on effective problem resolution skills and aptitudes is a key requirement of this
position.
6. Oversees, plans, and administers the Guest Services schedule in conjunction with the
shoreside support group. Actively identifies and monitors the scheduling needs of the Guest
Services division. Demonstrates aptitude for the management of headcount within assigned
area, as it relates to and supports the business needs of the ship. Ability to identify skill sets
in individuals to promote succession planning and increase retention rate within the
fleet-wide Guest Services operation.
7. Effectively manages all group business onboard ensuring that the Group Coordinator has all
necessary skills, training, tools, information and support to enable delivery of services and
products flawlessly on a consistent basis. Maintains an accurate inventory of all function
related equipment ensuring that at all times the equipment is in good working order and
sufficient to meet the business demands.
8. Develops new ways to enhance and enrich guest interaction and service, either through
guests’ one on one interaction or over the telephone with Guest Services. Through sustained
and regular review of the most repetitive issues, implements tracking measures to establish
the root cause and eliminate recurrence. Through sustained progress and by effectively
partnering with all other divisions, the Guest Services Manager leads root cause analysis
efforts. The position then ensures processes and procedures are changed to eliminate the
issue to ensure the issue does not affect any future guests.
9. Assigns duties and responsibilities to team members. Observes and evaluates team
members through open and honest feedback to ensure high quality standards are met. This
should be done constantly both in formal evaluations and also informally while on the job
throughout each team member’s contract to further each team member’s personal
development. Ensures all guest and group services are presented according to the company
brand standards.
10. Responds to escalated guest concerns in a considerate, professional and positive manner by
showing empathy and listening actively. Takes ownership with follow up of guest
concerns, by managing the Guest Satisfaction Log and effectively liaising with all division
heads to ensure all outstanding issues are appropriately resolved to the guest satisfaction
and in a timely manner.
11. The Guest Services Manager is a visible front of house position and uses effective planning
and time management skills to properly balance front of house and essential administrative
duties, ensuring all operational needs are met. Initiates meetings to address and resolve
quality concerns and to drive.
12. Ensures the security and proper management of cash floats issued by the Financial
Controller. Effectively manages the guest complimentary and satisfaction accounts. Must
perform daily review of all billing adjustments pertaining to guest folio accounts and takes
appropriate action to identify coaching and training needs aimed at reducing company
liability and guest dissatisfaction.
13. Actively prepares and reviews yearly budgets for Guest Services and prepares financial
operational business plan to enhance the overall business needs of the division. Through
strategic planning strives to identify business efficiencies within the division’s cost center
supporting the company targets and goals.
14. Empathetically deals with sensitive guest issues, for matters related to serious injury,
illness, death and burial at sea. Maintains guests’ confidence and protects organization
reputation by keeping guest and company information confidential. Practices sound
business sense and high professional ethics at all times. Enforces and assists the shipboard
senior management team in facilitating the ‘Guest Conduct Policy’ at all times.
15. Leads division in achieving and exceeding quantitative and qualitative goals and targets set
for Guest Services, guest satisfaction ratings, GOLD Anchor Quality Reviews and
employee satisfaction. Responsible for achieving objectives as defined by the balanced
scorecard metrics ensuring that all company initiatives and other priorities as communicated
by senior management are positively supported.
16. Overseas the management of the Print shop operation ensuring that all equipment is
maintained in good working order and advance planning is put into place to ensure that
long-term equipment needs are met. Follows up to ensure that all relevant collateral is
printed in a timely manner and to the company brand standards. Effectively manages the
scheduling and work to sustain and improve all operational functions and efficiencies.
17. Overseas the management of the Concierge and the International Ambassador onboard,
providing support and leadership where needed to establish and maintain consistent service
and superior guest satisfaction. The Guest Services Manager will meet regularly with both
positions to allow opportunity for knowledge sharing and comprehensive awareness of
ever-changing guest demographic trends.
18. Maintains current knowledge of all ship’s regular events and special functions by reviewing
all available data in order to provide guests with accurate information. Ensures all
collateral, including core languages, is kept updated and complies with all company brand
standards.
19. Comprehensive knowledge of Customs and Immigration policies and procedures. The
Guest Services Manager is the driving force to ensure maximum compliance with all
internal requirements and external authorities as it relates to guest immigration and
clearance. As required takes the lead role in ensuring a seamless process, providing
organizational structure to all clearance procedures ahead of time to ensure our guests
experience minimal delay. Outlines clear direction to all division heads involved in this
process.
20. The Guest Services Manager provides support from the Guest Services team to Guest Port
Services on turnaround day for both departure and boarding. Ensures the guests’ first
impression of service delivery is optimized and that our guests receive a welcoming and
efficient boarding experience reflective at all times of our company brand standards. The
Guest Services Manager plans and provides support for all local agencies, ensuring the
smooth transition to new itineraries and seasonal repositioning.
21. Attends department and division heads meetings. In addition, facilitates divisional meeting
with the Guest Services team, training activities, courses and all other work-related
activities. Continually updates job knowledge by investigating new trends in customer
service, reviewing professional publications, establishing personal networks, and sharing of
best practices, lessons learned and new benchmarks with shipboard management and
shore-side support groups.
22. Ensures frequent and consistent updates of clear and concise handover notes to eliminate
any possible miscommunication that compromises the efficiency of set processes. Works to
ensure that their divisions’ manager and supervisor placements maximize individual
strengths to support the organizational needs. Through managing individual strengths this
will allow for a seamless management handover allowing for minimum disruption to the
team and operation.
23. Maintains safe, secure, and healthy environment by enforcing organizational standards,
procedures, and legal regulations. Effectively monitors, overseas and makes improvements
to workplace safety within the division and throughout the ship. Attends mandatory crew
and guest safety drills as required, including meetings, training activities, courses and all
other work-related activities.
24. Performs related duties as required. This position description in no way states or implies
that these are the only duties to be performed by the shipboard employee occupying this
position. Shipboard employees will be required to perform any other job-related duties
assigned by their supervisor or management.

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum hiring, language and physical requirements to perform the job.

Hiring Requirements:

• Minimum two years front of house managerial/operational experience in a hotel, cruise line
  or hospitality industry related field preferred.
• Ability to effectively deal with internal and external guests, some of whom will require high
  levels of discretion, patience, tact and diplomacy.
• Knowledge of principles and processes for providing exemplary customer and personal
  service including needs assessment, problem resolution and achievement of quality service
  standards.
• Ability to communicate diplomatically with managers, shipboard and shore-side employees
  to resolve problems and negotiate amicable resolution to challenging issues.
• Flexibility to manage, focus, direct and encourage a positive, dynamic, diverse guest
  services operation by navigating through a changing work environment. Should be able to
  utilize and administer the progressive disciplinary action process through coaching and
  counseling to improve performance where possible.
• Ability to work positively and cooperatively in a diverse team environment to meet overall
  established timeframes for the Guest Services division operation.
• Should harbor a flexible outlook towards placement throughout the fleet, considering
  changing fleet-wide operational business needs.
• Working knowledge of computers, internet access, and the ability to navigate within a
  variety of software packages such as Microsoft Office.
• Demonstrates a working knowledge to operate all office equipment.
• Completion of high school, basic or vocational education equivalency preferred.
• Working knowledge of US cash handling procedures and foreign exchange required.

Internal Candidate Requirements:

In addition to the stated hiring requirements, internal candidates are required to fulfill the
following:
In addition to all of the above, a minimum of one contract completed within the shipboard
operation.

Language Requirements:

Required to speak English clearly and distinctly. Aptitude to read and write English in order to
understand and interpret written procedures. This includes the ability to give and receive

instructions in written and verbal forms and to effectively present information and respond to
questions from guests, supervisors and co-workers. Ability to speak additional languages such as
Spanish, French, German, Italian or Portuguese preferred but not essential.
Physical Requirements:
While performing the duties of this job, the shipboard employee is regularly required to stand,
walk, use hands to touch, handle, or feel, reach with hands and arms, talk or hear, and taste or
smell. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color
vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
All shipboard employees must be physically able to participate in emergency life saving procedures
and drills. Full use and range of arms and legs as well as full visual, verbal and hearing abilities are
required to receive and give instructions in the event of an emergency including the lowering of
lifeboats.
Ability to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.