Manager, Hotel Systems - Americas
About the role
About Four Seasons:
Four Seasons is powered by our people. We are a collective of individuals who crave to become better, to push ourselves to new heights and to treat each other as we wish to be treated in return. Our team members around the world create amazing experiences for our guests, residents, and partners through a commitment to luxury with genuine heart. We know that the best way to enable our people to deliver these exceptional guest experiences is through a world-class employee experience and company culture.
At Four Seasons, we believe in recognizing a familiar face, welcoming a new one and treating everyone we meet the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Whether you work with us, stay with us, live with us or discover with us, we believe our purpose is to create impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. It comes from our belief that life is richer when we truly connect to the people and the world around us.
About the location:
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a global, luxury hotel management company. We manage over 120 hotels and resorts and 50 private residences in 47 countries around the world and growing. Central to Four Seasons employee experience and social impact programming is the company’s commitment to supporting cancer research, and the advancement of diversity, inclusion, equality and belonging at Four Seasons corporate offices and properties worldwide. At Four Seasons, we are powered by people and our culture enables everything we do.
Manager, Hotel Information Systems, Americas
This role will manage key hotel information systems within the America region, with a primary focus on the Opera Property Management System (PMS), Simphony Cloud Point-Of-Sale (POS), Activity/Spa Booking systems, Membership systems and Retail systems to reinforce corporate standardization. This position will serve as a regional subject matter expert for corporate and local initiatives to enforce interface integrity between local hotel applications and the corporate enterprise ecosystem.
Responsibilities will include assessing new hotel staff-facing applications, overseeing new opening implementations and system upgrades while enforcing standards to align with the corporate strategic plan. The role will also involve managing regional vendor relationships/local dealers, including issue escalations, contract maintenance, and functionality enhancements. The manager will also oversee the Hotel Systems support team for the America time-zone which includes providing technical guidance and ensuring timely resolution of system issues.
This position is based in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Toronto Corporate Office, reporting to the Senior Director, Hotel Systems. This role involves interactions with primarily internal stakeholders at various levels.
What You’ll Be Doing:
Project Management, Systems Planning and Implementation
- Assist regional project teams to select and implement hotel systems that supports localization and local business requirements while aligning to the Corporate strategic goals
- Provide oversight on new hotel openings including system contract reviews, implementations and integrations ensuring installations adhere to corporate Hotel Systems standards
- Research and evaluate new hotel technologies as required by local hotel teams to support local government/legal requirements, improve guest experiences and increase efficiencies for hotel operations
- Identify and implement software enhancements, tools and configuration to meet local regional business needs and business requirements
- Keep an open communication channel with to the Corporate Hotel Information Systems Team on local requirements and projects
Vendor Management
- Manage regional vendors/local dealer relationships by attending regular account and development calls to review high priority escalated issues, contracts/pricing, and vendor roadmaps to align with Four Seasons long term strategies
- Work with various software vendors to review, understand and improve hotel systems functionality to support new local requirements
System Support and Escalation
- Serve as the regional point of contact for AMER hotels to escalate urgent hotel system issues
- Escalate high priority system issues to vendors/local dealers and internal teams Meet with Corporate Hotel Systems Team weekly to review and prioritize hotel systems escalated issues and enhancements.
- Work with Corporate internal teams ((Hotel System Support Team) to identify possible solutions for high priority escalated issues.
- Act as a liaison between various local dealers/vendors to resolve system issues
Systems Standards
- Bring forward new local hotel system configurations and version requests to the Corporate Hotel Systems Team
- Drive core standards for all support hotel systems
People Management
- Keep Corporate HSS team informed of all regional items related to hotel systems
- Maintain relationships with regional business leads such as Sr. Spa Directors, F&B Directors and Director of Rooms
- Keep close relationships with regional office team
- Represent as regional Hotel Systems SME on regional project teams
Administrative
- Assist AMER hotels with invoice and contract discrepancies for corporately managed vendors
Other
- Perform other projects as requested by senior management
- Key Hotel Systems communication person for AMER office
Who You Are:
KEY FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES
- Ability to translate business needs into software specifications and requirements
- Project Management methodologies; ability to deliver project and tasks on time
- Ability to understand, chart and direct inter-systems data flow and systems integration
KEY COMPETENCIES
Communication
- Writes and speaks clearly, is concise and easy to understand
- Effectively translates/explains technical requirements to business stakeholders
- Delivers complex messages clearly and with sensitivity to others needs, cultures, background and knowledge
- Contributes meaningfully and concisely to meetings and discussions
- Clarifies issues to ensure understanding, listens attentively and asks follow up questions
- Reviews written work for accuracy, tone and grammar
Delivering Results
- Detail oriented, self-motivated and innovative
- Takes pride doing a good job, works hard, stays focused and does what it takes to meet goals and objectives
- Gets clear on exactly what is required, knows when and how to ask for help and support
- Consistently looks for feedback to drive performance improvement
- Shows initiative, looks for changes or improvements in own work area and shows willingness to take on new responsibilities
- Overcomes obstacles without “ruffling feathers” and doesn’t give up easily even in the face of tough challenges
- Delivers on promises and can be trusted to do what they say they will do
- Tackles unforeseen problems and challenges with energy and persistence
- Is prepared to go outside own area and work cross functionally to help resolve issues
- Actively seeks knowledge and skills to improve performance and continuously reviews own progress against goals and objectives
- Ability to work under pressure and meet various deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Flexibility and Adaptability
- Responds enthusiastically and positively to changing needs and requirements
- Actively supports and participates in new programs, processes and ways of working
- Remains calm when things do not go as planned, or when plans or priorities change
- Is able to multi-task and handle multiple assignments and priorities
- Is open to trying new things and shows a willingness to change own ideas and perceptions
- Readily accommodates unforeseen changes in day to day work to deal with a situation or to reach a goal and understands the need for flexibility in response to evolving circumstances
- Able to effectively handle multiple conflicting priorities
- Excellent people skills; ability to participate on multi-disciplinary work teams
Creativity and Innovation
- Keeps current with new approaches, relevant information, best practice industry standards and research
- Displays curiosity and imagination, is open minded and appropriately challenges the status quo
- Easily adapts to new opportunities and is able to make things happen quickly and effectively
- Is always looking for ways to improve things and achieve better results in the context of own work situation
- Is open to trying new and different processes and experimenting with new ideas and ways of doing things
- Shares own ideas and actively supports others when they come up with innovations and improvements
Objective Problem Solving
- Analytical, organizational and problem solving skills
- Knows when and how to ask for help and advice, is open to new ideas from others
- Is comfortable discussing potential problems and sharing perspectives, observations and concerns with colleagues and Managers
- Uses previous knowledge, experience and intuition to identify the root cause of a problem and has solutions in mind when addressing and discussing problems with others
- Breaks down problems into their component parts and identifies links between them using logic and analysis
Influencing
- Uses positive language, builds rapport to establish credibility and emphasizes benefits which will appeal to the individual/audience
What You Bring:
- 5+ years of experience with hotel systems
- Extensive Opera PMS and/or Simphony Cloud POS experience is required
- Degree in Business and/or Information Systems
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Excellent experience and knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point and Visio
- Hotel operation experience is an asset
- Knowledge of Power BI, payment gateways, spa applications, restaurant table management systems, rapid response systems is an asset
This role will be a Hybrid working model, which will require 3 days per week at our temporary 20 York Mills Road, Toronto, Ontario location with travel, as needed, to our the Four Seasons Corporate Office located at 1165 Leslie Street, Toronto, Ontario #LI-Hybrid
Four Seasons is committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If contacted for an employment opportunity, please advise Human Resources if you require accommodation.
Manager, Hotel Systems - Americas
About the role
About Four Seasons:
Four Seasons is powered by our people. We are a collective of individuals who crave to become better, to push ourselves to new heights and to treat each other as we wish to be treated in return. Our team members around the world create amazing experiences for our guests, residents, and partners through a commitment to luxury with genuine heart. We know that the best way to enable our people to deliver these exceptional guest experiences is through a world-class employee experience and company culture.
At Four Seasons, we believe in recognizing a familiar face, welcoming a new one and treating everyone we meet the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Whether you work with us, stay with us, live with us or discover with us, we believe our purpose is to create impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. It comes from our belief that life is richer when we truly connect to the people and the world around us.
About the location:
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is a global, luxury hotel management company. We manage over 120 hotels and resorts and 50 private residences in 47 countries around the world and growing. Central to Four Seasons employee experience and social impact programming is the company’s commitment to supporting cancer research, and the advancement of diversity, inclusion, equality and belonging at Four Seasons corporate offices and properties worldwide. At Four Seasons, we are powered by people and our culture enables everything we do.
Manager, Hotel Information Systems, Americas
This role will manage key hotel information systems within the America region, with a primary focus on the Opera Property Management System (PMS), Simphony Cloud Point-Of-Sale (POS), Activity/Spa Booking systems, Membership systems and Retail systems to reinforce corporate standardization. This position will serve as a regional subject matter expert for corporate and local initiatives to enforce interface integrity between local hotel applications and the corporate enterprise ecosystem.
Responsibilities will include assessing new hotel staff-facing applications, overseeing new opening implementations and system upgrades while enforcing standards to align with the corporate strategic plan. The role will also involve managing regional vendor relationships/local dealers, including issue escalations, contract maintenance, and functionality enhancements. The manager will also oversee the Hotel Systems support team for the America time-zone which includes providing technical guidance and ensuring timely resolution of system issues.
This position is based in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Toronto Corporate Office, reporting to the Senior Director, Hotel Systems. This role involves interactions with primarily internal stakeholders at various levels.
What You’ll Be Doing:
Project Management, Systems Planning and Implementation
- Assist regional project teams to select and implement hotel systems that supports localization and local business requirements while aligning to the Corporate strategic goals
- Provide oversight on new hotel openings including system contract reviews, implementations and integrations ensuring installations adhere to corporate Hotel Systems standards
- Research and evaluate new hotel technologies as required by local hotel teams to support local government/legal requirements, improve guest experiences and increase efficiencies for hotel operations
- Identify and implement software enhancements, tools and configuration to meet local regional business needs and business requirements
- Keep an open communication channel with to the Corporate Hotel Information Systems Team on local requirements and projects
Vendor Management
- Manage regional vendors/local dealer relationships by attending regular account and development calls to review high priority escalated issues, contracts/pricing, and vendor roadmaps to align with Four Seasons long term strategies
- Work with various software vendors to review, understand and improve hotel systems functionality to support new local requirements
System Support and Escalation
- Serve as the regional point of contact for AMER hotels to escalate urgent hotel system issues
- Escalate high priority system issues to vendors/local dealers and internal teams Meet with Corporate Hotel Systems Team weekly to review and prioritize hotel systems escalated issues and enhancements.
- Work with Corporate internal teams ((Hotel System Support Team) to identify possible solutions for high priority escalated issues.
- Act as a liaison between various local dealers/vendors to resolve system issues
Systems Standards
- Bring forward new local hotel system configurations and version requests to the Corporate Hotel Systems Team
- Drive core standards for all support hotel systems
People Management
- Keep Corporate HSS team informed of all regional items related to hotel systems
- Maintain relationships with regional business leads such as Sr. Spa Directors, F&B Directors and Director of Rooms
- Keep close relationships with regional office team
- Represent as regional Hotel Systems SME on regional project teams
Administrative
- Assist AMER hotels with invoice and contract discrepancies for corporately managed vendors
Other
- Perform other projects as requested by senior management
- Key Hotel Systems communication person for AMER office
Who You Are:
KEY FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES
- Ability to translate business needs into software specifications and requirements
- Project Management methodologies; ability to deliver project and tasks on time
- Ability to understand, chart and direct inter-systems data flow and systems integration
KEY COMPETENCIES
Communication
- Writes and speaks clearly, is concise and easy to understand
- Effectively translates/explains technical requirements to business stakeholders
- Delivers complex messages clearly and with sensitivity to others needs, cultures, background and knowledge
- Contributes meaningfully and concisely to meetings and discussions
- Clarifies issues to ensure understanding, listens attentively and asks follow up questions
- Reviews written work for accuracy, tone and grammar
Delivering Results
- Detail oriented, self-motivated and innovative
- Takes pride doing a good job, works hard, stays focused and does what it takes to meet goals and objectives
- Gets clear on exactly what is required, knows when and how to ask for help and support
- Consistently looks for feedback to drive performance improvement
- Shows initiative, looks for changes or improvements in own work area and shows willingness to take on new responsibilities
- Overcomes obstacles without “ruffling feathers” and doesn’t give up easily even in the face of tough challenges
- Delivers on promises and can be trusted to do what they say they will do
- Tackles unforeseen problems and challenges with energy and persistence
- Is prepared to go outside own area and work cross functionally to help resolve issues
- Actively seeks knowledge and skills to improve performance and continuously reviews own progress against goals and objectives
- Ability to work under pressure and meet various deadlines in a fast-paced environment
Flexibility and Adaptability
- Responds enthusiastically and positively to changing needs and requirements
- Actively supports and participates in new programs, processes and ways of working
- Remains calm when things do not go as planned, or when plans or priorities change
- Is able to multi-task and handle multiple assignments and priorities
- Is open to trying new things and shows a willingness to change own ideas and perceptions
- Readily accommodates unforeseen changes in day to day work to deal with a situation or to reach a goal and understands the need for flexibility in response to evolving circumstances
- Able to effectively handle multiple conflicting priorities
- Excellent people skills; ability to participate on multi-disciplinary work teams
Creativity and Innovation
- Keeps current with new approaches, relevant information, best practice industry standards and research
- Displays curiosity and imagination, is open minded and appropriately challenges the status quo
- Easily adapts to new opportunities and is able to make things happen quickly and effectively
- Is always looking for ways to improve things and achieve better results in the context of own work situation
- Is open to trying new and different processes and experimenting with new ideas and ways of doing things
- Shares own ideas and actively supports others when they come up with innovations and improvements
Objective Problem Solving
- Analytical, organizational and problem solving skills
- Knows when and how to ask for help and advice, is open to new ideas from others
- Is comfortable discussing potential problems and sharing perspectives, observations and concerns with colleagues and Managers
- Uses previous knowledge, experience and intuition to identify the root cause of a problem and has solutions in mind when addressing and discussing problems with others
- Breaks down problems into their component parts and identifies links between them using logic and analysis
Influencing
- Uses positive language, builds rapport to establish credibility and emphasizes benefits which will appeal to the individual/audience
What You Bring:
- 5+ years of experience with hotel systems
- Extensive Opera PMS and/or Simphony Cloud POS experience is required
- Degree in Business and/or Information Systems
- Excellent communication and leadership skills
- Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team
- Excellent experience and knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word, Power Point and Visio
- Hotel operation experience is an asset
- Knowledge of Power BI, payment gateways, spa applications, restaurant table management systems, rapid response systems is an asset
This role will be a Hybrid working model, which will require 3 days per week at our temporary 20 York Mills Road, Toronto, Ontario location with travel, as needed, to our the Four Seasons Corporate Office located at 1165 Leslie Street, Toronto, Ontario #LI-Hybrid
Four Seasons is committed to providing employment accommodation in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If contacted for an employment opportunity, please advise Human Resources if you require accommodation.