We invite you to join the world of luxury hospitality at Fairmont Southampton as our new Maître d’. Reporting to the Maître d’ and working closely with the Food & Beverage leadership team, the Assistant Maître d’ supports the day-to-day operations of assigned restaurant outlets. This role plays a critical part in delivering a seamless guest arrival and dining experience while ensuring service excellence, operational efficiency, and strong team performance.
As a visible leader on the floor, the Assistant Maître D’ upholds Fairmont and Accor brand standards, assists in maximizing revenue, and helps develop service colleagues to consistently exceed guest expectations.
What you will be doing:
Guest Experience & Service Excellence
- Assist with managing the guest arrival experience, including greeting guests, managing reservations, seating, and dining room flow.
- Maintain a strong floor presence to engage with guests, anticipate needs, and resolve concerns professionally and promptly.
- Ensure consistent delivery of Fairmont and Accor service standards, LQA guidelines, and brand expectations.
- Create personalized, memorable dining experiences that build guest loyalty and satisfaction.
Outlet Operations & Performance
- Support smooth and efficient daily restaurant operations from opening through closing.
- Assist in managing reservations, seating plans, service pacing, and table turns to maximize covers and revenue.
- Monitor dining room cleanliness, ambiance, and presentation at all times.
- Ensure compliance with health, safety, hygiene, and cleanliness standards in line with company policies and local regulations.
- Be flexible to support service operations across all food and beverage outlets, adapting to changing operational needs.
Financial & Business Support
- Support the Maître d’ in achieving outlet financial, service, and operational targets.
- Assist with revenue optimization through effective seating strategies, upselling, and promotion of outlet offerings.
- Help monitor POS usage, self-cashiering procedures, and internal controls.
- Compile and submit daily operational and service reports as required.
Team Leadership & Development
- Supervise, coach, and support service colleagues to ensure consistent service excellence.
- Assist with onboarding, training, and ongoing development of wait staff and hosts.
- Provide constructive feedback and support a positive, professional, and collaborative team culture.
- Act as a role model, leading by example during all service periods.
Systems, Standards & Collaboration
- Support POS system operations, troubleshooting, and colleague training as needed.
- Maintain effective working relationships with culinary, events, sales, and supporting departments.
- Assist with implementing strategies that improve guest satisfaction, service flow, and operational efficiency.
- Perform other reasonable duties as assigned to support overall Food & Beverage operations.