Director, Hotel Operations

Director, Hotel Operations - US

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Princess Cruises is the world’s leading international premium cruise line and tour company, carrying millions of guests each year to hundreds of destinations around the globe. We give our guests the Medallion Class experience others simply cannot. The Love Boat promises something for everyone.

We are looking for an amazing Director of Hotel Operations to fill this position, based in our Fort Lauderdale office. The Director is responsible for the overall guest experience on ships operating outside the US, supporting and coaching the onboard Hotel General Managers and their teams to deliver a seamless guest vacation experience.

• Drive the strategic vision for hotel operations, ensuring alignment with Princess Cruises’ brand standards and guest experience goals.
• Provide guidance and direction over the strategic direction for new concepts and experiences.
• Participate in the itinerary planning process, ensuring appropriate feedback is received and deployment issues are highlighted and addressed.
• Leverage hotel performance and analytics reporting to identify, quantify, and prioritize continuous improvement opportunities. Collaborate closely with functional leads such as F&B, Entertainment, Port Operations and Itinerary Planning.
• Oversee daily hotel operations across the fleet, including accommodation, food and beverage, guest services, and housekeeping, ensuring consistent delivery of premium service.
• Drive a high‑performing, guest‑centric culture focused on innovation, execution, growth, and development.
• Conduct regular ship visits to ensure product delivery and guest service standards are always met.
• Serve as the main point of contact for the shipboard Hotel General Managers, providing operational day‑to‑day support.
• Lead, mentor, and develop shipboard and shoreside hotel teams, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Career development and coaching of upcoming senior shipboard hotel leaders.
• Participate in scheduling, succession planning, training, evaluation, and development for all relevant shipboard personnel.
• Monitor compliance with health, safety, and environmental standards, ensuring adherence to company policies and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with the Director of Shipboard Operations to ensure fleet alignment, creating brand guidelines, SOPs, KPIs and targets for the entire fleet.
• Manage hotel operations budgets, control costs, and optimize revenue opportunities through effective resource allocation and operational efficiencies.
• Monitor and drive overall performance of the assigned ships to surpass established targets with a focus on NPS, revenue and other key guest satisfaction metrics.
• Responsible for annual planning and budgeting of over $10 million and work in conjunction with other Directors of Hotel Operations on annual financial planning.

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Strategic planner with an innovative, hands‑on, practical management approach.
• Ability to provide leadership and motivation to employees in pursuit of company goals.
• Works independently and resolves questions from shore‑side and shipboard management.
• Cultivates an environment where the shipboard management team is motivated, knowledgeable, and proactive.
• Flexibility to travel on short notice for operational shipboard visits.
• Ten years of extensive global customer services management within a hospitality environment.
• Five years of onboard cruise ship experience in a leadership position.
• Previous experience at a corporate level either in the cruise industry or in shoreside structures is preferred.
• Proven track record in managing large teams and complex operations.
• Experience in strategic planning, financial management, and compliance oversight.
• Demonstrated ability to drive operational excellence and deliver exceptional guest experiences.
• Hybrid work model: three days in the office per week (Tuesday – Thursday). Beginning in 2028, the role will remain on this schedule but transition to our new…