Merlin Entertainments

Senior Hotel Operations Manager

Location (Country-County-City) UK-Staffordshire-Stoke-on-Trent
Job Locations UK-Staffordshire-Stoke-on-Trent
ID
2025-10090
Employment Type
Full-Time
Offer/Contract Type
No End Date
Location Name
Alton Towers Resort

What you'll bring to the team

About the Role

Are you a passionate hospitality leader who thrives on delivering exceptional guest experiences while driving operational excellence? We’re looking for a Senior Hotel Operations Manager to join our Accommodation team at Alton Towers Resort — home to the UK’s most iconic theme park and unforgettable short breaks!

In this pivotal role, you’ll oversee the day-to-day operations of our on-site hotels and Waterpark, leading teams across Leisure Operations, Front Office, Housekeeping, Nights, and Guest Relations. You’ll play a key part in shaping the guest experience, empowering your managers, and ensuring every stay at Alton Towers Resort is truly magical.

Reporting to the Head of Accommodation Operations, you’ll champion high performance, compliance, and guest-first service, while supporting the delivery of strategic initiatives that drive engagement, quality, and efficiency.

What You’ll Be Doing

Operational Excellence

  • Lead daily operations across all accommodation and Waterpark functions, ensuring brand, health & safety, and service standards are consistently achieved.
  • Drive performance through KPIs and guest satisfaction metrics.
  • Support the implementation of resort-wide strategies to enhance the guest journey.
  • Identify opportunities to improve operational processes and efficiency.
  • Act as a key decision-maker during operational challenges and support escalation to senior leadership when needed.

Team Leadership & Development

  • Lead and inspire the Accommodation and Waterpark Management team to deliver exceptional service and a culture of accountability.
  • Promote continuous development through coaching, mentoring, and engagement initiatives.
  • Collaborate with senior leadership and global functions to identify and close skills gaps, enhance retention, and strengthen team capability.

Guest Experience

  • Champion a guest-first culture, ensuring every colleague plays a role in exceeding expectations.
  • Support your teams in managing service recovery, complaint resolution, and proactive guest engagement.
  • Use guest feedback, reviews, and satisfaction data to implement improvement plans.

Collaboration & Communication

  • Act as the key link between senior leadership and operational teams, ensuring clear, consistent communication.
  • Work closely with other resort departments such as Facilities, Entertainment, and Food & Beverage to deliver a seamless guest experience.
  • Represent the Accommodation function in cross-departmental planning and business meetings

 

Qualifications & Experience

What We’re Looking For

We’re seeking a confident, people-focused leader with:

  • Proven experience managing multi-functional hotel or accommodation operations in a high-volume environment.
  • Experience in Leisure or Waterpark operations, with a strong understanding of guest-focused entertainment environments.
  • Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate and inspire large teams.
  • A track record of driving guest satisfaction and operational excellence.
  • Sound analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to interpret performance data and turn insight into action.
  • Working knowledge of hotel systems such as Opera and task management platforms such as ALICE.
  • A flexible, solution-focused mindset and the ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Benefits

Alongside calling a castle your office, you’ll also enjoy:

  • 25% discount in our retail shops and restaurants
  • 40% off LEGO online
  • A Merlin Magic Pass – giving you free tickets to all our attractions worldwide for you, your family, and friends every year
  • Enjoy the Ride Pass - giving you and 5 others a Merlin annual pass
  • Free parking
  • Ongoing training and development to support your career growth

Pay Range

Compensation between GBP £43,000.00/Yr.-GBP £43,000.00/Yr.

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