At Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, part of the prestigious LVMH Group, we stand as a symbol of timeless elegance, perched high above the sparkling Gulf of Tigullio and the enchanting village of Portofino. Our history is legendary, and with each season, we continue to reimagine the future of luxury hospitality, where heritage meets innovation. 

We seek an exceptional Hotel Manager to help preserve its distinctive heritage while elevating its standards for a new generation of discerning travellers.

Reporting directly to the Area Managing Director, the Hotel Manager is the senior operational leader of Splendido, accountable for the coordinated performance of the hotel’s operating departments, the quality of the guest and colleague experience, and disciplined delivery of business objectives.

This is an executive leadership appointment requiring breadth beyond a single division.

Main duties and responsibilities: 

Translate strategic direction into outstanding daily execution; lead a confident, accountable management team; safeguard the hotel’s reputation and assets; and consistently deliver intuitive, highly personalised service alongside strong financial performance. Be visible, decisive and trusted by guests and colleagues alike.

• Executive leadership and hotel operations

- Lead the integrated day-to-day operation of Splendido across Rooms, Guest Experience, Wellness and relevant support functions, through their respective departmental leaders.

- Act as the principal operational counterpart to the Area Managing Director, making timely decisions within agreed authority and ensuring consistent execution of strategic priorities.

- Set clear departmental objectives, operating rhythms, performance reviews and cross-functional accountability; ensure readiness for seasonal opening, peak periods and closing.

- Anticipate operational risks, maintain business continuity and resolve complex matters with sound judgement, discretion and urgency.

• Guest experience and service excellence

- Own the end-to-end guest journey, championing intuitive, anticipatory and genuinely personalised service that reflects the spirit of Splendido.

- Maintain a highly visible presence and build relationships with discerning, repeat and high-profile guests while protecting privacy and confidentiality.

- Oversee quality standards, guest feedback, service recovery and continuous improvement; ensure impeccable coordination for VIP visits, special occasions and complex stays.

- Preserve the hotel’s sense of place: authentic Italian warmth, understated elegance and exacting attention to detail.

• People, leadership and culture

- Inspire, coach and hold accountable the hotel leadership team; create a collaborative, inclusive culture of ownership and exceptional care.

- Partner with Human Resources on recruitment, workforce planning, retention, performance management, development and succession readiness.

- Identify and accelerate high-potential colleagues; ensure the management structure can sustain performance through seasonal intensity and leadership transitions.

- Model integrity, emotional intelligence, clear communication and a hands-on yet empowering leadership style.

• Financial performance and commercial partnership

- Take operational accountability for delivery against the approved budget, departmental profitability, labour productivity, controllable costs and quality objectives.

- Review KPIs, forecasts and variances with Finance; promptly convert insight into operational action while protecting service standards.

- Partner with Sales, Marketing and Revenue Management to support demand opportunities, ancillary spend and a seamless commercial-to-operational handover.

- Contribute to annual business planning, budget preparation, resource allocation and capital priorities in partnership with the Area Managing Director.

• Rooms Division and the complete guest journey

- Provide executive oversight of Front Office, Concierge, Guest Relations, Housekeeping, SPA and related Rooms operations, ensuring standards of presentation, readiness and service delivery.

- Coordinate arrival and departure planning, room readiness, guest recognition, service recovery and high-occupancy execution across departments.

- Balance quality, staffing, operational productivity and commercial priorities with a rigorous understanding of Rooms Division performance.

• Wellness and lifestyle

- Guide operational leaders in delivering exceptional wellness and leisure experiences as part of one coherent luxury guest journey.

• Stewardship, risk and compliance

- Safeguard the property’s heritage, condition and reputation in partnership with Engineering, Security and relevant specialists.

- Ensure adherence to applicable Italian legislation, health and safety requirements, emergency preparedness, data protection and Belmond standards.

- Advance responsible hospitality practices, colleague wellbeing and constructive relationships with the local community.

Requirements

• Significant senior operational leadership experience in internationally recognised luxury or ultra-luxury hotels, ideally including iconic properties or destination resorts.
• A proven record as Hotel Manager, Director of Operations, Executive Assistant Manager or comparable executive leader, with demonstrable responsibility across Rooms.
• Success in leading multidisciplinary teams, delivering strong operational and financial results, and maintaining outstanding guest experiences.
• Credible executive presence, mature judgement, discretion and exceptional interpersonal and guest relationship skills.
• Strong commercial acumen, financial literacy and command of budgets, forecasts, departmental P&Ls, labour and productivity indicators.
• Ability to inspire, coach and develop leaders; practical succession-planning capability and resilience in a high-pressure seasonal environment.
• Deep understanding of personalised luxury service, international guest expectations, quality assurance and continuous improvement.
• Authenticity, humility, cultural sensitivity and an instinctive appreciation of Italian hospitality and the character of Portofino.
• Fluent English and Italian required; additional languages advantageous.
• Relevant hospitality or business education, or equivalent professional experience.
• International exposure desirable; legal eligibility to work in Italy required.

Benefits

• We offer annual labour contract according to C.C.N.L. Settore Turismo - Hotel Manager;
• Start date: January 2027;
• Monthly gross salary by CCNL + increase, separate payslip for 13°,14° and TFR;
• Incentive Plan;
• Accomodation;
• Staff cantine;
• Discovering Belmond programme, which offers team members complimentary accommodation at Belmond hotels, discounted rates for our trains, cruises and safaris, and discounted food and beverages.

About Belmond:

Belmond has been a pioneer of exceptional luxury travel since 1976. Its portfolio extends across 24 countries with 46 remarkable properties.The essence of the Belmond brand is built upon its heritage, craftsmanship and genuine, authentic service. We treasure history while looking to the future. We embrace community spirit and believe in responsible, sustainable tourism.

Belmond is part of the world’s leading luxury group, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Belmond is an equal opportunities employer that is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.