Head of Operations

Join our team at Holme Lacy, part of the Warner Hotels Group. This Grade I listed 181-bedroom hotel in Herefordshire has a theatre, spa, two restaurants, and a coffee shop, all set in 20 acres of green fields.

Looking to take the next step in your leisure career?

At Warner Hotels, you can discover your glow, as we believe people thrive when their unique strengths and personality are nurtured. Here, you’re free to be yourself, make an impact, and thrive in a tight-knit team that creates truly unique guest experiences.

At Warner Hotels, we’re more than just a place to stay, we’re a place where guests come to make memories, discover new experiences, and feel truly cared for.

The Head of Operations leads all front and back-of-house functions to deliver seamless guest experiences across Reception, Leisure, Spa, Housekeeping, Entertainment, and Nights teams.

With a Guest Hearted approach, the role ensures service excellence while driving commercial performance through effective sales execution and collaboration with HUB teams. By applying Limitless Thinking, the Head of Operations identifies efficiencies, pilots new initiatives, and elevates leisure and entertainment propositions to meet brand standards and guest expectations. The position owns its impact by maintaining compliance, safeguarding and reputation through complaint resolution, whilst balancing labour costs with operational quality.

Success is achieved by winning as one, recruiting, developing, and inspiring teams, fostering collaboration, and deputising for senior leaders to ensure business continuity.

Distinctive in scope, the role combines daily operational delivery with strategic improvement to secure both immediate service excellence and long‑term growth.

Operational delivery: Oversee day-to-day operations across reception, leisure club, spa, housekeeping, entertainment, and nights team; ensure seamless guest arrival, check‑in, and service delivery across all touch‑points.

Sales and commercial execution: Drive on‑site sales performance across leisure, spa, and entertainment; implement hotel‑specific propositions and external marketing initiatives in partnership with HUB teams to maximise revenue.

Entertainment and leisure leadership: Provide oversight of entertainment delivery and calendar development; ensure leisure club and spa operations (including memberships and day spa services) are executed to brand standards and guest expectations.

Housekeeping and nights management: Lead and quality assure housekeeping operations and nights team delivery; maintain service standards, guest satisfaction, and operational efficiency across both functions.

Labour and rota management: Forecast and produce efficient rotas across reception, leisure, spa, housekeeping, entertainment, and nights; control labour spend while maintaining required cover to deliver service excellence.

Guest experience and complaint resolution: Monitor and enhance arrival, check‑in, and post‑stay guest experiences; lead complaint handling and feedback resolution to protect reputation and drive loyalty.

Compliance and safety: Ensure 100% adherence to health and safety requirements across all operational departments; oversee leisure audits including lifeguard compliance, paperwork, and administration.

People management and retention: Recruit, train, develop, and performance manage team members across all operational departments; foster teamwork, morale, and succession planning to maintain engagement and retention.

Deputising and collaboration: Undertake Duty Management shifts, manage rotas, and deputise for senior leaders and the General Manager when required; collaborate closely with HUB teams, Sales, Events, HR, and Marketing to maintain brand standards and business continuity.

Continuous improvement and strategy: Identify operational efficiencies and service improvements across leisure, spa, reception, and housekeeping; pilot commercial and guest experience initiatives to scale successful practices within Head Office parameters.

Governance: Operate within approved financial sign‑off limits and procurement processes; elevate issues outside delegated authority…