Area Operations Manager

Job role: Area operations manager (Hospitality)

Department: Operation

Job experience: 7+ years

Location: Mumbai, Maharashtra

About The Hosteller

The Hosteller is a people-first backpacker hostel brand built around travel, community, and shared experiences. We create spaces where travellers from across the world connect, stories are exchanged, and memories are made. Powered by passionate teams on-ground and at the corporate level, The Hosteller values ownership, empathy, collaboration and a deep respect for both people and places.

At The Hosteller, you'll be part of a fast-growing, entrepreneurial environment where ideas matter, ownership is encouraged and growth is real. We offer hands-on exposure, opportunities to learn across functions and the chance to build meaningful experiences for both travellers and teammates-every single day.

Role overview

The Area operations manager shall be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations, performance, and compliance of multiple properties/units within an assigned geographic area (1000-1500 beds in an area). This role ensures consistent service quality, operational efficiency, cost control, and team performance, while acting as the key link between on-ground teams and central leadership. His/her role shall involve overseeing multiple facets of hotel operations such as staffing, hiring, guest experience, day-to-day operations, repairs/maintenance, P&L, etc., centrally and as per the company's standard operating procedures

Responsibilities

• Understanding of the hospitality/hotel industry, various functions in the sector including front office, housekeeping, F&B, concierge along with departmental knowledge across human resource (both white & blue collar) requirements, vendor management, guest relations, housekeeping, R&M, etc.
• Oversee end-to-end operations across multiple properties / units in the assigned area including work areas as: licensing & compliances, owner-tenant relationship management, P&L management & optimisation, maintenance & upkeep, crisis management, etc.
• Ensure brand standards, SOPs, safety norms and guest experience benchmarks are consistently met
• Identify operational gaps and implement corrective actions proactively
• Lead, mentor and manage a high performing, disciplined, trained and effective hotel/hostel level team with adherence to the company culture
• Support hiring, onboarding, and retention of on-ground teams
• Monitor property-level P&Ls, costs, and operational budgets along with controlling wastage, shrinkage and inefficiencies across properties
• Ensure compliance with statutory norms, licenses, audits, and safety standards and liaise with various departments such as local police, health/fire/safety departments, local vendors, etc. and ensuring a cordial relationship
• Oversee preventive maintenance, asset upkeep, and vendor performance
• Ensure properties are audit-ready at all times
• Act as the primary interface between central teams (operations, HR, finance, supply chain, marketing) and on-ground teams
• Coordinate with vendors, local authorities, and partners when required
• Support new property launches (pre-ops), stabilisation and scale-up efforts
• Monitor guest feedback, reviews, and NPS across properties
• Lead resolution of escalated guest issues and service failures
• Drive continuous improvement in guest experience and community engagement

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Hotel management, Hospitality administration, Operations management, or Business administration
• Postgraduate qualification (MBA/PGDM in Operations, Hospitality, or Tourism) preferred
• 7+ years of experience in multi-unit hospitality or service operations (hotels, hostels, resorts)
• Minimum 2–3 years in a supervisory/area/cluster operations role managing multiple properties
• Experience in new property launches, stabilisation, or turnaround will be an added advantage
• Hands-on experience with Property Management Systems (PMS) such as eZee Absolute, Opera, IDS, RMS, Stayflexi, or similar platforms
• Practical working knowledge of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) including Booking.com, MakeMyTrip, Goibibo, Agoda, Expedia, Airbnb, etc.
• Exposure to revenue management tools, dashboards, and MIS reporting systems
• Solid understanding of hotel P&L structures, cost controls, budgeting, and variance analysis
• Experience managing operational KPIs such as occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, GOP, guest satisfaction scores, and audit ratings
• Knowledge of statutory compliance, safety standards, and operational audits
• Strong analytical mindset with ability to interpret operational and revenue data
• Proven people leadership and performance management capabilities
• Willingness to travel extensively across assigned locations
• Language knowledge - Hindi, English, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, etc.