Job description

Do you see yourself as the Cluster Learning & Development Manager of InterContinental Hotels Group® at Dubai Festival City?

As the world’s first and most global luxury hotel brand, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has pioneered international travel since the 1940s, we are passionate about sharing our renowned international know-how and cultural wisdom in truly impressive surroundings. We all take great pride in being genuine ambassadors of the InterContinental®️ brand and to be part of the brand you will have a thirst for travel, passion for culture and appreciation for diversity. We create inspiring experiences for those seeking a richer perspective on the world. If you’d like to embrace a world of opportunities, we’d like to welcome you to the world’s most international luxury hotel brand.

The IHG Hotels at Dubai Festival City consists of four hotels. These include the luxury and lifestyle brand InterContinental, the lavish long-stay InterContinental Residence Suites, the premium Crowne Plaza, and the essentials Holiday Inn & Suites. In addition to over 1,600 rooms, the cluster boasts a selection of 16 restaurants and bars, an impressive 3,800-square-metre Event Centre across two levels, the 5,000-square-metre Festival Arena by InterContinental, the luxurious Spa InterContinental, and state-of-the-art gym and swimming pool facilities. We are looking for people who are friendly, welcoming, and full of life to join over 1,200 colleagues who are always finding ways to make every guest's experience an enjoyable one. We value the passion and enthusiasm of our colleagues and encourage you to share your passion when you work with us.

A little taste of your day-to-day:

• Guest Journey & Luxury Experience Design:
  • Own and support the end-to-end guest journey, ensuring it is thoughtfully designed, consistently delivered, and aligned with brand culture, luxury service philosophy, and Luxury Service Certifications and standards.
  • Evaluate each guest touchpoint across all departments to ensure seamless, personalized, and anticipatory service experiences.
  • Partner with department heads to translate brand standards into meaningful guest interactions that elevate emotional engagement and guest loyalty.
  • Continuously refine the guest journey based on guest feedback, operational insights, and evolving luxury hospitality trends.
• Luxury Service Culture & Standards:
  • Act as the hotel’s subject-matter expert on luxury service excellence, global hospitality trends, and best practices, in line with brand specific guidelines and standards.
  • Embed a strong culture of quality and service excellence across all departments through visible leadership and hands-on operational presence.
  • Support the General Manager and Heads of Department in understanding, interpreting, and embedding external Luxury Service practices (if applicable) into daily operations and leadership behaviors. This may include but not limited to; changes in Policies and Procedures, SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), and Modalities of Service.
  • Ensure consistent delivery of personalized, thoughtful, and detail-oriented service aligned with the hotel’s luxury service philosophy.
• Brand & Service Audits & Compliance or Other Luxury Service Certifications (if applicable):
  • Lead the hotel’s Brand & Service Audits & Compliance or Other Luxury Service Certifications (i.e., Forbes Travel Guide) readiness, certification, and re-certification processes.
  • Plan and conduct regular internal quality audits, service evaluations, and compliance reviews across all operational areas.
  • Organize and manage mystery guest programs to provide objective insights into service consistency and guest perception.
  • Monitor audit findings, identify service gaps, and ensure corrective and preventive actions are implemented and sustained.
• Guest Feedback, Analytics & Performance Improvement:
  • Analyze Guest Love scores, Guest Satisfaction Index (GSI) results, and other guest feedback platforms to identify trends, strengths, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Prepare and present quality and guest experience performance reports to the Executive Committee, highlighting key drivers, risks, and focus areas.
  • Partner with Heads of Department to develop clear, actionable improvement plans aligned with departmental and hotel-wide metrics and goals.
  • Monitor progress against action plans and support departments in achieving annual guest satisfaction and quality targets.
• Learning & Development Collaboration:
  • Work closely with the Learning & Development team to deliver luxury service training programs aligned with brand and Luxury Service Certifications and standards.
  • Support onboarding programs to embed quality, service excellence, and brand culture philosophy from day one.
  • Facilitate workshops and coaching sessions together Learning & Development team with focus on luxury service behaviors, emotional intelligence, guest engagement, and attention to detail.
    Contribute to the development and continuous enhancement of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs to reflect evolving luxury service expectations).
• Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
  • Collaborate with all department heads to drive ownership and accountability for service excellence and quality outcomes.
  • Act as a trusted advisor to the General Manager and leadership team, balancing guest experience priorities with operational realities.
  • Foster a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and pride in luxury service delivery across the hotel.

What we need from you:

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Proven experience in quality management, guest experience, or hotel operations within a luxury hospitality environment.
• Strong operational understanding across Rooms, Food & Beverage, Spa, Sales & Marketing, and Support Departments.
• In-depth knowledge of luxury service principles and guest experience management.
• Direct experience with Luxury Service Certifications (i.e., Forbes Travel Guide / Michelin Service Guide / LQA / or similar luxury benchmarking programs is highly preferred).

What you can expect from us:

We give our people everything they need to succeed, from a competitive salary that rewards all your hard work to a wide range of benefits designed to help you live your best work life – including impressive room discounts and some of the best training in the business.

Our mission is to welcome everyone and create inclusive teams where we celebrate differences and encourage colleagues to bring their whole selves to work. IHG Hotels & Resorts provides equal employment opportunities to all applicants. We promote a culture of trust, support, and acceptance, always welcoming different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

IHG gives every member of the team the Room to Belong, Room to Grow, and a Room to Make a Difference in a collaborative environment. We know that to work well, we need to feel well – both inside and outside of work – and through our myWellbeing framework, we are committed to supporting wellbeing in your health, lifestyle, and workplace.

So, join us, and you’ll become part of our ever-growing global family.