Director of Operations presso Herschend Enterprises

The Director of Operations offers an extraordinary opportunity to lead the pre-opening operational excellence and hospitality identity for Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel featuring 245 rooms, two F&B Entertainment venues, a market, and Dolly Parton’s Museum. Leading all aspects of hotel operations, ensuring every touchpoint from arrival to farewell, reflects the seamless, authentic, and memorable experience guests expect of SongTeller Hotel. From establishing pre-opening operational and performance standards to inspiring a culture rooted in kindness and accountability, the Director of Operations will set the tone for a property that operates with precision and heart.  To achieve success in this role, one must drive results while adhering to our Heartspitality® culture. This role will be highly rewarding for a visionary, hands-on and guest-focused leader with a demonstrated history of building strong teams and operating with excellence while driving timeless and unforgettable guest experiences.

Summary of Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee all hotel operations, ensuring pre-opening readiness and operational excellence.
• Manage Pre-Opening Critical Path process, ensuring milestones are achieved on time and with attention to detail.
• Develop and implement standard operating procedures, training programs, workflows, staffing plans, and operational systems to prepare the property for a seamless launch in Spring 2026.
• Partner with property leaders to define and maintain the hotel’s service standards, guest experience, and operational culture aligned with the SongTeller brand.
• Recruit, mentor, and inspire high-performing teams, fostering a collaborative, inclusive, and guest-focused culture across all operational areas.
• Lead and mentor Operations Leadership Teams, meeting individually to ensure excellence in service, quality, guest and host satisfaction.
• Drive a guest-centric environment, ensuring every interaction, event, and service touchpoint delivers memorable, personalized experiences that align with the SongTeller brand.
• Empower the team to go above and beyond, respond to guest feedback with grace, and always find a way to add that extra sparkle
• Champion the SongTeller brand story into operational reality ensuring that every sensory, emotional, and service element reflects a Dolly-inspired spirit
• Promote alignment and collaboration between the Museum, Reservations, Rooms, F&B, Engineering, Retail, and Programming to create a seamless, integrated guest experience
• Leverage data analytics to identify trends, enhance decision-making, and drive continuous improvement across all operational areas
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing teams to design site inspections, special events, community initiatives, and programming that engage guests and represent the property’s brand.
• Attend and participate in the weekly hotel Revenue Strategy meeting.
• Prepare annual business plans and execute the plans as outlined, critically examining, and adjusting as deemed necessary by current market conditions. Ensure the team adheres to budget, forecast and purchasing guidelines.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, labor planning, cost control, and vendor relationships to meet or exceed financial KPIs.
• Collaborate with the marketing team to develop operational programming, special events, and community engagement initiatives that attract and retain guests.
• Foster a culture of creativity and experimentation within the team.
• Oversee scheduling, shift planning, and daily operations with precision, ensuring operational consistency and excellence from the smallest detail to the overall guest experience.
• Represent Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel professionally in industry and community events, embodying the brand’s warmth, creativity, and hospitality ethos.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends, guest preferences, and competitor offerings to continually refine and enhance the hotel’s operations and amenities.
• Utilize operational systems such as Opera, Hotel Effectiveness, ProfitSword, Microsoft Office, Micros and other hotel systems to optimize performance, and maintain operational transparency.

This job description is not an “all-inclusive’ list of the duties and responsibilities of this position or of the skills and abilities required to perform this position.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of hotel operations with 3 years in senior hotel leadership role in upscale, lifestyle or luxury hotel setting.
• Hotel Opening Experience.
• Work background reflects a successful track record of accomplishment and growth in hospitality operations with proven experience leading multi-departmental hotel operations
• Experience managing large teams and delivering strong guest satisfaction results.
• The ability to think outside the box using a fresh and innovative approach in all aspects of the position and fluency in hospitality trends and competitor analysis.
• Extensive knowledge of hotel systems (e.g., PMS, POS, financial and labor management software).
• Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, and profit-and-loss analysis.
• Proven leadership skills, problem solving, team building, communication and organizational skills.
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office, POS Systems to include Micros, Crunchtime or other food and beverage recipe, inventory management and ordering software, Hotel Effectiveness, labor management tools and ProfitSword.
• A love for storytelling through the guest experience
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Flexibility to work evenings, weekends, and holidays as needed 

About Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel and Herschend

Dolly Parton’s SongTeller Hotel is the newest hospitality venture of Herschend. Our story began 75 years ago when the Herschend family discovered wonder deep in an Ozark Mountain cave—and chose to share it with the world. Today, Herschend is the largest family-held themed attractions company, with 49 leading attractions and immersive experiences that reach audiences worldwide.

While each brand offers something unique, all are united by a shared purpose: Bringing Families Closer Together by Creating Memories Worth Repeating®. Our passionate hosts make this purpose possible through everyday acts of love and service—what we call Heartspitality®—the intersection of heart and hospitality.

As an equal-opportunity employer, we strive to provide environments where every host, guest, and partner feel welcome, valued, and loved. We firmly believe that words and actions matter, which is why all individuals are to be treated equally and with respect.