Openings Manager - Hotels in London

We are seeking an experienced Hotel Opening Project Manager with deep operational expertise and a track record of developing and delivering client briefs, to lead and coordinate the successful opening of new hotels. This role is the critical link between hotel operations, design, and construction teams to ensure the property is built and delivered in line with the client brief, and launched to brand and operational standards.

This is not a construction PM role. It is a hotel specialist position with a strong understanding of developing and delivering client briefs, how hotels come to life and how operational requirements must inform and align with physical design and development processes.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the formation of the client brief that dictates construction builds, ensuring operational requirements and brand standards are embedded from the outset.
• Continuously refine and evolve the brief based on operational feedback and lessons learned from previous projects.
• Act as the operational lead in meetings with design, construction, and development teams, ensuring operational needs are integrated into construction and FF&E/OS&E decisions.
• Create and manage detailed and integrated project plans, critical paths, opening timelines and checklists in coordination with construction schedules, procurement plans, and hotel leadership
• Implement systems or tools to monitor progress, flag risks and record learnings
• Facilitate alignment among ownership, brand, technical services, procurement, IT, and operations to ensure smooth handover and readiness.
• Lead site readiness reviews, oversee pre-opening task force deployment, and support the hotel through soft and full opening.
• Provide regular progress reports to senior leadership and recommend process optimizations.

Qualifications:

• 5–10 years of hotel operations experience, with a minimum of 3 years in pre-opening leadership roles (as project manager, task force lead, or opening director).
• Strong knowledge of hotel operating models and how they intersect with physical design (front/back of house, guest experience, compliance, etc.).
• Experience interfacing with construction, design, FF&E/OS&E, and technical services teams.
• Outstanding organizational, communication, and leadership skills across diverse stakeholders.
• Familiarity with project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet, Asana, MS Project).
• PMP or similar certification is a plus.