The Director of Catering & Events is responsible for leading the strategic direction, sales performance, planning, and execution of all catering, social, corporate, and special events at El Encanto. This leadership role oversees the complete event lifecycle, from when the contract is signed and handed over by the sales manager through post-event follow-up, ensuring every experience reflects the hotel's luxury standards while maximizing revenue, profitability, and guest satisfaction.
Working collaboratively with Food & Beverage, Culinary, Front Office, Housekeeping, Engineering, and Sales & Marketing, the Director of Catering & Events serves as the primary liaison for event clients while ensuring flawless execution across all departments. This position is responsible for driving catering revenue and cultivating new business opportunities in conjunction with sales, maintaining strong client relationships, and leading the Catering & Events team through a culture of service excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Catering Sales & Business Development
- Work with the Sales team to develop and execute strategic initiatives to maximize catering revenue, banquet profitability, and overall event performance.
- Generate new catering business through networking, community engagement, and client referrals.
- Build and maintain relationships with corporate clients, wedding planners, destination management companies, local organizations, and repeat guests.
- Partner with the Sales team to identify opportunities that increase overall hotel revenue and occupancy.
- Analyze market trends, competitive activity, and local demand to identify new revenue opportunities.
Event Planning & Execution
- Oversee the planning and successful execution of weddings, corporate meetings, conferences, private dining events, celebrations, and any other resort functions (both internal and external).
- Serve as the primary point of contact throughout the planning process, ensuring personalized service and attention to detail.
- Arrange and execute site tours, planning meetings, menu tastings, pre-conference meetings, and event walkthroughs.
- Prepare Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), resumes, diagrams, timelines, and detailed event documentation.
- Ensure seamless communication between all operational departments before, during, and after each event.
- Monitor events on-site to ensure flawless execution and immediate resolution of guest concerns.
Leadership & Team Development
- Lead, coach, and develop the Catering & Events team through regular communication, performance feedback, and ongoing training.
- Foster a culture centered on luxury hospitality, teamwork, accountability, and exceptional guest experiences.
- Conduct regular department meetings focused on operational updates, service standards, revenue performance, and professional development.
- Recruit, onboard, and retain high-performing team members while supporting succession planning.
- Promote collaboration between Catering, Sales, Culinary, Banquets, and resort leadership.
Financial & Operational Management
- Manage departmental budgets while achieving revenue, profitability, and productivity goals.
- Forecast catering revenue and monitor pace, booking trends, and event performance.
- Review banquet profitability, menu pricing, labor utilization, and operational costs to maximize financial performance.
- Ensure accurate billing, deposits, contracts, commissions, and final invoicing.
- Monitor guest satisfaction metrics and implement continuous improvements based on client feedback.
Luxury Guest Experience
- Deliver highly personalized service throughout every stage of the event experience.
- Anticipate guest needs while exceeding expectations through thoughtful planning and proactive communication.
- Ensure all events consistently reflect El Encanto's luxury standards and commitment to exceptional hospitality.
- Personally engage with VIP clients and high-profile events to ensure memorable experiences.
- Resolve service opportunities professionally while maintaining strong client relationships.
