Kieran Smith
Kilcock
Summary
Senior hospitality professional with 2 years of combined Duty Manager and Guest Experience Manager experience in a 4 star hotel. Proven operational leadership across Rooms, F&B, Kitchen, Weddings, and Events, with direct accountability for service delivery, labour management, and payroll control. Delivered measurable improvements in guest satisfaction, contributing to the hotel achieving the 2nd highest TripAdvisor ranking in County Kildare. Experienced in staff training, coaching, and performance management, with multi-property exposure including operational support and best-practice implementation across the hotel group. Proven ability to control labour costs, manage payroll within forecasted targets, and execute operational plans aligned with budgeted performance.
Overview
2
2
years of professional experience
Work History
Duty Manager & Guest Experience Manager
Springfield Hotel
Kildare, Ireland
01.2024 - Current
- Hotel-wide operational leadership across Food & Beverage, Weddings, Events, Kitchen, Rooms and Guest Experience in a high-volume 4 star environment.
- Acted as the senior manager on duty, with full responsibility for service delivery, standards compliance, and real-time operational decision-making.
- Key operational contributor during the hotel’s successful transition from 3 to 4 star status, supporting standards implementation, audits, and staff training across all departments.
- Led guest experience strategy and service recovery, contributing to the hotel achieving the 2nd highest TripAdvisor ranking in County Kildare in 2025.
- Analysed guest feedback trends and implemented service improvements to enhance guest satisfaction and brand consistency.
- Produced and managed labour rosters for the entire Food & Beverage operation (largest payroll cost centre), weddings, and functions.
- Controlled payroll delivery in line with GM-set forecasts and payroll percentage targets through effective labour deployment.
- Conducted interviews, made hiring recommendations, and onboarded new team members across operational departments.
- Trained, coached, and mentored staff across the Front Office, F&B, Kitchen, and Accommodation on service standards and guest interaction.
- Worked closely with the Sales and Events teams to align staffing and service delivery with confirmed and forecasted business levels.
- Selected by senior leadership to support and train a second group hotel in Dublin, following a period of declining performance.
- Delivered a group-level presentation to senior management on payroll best practices, forecasting accuracy, and labour control across multiple properties.
Education
Certificate - Hospitality & Hotel Management
Skillnet – Management Developmoent Course
Various 4 Star Hotel Properties Across Ireland12-2025
Skills
- Hotel-wide Operations Management
- Senior manager on duty / real-time decision-making
- Multi-department oversight (Rooms, F&B, Kitchen, Events, Weddings)
- Labour rostering and payroll control
- Working to forecasted budgets and payroll % targets
- Guest satisfaction strategy
- Complaint resolution & service recovery
- Quality & brand standards enforcement
- Staff training, coaching, and mentoring
- Budget adherence & cost management
- Payroll and labour cost control within budget targets across Food & Beverage, meetings & events, and weddings
- Labour planning and rostering for high-volume F&B and large-scale events
- Recruitment and onboarding
- Performance management
- Multi-property operational training
- Cross-hotel best-practice implementation
Accomplishments
TripAdvisor – Second Most Well-Reviewed Hotel in County Kildare (2025):
Achieved during tenure as Duty Manager and Guest Experience Manager, reflecting sustained improvements in service standards and guest satisfaction.
Successful 3 to 4 star Fáilte Ireland Classification:
Member of the management team during the full classification transition, contributing across all operational departments to meet upgraded service and quality standards.
Group Management Development Programme:
Selected to represent the property at group level for advanced management training, including delivery of a payroll best-practice presentation to senior group leadership and departmental heads.
Achieved during tenure as Duty Manager and Guest Experience Manager, reflecting sustained improvements in service standards and guest satisfaction.
Successful 3 to 4 star Fáilte Ireland Classification:
Member of the management team during the full classification transition, contributing across all operational departments to meet upgraded service and quality standards.
Group Management Development Programme:
Selected to represent the property at group level for advanced management training, including delivery of a payroll best-practice presentation to senior group leadership and departmental heads.
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Duty Manager & Guest Experience Manager
Springfield Hotel
01.2024 - Current
Certificate - Hospitality & Hotel Management
Skillnet – Management Developmoent Course