Hotel COO Role, Responsibilities with SOPs

The Chief Operating Officer (COO) in a hotel organization is responsible for transforming strategic vision into operational reality. While the CEO focuses on growth and vision, the COO ensures that daily operations, systems, and people deliver consistent performance, profitability, and guest satisfaction across all properties.

This Post explains the role, key responsibilities, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) of a Hotel COO.

Role of a Hotel COO

The Hotel COO is the second-in-command executive who oversees hotel operations, ensures brand consistency, and drives operational excellence across single or multiple properties.

Core Role Summary

• Execute company strategy through operations

• Oversee GMs, Operations Directors, and HODs

• Drive profitability, productivity, and quality

• Ensure compliance, safety, and brand standards

Key Responsibilities of a Hotel COO

1. Strategic Execution & Business Performance

• Translate CEO vision into operational plans

• Monitor performance against business goals

• Drive efficiency, scalability, and growth readiness

• Support expansion, pre-opening, and management contracts

2. Financial Management & Profitability

• Oversee P&L, GOP, and operational cost controls

• Approve operational budgets and manpower plans

• Monitor RevPAR, ADR, and productivity ratios

• Improve margins through process optimization

3. Operational Excellence & Standardization

• Ensure SOP implementation across all departments

• Standardize processes across properties

• Conduct audits and quality reviews

• Implement continuous improvement initiatives

4. Brand Standards & Guest Experience

• Uphold brand promise and service culture

• Monitor guest satisfaction and reputation management

• Oversee complaint resolution and service recovery

• Ensure consistent brand delivery across touchpoints

5. Leadership & Talent Management

• Build and mentor senior operational leaders

• Drive training, performance management, and succession planning

• Foster a high-performance, guest-centric culture

• Support HR policies and employee engagement

6. Risk Management & Compliance

• Ensure legal, statutory, and safety compliance

• Oversee fire, FSSAI, labor, and security standards

• Lead crisis management and contingency planning

• Minimize operational and reputational risks

7. Cross-Functional Coordination

• Align operations with sales, marketing, finance, and HR

• Support large events, MICE, and corporate accounts

• Coordinate technology and system upgrades

• Ensure operational readiness for promotions and launches

Hotel COO – Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Daily SOPs

• Review daily flash reports and operational KPIs

• Monitor occupancy, revenue, and service issues

• Review escalated guest complaints

• Communicate with Operations Directors and GMs

Weekly SOPs

• Conduct leadership and operations review meetings

• Review cost controls, manpower efficiency, and quality

• Monitor compliance and safety reports

• Review sales forecasts and operational preparedness

Monthly SOPs

• Review P&L, GOP, and variance analysis

• Evaluate brand audits and guest satisfaction trends

• Review manpower budgets and productivity

• Approve corrective action plans

Quarterly SOPs

• Strategic performance and market review

• Evaluate operational benchmarks and efficiency

• Review CAPEX utilization and asset performance

• Review leadership development and succession plans

Annual SOPs

• Support annual business planning and budgeting

• Review SOPs, policies, and brand standards

• Approve renovation, expansion, and pre-opening plans

• Conduct senior leadership performance evaluations

Key Skills Required for a Hotel COO

• Strong operational and financial expertise

• Strategic execution capability

• Leadership and people development skills

• Analytical and problem-solving ability

• Crisis and risk management

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management

KPIs to Measure Hotel COO Performance

• GOP and operational margin growth

• Guest satisfaction and brand compliance scores

• Cost efficiency and productivity ratios

• Employee retention and engagement

• Expansion readiness and operational scalability

The Hotel COO is the operational backbone of the organization, ensuring that strategy, systems, and service work together seamlessly. With clearly defined responsibilities and SOPs, the COO enables consistent guest experiences, financial discipline, and sustainable growth.

A strong COO transforms hospitality operations into scalable, high-performance systems.