Hotel Financial Controller
Dalmeny Resort Hotel – St Annes-on-Sea
Salary: From £37,500 per annum, negotiable depending on experience
Permanent | Full-time | 40 hours per week | Five days out of seven
The Dalmeny Resort Hotel is looking to appoint an experienced and commercially focused Hotel Financial Controller to take responsibility for the hotel’s complete accounting function.
Our long-standing Financial Controller will be retiring at the end of this year. We are therefore seeking an experienced hotel accounting professional who can join the business in sufficient time to benefit from a comprehensive handover and ensure a smooth transition.
This is a hands-on senior position, responsible for producing accurate and timely financial information while helping the General Manager, Directors and Heads of Department understand the hotel’s financial and operational performance.
The successful candidate must have previous accounting experience within a hotel environment. This is essential, as the role requires a strong understanding of hotel operations and key performance indicators, including occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, payroll percentages, departmental profitability and revenue performance.
Key responsibilities
- Take full responsibility for the hotel’s day-to-day accounting function and financial controls.
- Prepare accurate monthly management accounts, including the hotel’s full profit and loss statement.
- Complete daily reconciliation of hotel takings across accommodation, food and beverage, leisure and other revenue streams.
- Reconcile cash, credit card receipts, online payments, bank transactions and revenue recorded through the hotel’s operating systems.
- Investigate and resolve discrepancies promptly, ensuring that effective financial controls are consistently maintained.
- Produce accurate weekly financial and performance reports for the General Manager and Directors.
- Complete all month-end processes, including journals, accruals, prepayments, balance-sheet reconciliations and departmental analysis.
- Prepare year-end accounts and supporting schedules, working with the hotel’s external accountants and auditors as required.
- Produce financial reports for the hotel’s Directors, bank and other professional advisers as and when required.
- Manage accounts payable and accounts receivable, ensuring suppliers are paid correctly and outstanding debts are actively controlled.
- Monitor cash flow and provide accurate short- and medium-term forecasts.
- Prepare and submit VAT returns and other statutory financial information.
- Support the preparation of annual budgets, forecasts and capital-expenditure plans.
- Monitor actual performance against budget, forecast and the previous year, clearly explaining material variances.
- Review departmental profit and loss performance with the General Manager and relevant Heads of Department.
- Help departmental managers understand their financial results and identify practical actions to improve revenue, payroll productivity, cost control and profitability.
- Monitor hotel KPIs, including occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, average spend, payroll percentages and departmental operating margins.
- Review payroll information through Planday, ensuring hours, rates and payroll costs are accurate and appropriately authorised.
- Maintain the hotel’s accounts using Xero and ensure financial information is correctly reconciled with Guestline Rezlynx and other operating systems.
- Maintain effective financial policies, procedures and internal controls across the hotel.
- Protect the integrity and confidentiality of the hotel’s financial information.
- Provide clear, commercially focused financial insight to support operational and strategic decision-making.
About you
To be considered for this position, you must be able to demonstrate:
- Previous accounting experience within a hotel environment.
- Current or recent experience in a Hotel Financial Controller, Hotel Accountant or comparable senior hotel finance role.
- A recognised accounting qualification, such as ACCA, CIMA, ACA or an appropriate equivalent.
- Experience of producing complete monthly management accounts and detailed profit and loss reports.
- A strong understanding of hotel operations and industry-specific performance indicators, including occupancy, ADR and RevPAR.
- The ability to interpret financial and operational information and explain it clearly to non-financial managers.
- Experience of budgets, forecasts, cash flow, variance analysis, balance-sheet reconciliations and year-end reporting.
- Strong commercial awareness and the ability to identify risks, trends and opportunities within hotel performance.
- Excellent accuracy, organisation and attention to detail.
- The confidence to constructively challenge figures, processes and departmental performance where necessary.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with the General Manager, Directors and Heads of Department.
- A high level of discretion, professionalism and integrity.
- Strong Excel and general accounting-system skills.
- Previous experience of Xero, Planday and Guestline Rezlynx would be highly advantageous.
Hotel accounting experience is an essential requirement for this position. Applicants must already understand the relationship between a hotel’s financial results and its operational performance; this is not a first appointment into hotel finance.
What we offer
- Salary from £37,500 per annum, negotiable depending on experience.
- Permanent, full-time contract.
- 40 hours per week, worked across five days out of seven.
- 28 days’ holiday.
- Complimentary use of the hotel’s leisure club and gym facilities.
- Free meals while on duty.
- A comprehensive handover from our long-standing Financial Controller ahead of their retirement.
- Hybrid working may be considered for the right candidate once they are established in the position, subject to the operational and reporting requirements of the hotel.
If you are a qualified and experienced hotel finance professional who can combine robust financial control with practical commercial insight, we would be pleased to hear from you.
Please apply with your current CV and a covering letter outlining your hotel accounting experience, professional qualifications, the systems you have used and your experience of producing management accounts and analysing hotel performance.
Pay: £37,500.00-£42,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Canteen
- Discounted or free food
- Free parking
- Gym membership
- On-site gym
- On-site parking
- Work from home
Work Location: In person
