Senior Guest Operations Lead – Short-Term Rentals

Senior Guest Operations Lead – Short-Term Rentals

Remote | Philippines | Full-Time

About Us

Xenia Living is a fast-growing hospitality company based in Illinois managing 80+ short-term and mid-term rental properties.

We combine hospitality, technology, and strong operational systems to deliver exceptional experiences for our guests and property owners.

We are looking for an exceptional Senior Guest Operations Lead to take ownership of our day-to-day guest operations.

This is not a traditional Virtual Assistant role.

We are looking for someone who can think independently, make good decisions under pressure, solve problems without constant direction, and eventually grow into a larger Operations Manager position within the company.

The Role

Your mission is simple:

Make sure our guests have an exceptional experience and that operational issues are resolved quickly, professionally, and without unnecessary escalation.

You will be the quarterback of daily guest operations.

When something goes wrong, you don't simply pass the problem to someone else. You assess the situation, coordinate the right people, communicate with the guest, follow the issue through completion, and document what happened.

Just as importantly, when you notice the same problem happening repeatedly, we expect you to help us fix the underlying process.

What You'll Own

Guest Experience & Escalations

• Manage guest communication across Airbnb, VRBO, ---------- , direct reservations, phone, and other channels
• Handle escalated guest situations calmly and professionally
• Make sound decisions within company policies without requiring constant approval
• Coordinate reservation changes, early check-ins, late check-outs, refunds, relocations, and other guest needs
• Proactively identify reservations or situations that may create guest-experience risks
• Protect and improve our guest review scores

Cleaning & Maintenance Coordination

• Coordinate cleaners, maintenance technicians, contractors, and local vendors
• Triage operational issues based on urgency and guest impact
• Follow every important issue through completion instead of simply assigning it
• Verify completion using photos, videos, and documentation
• Ensure properties are guest-ready before arrival
• Coordinate urgent and after-hours situations when necessary
• Escalate only when an issue truly requires senior leadership involvement

OTA & Property Operations

• Work inside Hostaway and other property-management systems
• Manage Airbnb, VRBO, ---------- , and other OTA operational issues
• Submit and manage Airbnb AirCover/damage claims
• Handle appropriate review disputes and draft responses to guest reviews
• Monitor reservation and listing issues that could negatively affect guests or revenue
• Maintain accurate operational documentation

Quality & Process Improvement

We don't want someone who simply completes tasks.

We want someone who makes the operation better.

You will:

• Identify recurring guest, cleaning, and maintenance problems
• Help improve SOPs and internal documentation
• Identify tasks that should be automated
• Recommend better workflows
• Audit operational quality and identify gaps
• Help ensure tea ---------- mbers and vendors follow established processes
• Ask "How do we prevent this from happening again?" after recurring problems

What We're Looking For

Required

• 3+ years of experience in short-term rentals, vacation rentals, hospitality operations, property management, or a closely related field
• Strong Airbnb and OTA knowledge
• Experience with a PMS such as Hostaway, Guesty, Hospitable, or similar
• Excellent written English
• Excellent spoken English and confidence communicating by phone
• Strong judgment and problem-solving ability
• Ability to remain calm during stressful guest situations
• High attention to detail
• Strong follow-through
• Comfortable making decisions independently
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving startup environment
• Reliable internet connection and professional remote-work environment
• Availability for scheduled weekend and U.S.-hour coverage

Strongly Preferred

• Airbnb AirCover/Resolution Center experience
• Experience coordinating cleaners and maintenance vendors
• Hostaway experience
• Breezeway experience
• PriceLabs experience
• Experience with Slack and ClickUp
• Experience improving SOPs or operational workflows
• Familiarity with AI and automation tools

You're Probably a Great Fit If...

When something goes wrong, your instinct isn't:

"Who should I ask what to do?"

It's:

"What are my options, what's the best decision, and how do I get this resolved?"

You take ownership from beginning to end.

You communicate before people have to ask for updates.

You notice details other people miss.

You stay calm when several things go wrong simultaneously.

You don't like solving the same problem over and over—you improve the process so it happens less often.

And you're looking for somewhere you can grow, not simply another remote job.

What Success Looks Like

During your first 90 days, we expect you to:

• Maintain 95%+ guest responses within five minutes during assigned coverage
• Have zero missed critical escalations
• Ensure important maintenance and cleaning issues are tracked through completion
• Demonstrate excellent guest communication and judgment
• Reduce unnecessary escalations to senior leadership
• Identify and help implement at least two meaningful operational improvements
• Contribute to maintaining a 4.8+ portfolio guest rating

Growth Opportunity

We're intentionally hiring someone with the potential to become much more than a guest-support specialist.

Exceptional performance can lead to increased responsibility and advancement into an Operations Manager role as the company grows.

We want someone who can grow with the company over the next several years.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive monthly USD compensation based on experience
• 13th-month pay
• Paid time off
• Performance-based growth opportunities
• Long-term advancement potential

How to Apply

We're looking for exceptional candidates, so please take a few minutes to help us understand how you think and communicate.

Step 1 – Submit Your Resume

Please provide your most recent resume and LinkedIn profile, if available.

Step 2 – Record a Short Video

Record a maximum 3-minute video answering:

1. Briefly tell us about your short-term rental or hospitality operations experience.
2. Tell us about a difficult guest or operational situation you personally owned from beginning to end. What happened, what did you do, and what was the outcome?
3. Tell us about one process you improved at a previous company. What was broken, and what did you change?

Please don't read from a script. We're interested in how you communicate and think.

Step 3 – Complete Our Short Application

Submit your information here:

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Candidates who advance will participate in an operational interview and realistic hospitality scenario exercise.

Please follow the application instructions carefully. Incomplete applications may not be considered.