General Manager

The Hike Inn is a sustainably designed, LEED certified facility, nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains near the Appalachian Trail. Georgia's only backcountry lodge is well-known for providing exceptional guest services with welcoming Southern hospitality and presenting quality environmental education programs. Our mission is to facilitate a connection with nature and to protect Georgia’s natural resources through education and recreation.

Open year round, the Hike Inn offers distinctive guest experiences in a beautiful backcountry wilderness setting. All guests hike in on a rolling five-mile trail traversing forested ridges and clear mountain streams of Amicalola Falls State Park and Chattahoochee National Forest. After a few hours in nature, hikers are welcomed with a friendly smile and provided comfortable lodging in an enchanting setting. Simple bunk rooms with fresh linens, hot showers, delicious home-cooked meals, a fun community atmosphere, and engaging educational programs provide satisfying touches of comfort and inspiration.

Guests are offered a relaxing setting and an interesting facility tour focusing on the history and sustainability initiatives of the inn before being served a hearty dinner presented family-style. After dinner evening programs offer a deeper exploration into various subjects from thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail to the flora and fauna of the region. The community room is a guest favorite, providing a fun place to play board games, do jigsaw puzzles, play music, and connect with others. During clear weather, star gazing in the night sky and watching the sunrise over the mountains offer beautiful moments of quiet reflection. A nourishing, hot breakfast sets up folks for another great day outside on the trail. Changes in weather and seasons offer adventure and beauty.

Our Outside School program hosts school and youth groups for overnight educational trips to the Inn. On the hike, the students may learn about the history of the Appalachian Trail and public lands, Leave No Trace principles, natural history and ecological processes of the Southern Appalachian forests. At the Inn, the students participate with hands on learning of green building and sustainability practices, focusing on solar energy, both photovoltaic and solar thermal; energy efficiency; water conservation with composting toilets, rainwater catchment and native garden design; soil conservation with vermiculture and bin composting; and participation with our infamous Zero Food Waste tradition during meals.

Serving as a beloved wilderness retreat and learning resource center for over 25 years, a visit to the Hike Inn inspires a love for hiking, nature and environmental stewardship. It is a special opportunity for guests to slow down, unplug, connect with nature, family and friends, learn something new, and refresh their spirits.

Our great staff is the key to our guests having a positive experience. We are a close knit team who share a common interest in hiking, the outdoors, sustainability and education. We work hard, have a lot of fun, and love what we do. If you enjoy people, are conservation minded, appreciate contributing your passion and skills to further an important mission, and value working and living in a remote area surrounded by beautiful nature, this position may be for you.

GENERAL MANAGER POSITION SUMMARY:

The Hike Inn is now accepting applications for a General Manager for a live-on site, permanent position.  We are seeking an outstanding professional with well-balanced management, outdoor recreation, and education experience capable of expertly leading our small team and overseeing daily inn operations.

The Hike Inn General Manager is responsible for ensuring the quality of services meet or exceed customer expectations and overall operations run smoothly. This opportunity will focus on developing team members, identifying ways to increase the quality of customer service, implementing best practices across all levels, and supporting the Hike Inn mission.

We are looking for a passionate individual with strong hospitality and property management experience, who has a great balance of welcoming customer service, strong administrative organization, productive leadership skills, and engaging educational expertise. A friendly, positive attitude and a supportive team player with strong interpersonal and communication skills is essential. 

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Ensure excellent guest services and daily inn operations are maintained as scheduled and best practices across all levels are achieved. 

• Develop, lead and assist a team capable of carrying out organizational objectives that meet high quality standards and traditions.
• Train, supervise and support staff in all areas of inn operations - front office, kitchen, housekeeping, maintenance, education and Friends of Hike Inn volunteers.
• Advance positive guest, staff and volunteer relations through personal involvement, skillful communication, supportive assistance and strong leadership.
• Operate the front desk welcoming and assisting guests; conduct merchandise sales; organize and manage inventory keeping accurate records.
• Administer office duties; generate daily, weekly and monthly accounting and reports with sharp attention to detail and distribution deadlines; prepare staff and volunteer schedules; conduct all required new hire paperwork and ongoing staff evaluations - coach and train as needed to improve employee performance.
• Coordinate the kitchen team in all aspects of meal service and food safety, including facilitating training of new staff and volunteers and ordering of food and supplies.
• Execute the highest standards of service, cleanliness, quality, teamwork and safety.
• Oversee laundry and cleaning operations, and personally support cleaning staff as needed to maintain the property's high standards of cleanliness and organization.
• Ensure the inn and grounds are being maintained in good working order; effectively communicate with the offsite Executive Director and Board of Directors current status of inn operations.
• Manage the inn with short term (yearly) and long term (5-year) goals in regards to operations and capital improvements.
• Conduct interactive facility tours focusing on the history of the inn, green building, LEED certification, sustainability initiatives, and connection to the environment.
• Develop and present quality evening educational programs that engage and inspire.
• Coordinate, write, and publish content for a monthly newsletter and social media.
• Monitor solar energy generation with SolarEdge and Enphase software and maintain LEED certification data logs in the sustainability performance platform, Arc.
• Promote the Hike Inn’s mission of conservation of Georgia’s natural resources through education and recreation.