Kedron Valley Inn
4778 South Road
South Woodstock, VT 05071
Telephone (802) 457-1473
Website kedronvalleyinn.com
Managed by EOS Hospitality
Description
JOB SUMMARY:
The General Manager is responsible for the overall leadership and performance of the property, overseeing hotel operations, food and beverage, guest experience, sales, financial performance, team leadership, and community engagement.
This role requires a highly visible, hands-on leader who enjoys being present with guests and employees while building systems that support sustainable growth. The General Manager will lead the property's transition into a professionally managed boutique destination while preserving the personal hospitality and community relationships that make the inn unique.
The successful candidate is an entrepreneurial hospitality leader who enjoys wearing multiple hats and thrives in an independent hotel environment. They are equally comfortable greeting guests in the lobby, supporting restaurant service during a busy dinner, touring a prospective wedding client, reviewing financial performance, mentoring department leaders, and representing the property at a local community event.
They appreciate the traditions of a family-built business while bringing the systems, leadership, and operational discipline necessary to elevate performance and prepare the property for its next phase of growth.
Key Responsibilities
Property Leadership
- Lead all day-to-day operations of the inn, restaurant, and supporting departments.
- Foster a culture centered on genuine hospitality, teamwork, accountability, and continuous improvement.
- Maintain an active presence throughout the property, engaging with guests, employees, and community partners.
- Lead by example with a hands-on management style appropriate for an independent boutique property
Hotel Operations
- Oversee Front Office, Housekeeping, Maintenance, and Guest Services.
- Optimize occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, and overall guest satisfaction.
- Implement operational standards and SOPs consistent with EOS Hospitality.
- Lead the property's transition to modern hospitality technology, including PMS and reservation platforms.
- Ensure exceptional execution across every stage of the guest journey.
Food & Beverage Leadership
- Provide operational oversight of the restaurant while partnering closely with culinary and restaurant leadership.
- Understand both front-of-house and back-of-house restaurant operations.
- Support menu execution, service standards, labor management, and profitability.
- Maintain operational continuity should leadership changes occur within the restaurant team.
- Collaborate with culinary leadership to preserve the restaurant's strong local reputation while identifying opportunities for continued growth.
Sales & Revenue Generation
- Serve as an ambassador for the property throughout the region.
- Support and cultivate weddings, corporate retreats, social events, room blocks, and group business.
- Personally engage with prospective clients and key accounts when appropriate.
- Partner with EOS Hospitality marketing and revenue management teams to maximize business opportunities.
- Develop relationships with local organizations, tourism partners, businesses, and community leaders.
Marketing & Community Engagement
- Actively promote the property within the local and regional community.
- Support marketing initiatives designed to increase awareness, direct bookings, restaurant traffic, and event business.
- Help position the property as a premier destination for leisure travel, weddings, and special events.
- Participate in community organizations and local events that strengthen the property's visibility and reputation.
Financial Leadership
- Partner with the Director of Finance to develop annual operating budgets, capital plans, and periodic forecasts for the property.
- Own the financial performance of the property by managing labor, expenses, revenues, and departmental profitability while balancing the guest experience.
- Review monthly financial statements and operating results, providing meaningful analysis and action plans in partnership with corporate finance and ownership.
- Monitor operating trends, identify opportunities to improve profitability, and implement initiatives that increase revenue, control costs, and maximize return on investment.
- Review and approve all property invoices prior to payment. Centralized Accounting will manage vendor setup, accounts payable processing, payment execution (with the exception of certain local operational purchases required on delivery such as liquor invoices).
- Manage daily cash handling procedures, including bank deposits and submission of supporting documentation to Centralized Accounting for financial recording.
- Review and approve payroll for accuracy, ensuring all hours, wage adjustments, and supporting documentation are complete prior to processing. Payroll administration, processing, corrections, and tax reporting are managed by Centralized Accounting.
- Partner with ownership and corporate leadership to identify, prioritize, and execute capital improvement projects, balancing routine replacement needs with strategic investments that enhance guest experience and generate long-term returns.
- Collaborate closely with Centralized Accounting, which is responsible for daily revenue reconciliation, balance sheet accounting, monthly financial close, bank and credit card reconciliations, financial reporting, and the preparation of ownership reporting packages.
Team Leadership
- Recruit, develop, coach, and retain exceptional team members.
- Build a collaborative leadership team across all departments.
- Establish accountability through regular communication, performance management, and professional development.
- Preserve the property's family-oriented culture while introducing scalable operational practices.
Growth & Strategic Projects
- Assist with opening planning, operational readiness, staffing, training, and guest experience as new inventory comes online.
- Identify operational improvements that support long-term growth without sacrificing authenticity.
KEY SKILLS & EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:
- Minimum 5 years of progressive hotel leadership experience, preferably as a General Manager, Resort Manager, or Director of Operations.
- Experience in boutique hotels, independent inns, resorts, or luxury hospitality preferred.
- Working knowledge of food and beverage operations, including both front-of-house and back-of-house. Deep culinary expertise is not required, but candidates should comfortable leading restaurant operations.
- Demonstrated experience driving sales, cultivating group business, and supporting weddings or events.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing budgets, forecasting, labor, and profitability.
- Experience implementing or utilizing hotel technology platforms, including property management systems. Experience with Stayntouch, OpenTable, or similar platforms is preferred.
- Excellent communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.
- Comfortable working closely with ownership during a period of transition and growth.
- Passion for boutique hospitality and creating memorable guest experiences.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE JOB:
- Ability to remain standing for up to 8 hours
- Ability to remain seated for up to 8 hours
- Ability to walk the property and grounds frequently
- Ability to move up and down stairs regularly
- Ability to move quickly based on guest needs
- Ability to visibly survey property areas clearly
- Ability to view a digital computer/tablet screen for extended period of time, up to 8 hours
- Ability to communicate and exchange information effectively, often in a public/group setting
- Ability to read, write, speak, and understand English
- Ability to complete a satisfactory background check
- Ability to work flexible hours based on business needs including midweek and weekend days
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:
- Performance-based incentive opportunity
- Opportunity to lease a designated General Manager residence located near the property. The home is available at a preferred employee rental rate with rent and utilities being the responsibility of the General Manager.
- Comprehensive benefits package
- Professional development opportunities through EOS Hospitality
Equal Opportunity Employer
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Kedron Valley Inn
Hotel
Our Romantic Inn in Vermont's Green Mountains
As one of the most romantic and historic inns in the Green Mountains of southern Vermont, the Kedron Valley Inn has a long and varied past. History ebbs and flows through every post and beam, and every room has a story to tell. Dark wood furniture and antique decor remain the staples of the Inn today, and the foundation and framework of one of Vermont's oldest inns hasn't changed in more than 185 years.
In 1822, a store for gristmill workers and mill owners in South Woodstock Village was built by Richard Ransom, Jr. (this is the oldest building in the present Inn complex, now known as the Tavern Building.) The local newspaper reported that the building was dedicated with a gathering of singers from the region "who converged for the occasion to celebrate the completion of this structure." The third store in the Village, it became a social center of the community, providing services from banking to barbering, and the trading and bartering of goods, as well as home of the first post office in South Woodstock.
In 1828, John Quincy Adam's son, John, was married at the White House, Andrew Jackson was elected the seventh President of the United States and the Main House was constructed as a dwelling for the Ransom family. Originally called the Ransom House, it was also used as an Inn and tavern.
The handsome Federal Style building reflected the architecture of the era as settlers' cabins and small frame houses were being replaced with substantial brick homes. The community had numerous mills along the banks of the Kedron Stream and it was an active, thriving, self-sufficient agricultural community of enterprising, enlightened and educated citizens.
In 1848, the famous National Hall was built connecting the Main Building to the Tavern Building. This was a large auditorium where dances, concerts, parties, debates, political meetings, public exercises and many other activities were held.
Unfortunately, this structure was eventually lost in the early 1900's. Later in the 19th century, both rumor and historical documents indicate that the Inn was a stop on the eastern Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves.
Through the early 1900s, the Inn was known at The Colonial Inn and spacious porches with columns and pilasters, plus a continuous dormer on the third floor, were added to the Main Building. Then, in the middle of the 20th century, the property was renamed the Kedron Valley Inn and the name has stayed to this day. From 1960-1985 the Inn was owned by Paul Kendall, an eighth generation South Woodstock resident. The Log Lodge was added, a swimming and fishing pond was created and the original Tavern Building, which had housed the bar and dining facilities, was converted entirely into guest rooms.
The Inn is currently owned and operated by a Vermont based hotel company specialized in combining the warmth of hyper local elegance with the sophistication of world class luxury. The appeal of "relaxing in the country" is as strong as ever, and throughout the history of the Kedron Valley Inn its owners and proprietors have considered themselves caretakers of history -- maintaining the integrity of the buildings and surrounding grounds for more almost two centuries.