About The Guild

We’re turning the traditional hotel model on its head,  allowing our guests to bypass the front desk and immerse themselves into the surrounding neighborhood. We offer local insights and access, professionally-designed, locally-inspired living spaces, and gourmand-approved kitchens--without sacrificing the high-thread count linens, rosemary-scented bath products and other accoutrement of a boutique hotel. We strive to provide our guests with the lasting memories--whether in their room or out exploring the city.

Far too impatient to construct hotels from the ground-up, we instead identify vacant space in existing buildings and resourcefully convert that space into boutique hotel suites. We’ve scrapped the traditional front desk and trendy lobby lounge; instead, we leverage smartphones and home automation to simplify check-in and personalize the guest experience.

Since our March 2016 launch, we’ve been off to a blistering start. We’ve raised some money from well-respected West Coast venture investors, grown our revenues to a scale unimaginable for most 2-yr-old startups, and expanded rapidly beyond our home market of Austin, TX. Far more importantly, our mature properties have a net promoter score of 84 (yes, you heard that correctly--our customers love us).

Your Role    

The Guild’s Head of UX & Product is an executive role that will collaborate directly with the company founders (Chris & Brian) to actualize their audacious vision of fundamentally changing how travelers experience their destinations. The Guild was built (from its inception) to deliver on the promise to “travel like a local”--a concept other hotels & vacation rental platforms often promise yet seldom deliver.

We’re providing our Head of UX & Product with a blank slate, empowering him/her to rethink literally every component of our product, ranging from the original ad the guest sees... to the look & feel of the website… to the pre-stay interactions with our local hosts... to a mobile app that personalizes the stay and facilitates local immersion... to the vibe, sounds & smell of the room.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE

• Leading your direct reports--a Creative Director & Product Manager--to build digital and physical experiences that blow our customers’ friggin’ minds.
• Incorporating well-established design thinking principles into our process of conceiving and executing products: from conducting customer interviews and storyboarding their journey, to creating iterative wireframes and mockups for our engineering team.
• Blending art & science to ensure that we use creative freedom to develop an emotional connection with our users while embracing quantifiable user metrics that drive the business forward
• Identifying furniture pieces and in-room products that embody the brand and facilitate memorable guest experiences yet are cost and operationally efficient
• Establishing a consistent brand voice across all channels, including collaborating with our guest hosts and field guides
• Recruiting and building a world-class design & product team

QUALITIES PREFERRED

• You possess the confidence & will to passionately advocate for the guest and the brand (but have the patience and empathy to work collaboratively with your minions and peers)
• You’re academically and/or professionally trained in the art & science of UX design
• You’re a strong strategist and an even stronger executor (and able to make decisions quickly)
• You’re a creative & outside-the-box thinker
• You have an innate sense for people and what makes them tick
• You’re obsessed with attention to detail; you understand that the little things are the big things
• For example: the wiggle animation in the new user signup flow or the balance between rosemary & lavender in each room’s essential oil fragrance
• You have a strong appreciation for clean, elegant design and a gift for (witty) language
• You have impeccable taste in digital design, home decor, and boxed wine

BONUS POINTS

• You have a degree in human computer interaction, design, or a related creative field
• You have experience working in UX and/or product at a high-growth consumer-focused startup with a beloved brand

JOB PERKS

• Competitive cash comp--no need to sacrifice your love of artisan coffee for a meaningful work experience
• Strong health benefits package (medical, dental, vision) - we want you to stay healthy and happy
• An understanding for work/life balance and a flexible schedule
• The opportunity to own a part of what you help build (we're talking equity)
• Gratuitous helpings of tacos and viral videos at the weekly all-hands

What to Expect from Your Team

We're a group of people who like to work our asses off. We all wear multiple hats and are working on at least 5 projects at a time, but we make work a fun environment you want to be a part of.  Life is never boring here. We're risk takers. We’re (extremely) passionate for amazing guest experience. We care about each other and lend helping hands all day, every day.