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Interior
VIP Guest Relations Specialist
The VIP Guest Relations Specialist is the guests' single point of contact on board, turning their wishes into plans the whole crew can deliver and keeping every day of a trip personal and discreet.
- Department
- Interior
- Reports to
- Interior Manager
- Yacht size
- 80m+
- Contract
- Permanent or seasonal
- Starting pay
- €5,000 per month
What the job is
On the largest yachts, especially those running high end charter, the VIP Guest Relations Specialist is the link between the guests and the crew. You learn the preference sheet before embarkation, greet the principal party and then manage their days: restaurant bookings ashore, excursions, special occasions, gifts and transfers. You sit inside the interior team, but you spend most of your time with guests rather than polishing silver or turning down cabins.
The work is part concierge, part diplomat. You turn a half sentence over breakfast into a plan the captain, chef, deck team and shore agents can carry out. A fully booked beach club in Mykonos, a helicopter to Saint-Tropez, a birthday cake in one exact shade of blue: it all lands with you. Discretion is central. You will hear private conversations and see family dynamics up close, and none of it ever leaves the yacht.
Captains and charter managers hire for this role on 80m+ yachts where guest numbers, budgets and expectations justify a dedicated person. Candidates usually come from senior interior positions, five star hotel guest relations, private aviation or luxury concierge work. Languages count. Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, French or Italian alongside fluent English open doors. Between trips you update guest profiles, build supplier contacts in each cruising area and help with service when the yacht is busy.
What makes a good one
- Absolute discretion
- Concierge and supplier network
- Second or third language
- Reading people and moods
- Calm problem solving under pressure
A day in the life
- 07:00Meet the Interior Manager and chief stew to run through the day's plan, guest moods from last night and any dietary changes. Check overnight messages from the charter broker and the local agent.
- 08:00Greet guests as they come up for breakfast on the aft deck. Confirm timings for the morning swim stop and take note of a new request for a private boat tour of Capri's grottoes.
- 09:30Call the port agent and a Capri boat operator to secure the tour, then brief the bosun on tender timings and the chef on a picnic box. Log everything in the guest preference file.
- 11:00Escort the guests ashore by tender for shopping in Positano. Walk with them, carry the bags back to the tender driver and handle payment for purchases on the owner's account.
- 13:30Back on board for lunch service support. Quietly confirm with the principal that the anniversary surprise planned for tonight still suits, and adjust the flower order with the florist ashore.
- 15:30Guest downtime on the sundeck. Update profiles, chase the dinner reservation at a cliffside restaurant in Ravello and arrange two cars with drivers for the transfer up the hill.
- 19:00Accompany guests to dinner ashore, check the table, introduce them to the restaurant manager and stay close but out of sight. Settle the bill and keep the drivers on standby.
- 22:30Return on the last tender, help with the anniversary champagne and cake on the bridge deck, then debrief the interior team. Draft tomorrow's itinerary for the captain before bed.
Pay by country
Monthly, tax free for most crew depending on residency, on 80m+ yachts. Charter tips are shared across the crew and can add a full month's pay or more per busy season. Usually quoted in EUR or USD.
- France and Monaco
- €5,000 – 7,000
- Spain
- €5,000 – 7,000
- Italy
- €5,000 – 7,000
- United Kingdom
- £4,300 – 6,000
- USA (Florida)
- US$5,500 – 7,500
- Caribbean
- US$5,500 – 7,500
- UAE
- AED 20,000 – 28,000
- Australia
- A$8,700 – 12,000
- New Zealand
- NZ$9,500 – 13,000
Required
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical
- PDSD
Recommended
- PYA GUEST interior courses
- WSET Level 2 Award in Wines
- Food Safety Level 2
- Medical First Aid
- Hospitality or hotel management qualification
Visas
- Schengen
- US B1/B2 or C1/D
- Valid passport with plenty of blank pages
Where it leads
VIP Guest Relations Specialist jobs open now
Questions crew ask
Do I need yacht experience to get this job?
It helps, but it is not always essential. Yachts also hire from five star hotel guest relations, private aviation and luxury concierge, provided you hold STCW and an ENG1 and can show strong references from high net worth clients.
Will I be doing normal stew work as well?
Sometimes. On busy trips or between charters you may help with service, laundry or detailing, but your main job is the guests and their plans, so most of your time is spent with them or on the phone to suppliers.
How important are languages?
Very. Fluent English is the baseline, and a second language spoken by the owner or regular charter guests, such as Russian, Arabic, Mandarin, French or Italian, can be the deciding factor between candidates.