Industries / Hospitality, Travel and Luxury

Hospitality, Travel and Luxury Executive Search

Luxury hospitality is growing while much of the market fights for margin, and guests expect more from every interaction. Here's what makes each leadership search hard right now, what to look for, and what to watch out for.

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Across our careers, we've recruited for roles like these.

A resort pool and open-air lobby lit at dusk — C-SUITE · GENERAL MANAGERS · GUEST EXPERIENCE · REVENUE · BRAND

Our placements include organizations like

The White House · NASA · Google · Boeing · Lockheed Martin · Big 4 firms · Fortune 100 companies · DoD programs · Oil and gas · Startups

The market right now

Luxury is growing while much of the market fights for margin.

5.7%

US hotel revenue per available room fell 0.3% in 2025, while luxury hotels grew 5.7%.

CoStar, January 2026

4.4%

The 2026 forecast was raised to 4.4% growth on World Cup and America 250 demand.

Hotel Dive, August 2026

70%

70% of hoteliers raised wages, and more than half say they're somewhat or severely understaffed.

AHLA, March 2026

4.2%

The quits rate in accommodation and food services averaged 4.2% a month in 2025, nearly double the 2.2% private-sector rate.

BLS, March 2026

103

Luxury spending is shifting from goods toward experiences (Bain & Company and Altagamma, November 2025), and the US luxury hotel pipeline reached a record 103 projects.

Lodging Econometrics via Hotel Dive, July 2026

HIRING IN HOSPITALITY AND LUXURY?

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Tell us the role. We'll share what we'd look out for, whether or not you start a search with us.

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Leadership roles we recruit

The leaders hotels, resorts and luxury brands need most.

Every role links to our guide: why it's hard to hire right now, what to look for and what to watch out for.

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C-Suite and Executive Leadership (CEO, COO, CFO, Chief Commercial Officer)
General Manager and Director of Operations
Director of Guest Experience and Chief Experience Officer
Director of Sales and Director of Revenue Management
Head of Media, Head of Content and Creative Director
Spa and Wellness Director
Director of Food and Beverage
Director of Marketing and Brand
Luxury retail Store Director, Regional Director and Director of Clienteling

In demand now

Director of Hospitality Technology, Data and AI
Director of Loyalty and CRM
Director of Events and Catering
Pre-Opening General Manager
Director of Asset Management (owner side)
Director of Branded Residences
Director of Private Clients
Director of Talent and Workforce Strategy

How every search starts

We define what great looks like before we contact anyone.

Every search starts with an intake that goes deeper than the job description. Here's how a search brief reads for a General Manager in hospitality, travel and luxury, built from our role guide below.

Start a Search See a candidate website

Search brief · private

Search brief

General Manager

Hospitality, Travel and Luxury

Must-haves

P&L results through a down cycle.
Fluency working with owners and asset managers.
Labor modeling.
Department heads who stayed.

Screen out

A select-service general manager jumping straight to luxury without a luxury step in between.
A whole career inside one brand's system, hired into an independent or owner-run property.

Where we'll look

Comparable luxury hotels and resortsIndependent and owner-run propertiesCruise lines and private clubsLuxury retail and brandsBranded residencesLeaders who aren't looking

Pay dataThe BLS median for lodging managers is $69,250 (May 2025). It skews toward limited-service hotels, so luxury roles pay well above it.

Sample search brief, for illustration

Role guides

What to look for in every hospitality and luxury leadership hire.

C-Suite and Executive Leadership (CEO, COO, CFO, Chief Commercial Officer)

Why it's hard right now

Owners, investors and brands expect leaders who can run a growing portfolio with the margin discipline of a CFO and the guest standards of a luxury general manager. Few leaders have done both.

What to look for

Has led multiple properties or a portfolio through growth.
Communicates well with owners, investors and boards.
Built the leadership team beneath them.
Service and brand standards that held as the business scaled.
Brought technology and data into operations.
Pre-opening, acquisition or integration experience.

Watch out for

Single-property GMs stepping up without the systems to run a portfolio.
Corporate brand executives who've never run an operation.
Results that depended on a famous founder or brand rather than their own work.
Leaders who can't explain how they'd earn trust with an owner who's still hands-on.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

General Manager and Director of Operations

Why it's hard right now

Owners want margins protected while costs rise (CoStar, January 2026), and a record luxury pipeline is competing for a small pool of proven luxury general managers.

What to look for

P&L results through a down cycle.
Fluency working with owners and asset managers.
Labor modeling.
Department heads who stayed.
CHA is a plus, not a requirement.

Watch out for

A select-service general manager jumping straight to luxury without a luxury step in between.
A whole career inside one brand's system, hired into an independent or owner-run property.

Pay dataThe BLS median for lodging managers is $69,250 (May 2025). It skews toward limited-service hotels, so luxury roles pay well above it.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Guest Experience and Chief Experience Officer

Why it's hard right now

Companies define the role very differently, and the stakes are high: guests who had a problem rated their stay 217 points lower on J.D. Power's 1,000-point satisfaction index. (J.D. Power, July 2025)

What to look for

Service-recovery systems.
Guest data and CRM fluency.
Satisfaction gains tied to revenue.
Real authority across departments.

Watch out for

An experience title with no operating authority.
Luxury service polish with no data skills, or the reverse.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Sales and Director of Revenue Management

Why it's hard right now

Revenue management now covers total revenue, including food and beverage, spa and experiences, and HSMAI calls recruiting and retaining that talent a significant challenge. (HSMAI, December 2024)

What to look for

A total-revenue track record, not rooms only.
Oversight of pricing systems and AI tools.
Group displacement analysis.
Discipline on distribution costs.
HSMAI CRME, CRMA or CHSL.

Watch out for

Revenue managers who can't explain what the pricing system recommends.
A sales book that really came from the brand's national accounts.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Head of Media, Head of Content and Creative Director

Why it's hard right now

Social media drives 36% of trip discovery, but only about $7 billion of an estimated $115 billion in social-inspired travel demand is booked through social. (Skift, July 2026)

What to look for

Content tied to bookings or revenue.
Experience running creator programs.
Command of in-house production costs.
Brand governance across properties.
Generative AI workflows with rights and brand-safety controls.

Watch out for

A portfolio with no performance data.
Agency-only experience.
Judging creators by follower count.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Spa and Wellness Director

Why it's hard right now

US spa revenue reached $23.5 billion in 2025, up 4.2%, while spa employment grew only 0.2%. (ISPA, March 2026)

What to look for

Yield management for treatment rooms and retail.
Therapist retention.
Clinical governance for medical wellness.
A licensed-practitioner background.

Watch out for

A day-spa operator stepping into a resort spa, which averages $1.9 million in revenue per location against $0.93 million for a day spa. (ISPA, June 2025) Wellness vision with no P&L experience.

Pay dataAverage full-time spa director pay is $108,700 at resort and hotel spas. (ISPA, June 2025)

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Food and Beverage

Why it's hard right now

Labor makes up 59.4% of hotel food and beverage expenses. (CBRE, November 2025)

What to look for

A P&L covering multiple outlets plus banquets.
Labor scheduling.
Running concepts with partner chefs or restaurant groups.
Beverage program revenue.
AHLEI CFBE.
Sommelier credentials for luxury properties.

Watch out for

A standalone restaurateur with no banquet or in-room dining experience.
A chef-led concept with no labor model.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Director of Marketing and Brand

Why it's hard right now

First-party data is now central. Marriott Bonvoy reached 271 million members after adding 43 million in 2025. (Hotel Dive, February 2026)

What to look for

CRM and first-party data skills.
Direct-booking economics.
Visibility in AI search.
Brand architecture.
HSMAI CHDM.

Watch out for

Mass-market marketers who default to discounting when placed in luxury.
Brand leaders who can't read a P&L.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

Luxury retail leadership: Store Director, Regional Director and Director of Clienteling

Why it's hard right now

68% of top luxury clients follow their advisor to a new brand (Bain via Forbes, December 2024), so losing a store leader can mean losing clients.

What to look for

Advisor retention.
Adoption of clienteling tools.
Growth in the top-client book.
Event-driven selling.
Pay-plan design.

Watch out for

Leaders from outlet or volume retail.
Results that depend on one or two star advisors.

Start a search for this role Or talk it through first with TAP

How TAP runs this search

Where we find hospitality and luxury leaders.

We start with an intake that goes deeper than the job description, then map who is doing this job today at companies like yours, including leaders at comparable luxury and independent properties. Every candidate is interviewed in depth before you meet them, and you get a private website on each finalist: interview video, a rating on each of your requirements, compensation, timing and why we recommend them. Our goal is your hire from the first two candidates we present.

See how every search runs What's on a candidate website

Luxury hotels and resortsIndependent propertiesCruise linesPrivate clubsLuxury retailBranded residences

Luxury hotels and resorts
Independent properties
Cruise lines
Private clubs
Luxury retail
Branded residences

Leaders who aren't looking

01
Intake
Deeper than the job description.
02
Map
Who is doing this job today at companies like yours.
03
Interview
Every candidate, in depth, before you meet them.
04
Candidate website
Video, ratings on your requirements, pay and timing.
05
Hire
Our goal: your hire from the first two candidates we present.

Talk with TAP

Hiring for one of these roles, or want a second opinion on how to recruit for it?

Across our careers, we've recruited for roles like these. Tell us what you're hiring for and we'll share what we'd look out for, whether or not you start a search with us.

Start a Search Talk With TAP

Jonathan Tureau

Founder & Principal Recruiter

Founder-led, on every search. 17 years in recruiting, and a third-generation recruiter.

FAQ

Questions about hospitality and luxury leadership searches.

Still have a question? Talk With TAP

Do you recruit for pre-opening teams?

Yes. Pre-opening general managers and department heads are among the most in-demand hires right now, with a record luxury hotel pipeline.

How long does a hospitality leadership search take?

Most of our searches take 4 to 10 weeks, depending on the role and the market.

What does TAP charge for a hospitality or luxury leadership search?

25% of the new leader's first-year compensation. On most packages, an engagement fee paid at the start is credited toward it, and the placement fee is invoiced on your new leader's start date. See the full fee guide.

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