Hospitality Recruiting Agency and Executive Search

Find Exceptional Hospitality Leaders. Build Exceptional Hospitality Businesses.

Hiring the right executive is one of the most important investments a hospitality company can make. Whether you're opening a new concept, expanding into new markets, replacing a key leader, or strengthening your executive team, the success of your business depends on finding leaders who can deliver results.

JWB Hospitality is a boutique hospitality recruiting agency and hospitality executive search firm working exclusively in the hospitality industry. We partner with restaurant groups, luxury hotels, resorts, private clubs, hospitality brands and lifestyle companies across the United States to identify, recruit and secure exceptional executive talent.

Unlike high-volume staffing agencies, we work as executive hospitality recruiters. That means confidential search, direct outreach to passive candidates and long-term leadership placements that hold for years.

Looking to hire hospitality leaders? Contact JWB Hospitality to discuss your search.

Most hospitality recruiting firms are general recruiters with a hospitality client list. We are not.

Exceptional hospitality leaders combine operational excellence, financial acumen, emotional intelligence, team development, guest experience, and brand stewardship. These individuals are rarely searching job boards. Most are already succeeding in leadership positions and require a thoughtful, confidential approach.

Our executive search process is built specifically for the hospitality industry.

We recruit leaders who have successfully managed:

• Luxury Hotels
• Boutique Hotels
• Resorts
• Private Members Clubs
• Country Clubs
• Fine Dining Restaurants
• Michelin-Starred Restaurants
• Restaurant Groups
• Lifestyle Hospitality Brands
• Multi-Unit Restaurant Concepts
• Food & Beverage Companies
• Hospitality Investment Groups

Every search is customized to your organization, culture, leadership team, and long-term business objectives.

JWB Hospitality specializes in executive and senior leadership recruitment.

Our searches frequently include:

• Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Chief Operating Officer (COO)
• President
• Chief Development Officer
• Chief Commercial Officer
• Chief Financial Officer

• Vice President of Operations
• Regional Vice President
• Director of Operations
• Area Director
• Multi-Unit Operations Leader

• General Manager
• Resort General Manager
• Hotel Manager
• Director of Rooms
• Director of Food & Beverage
• Director of Sales & Marketing
• Director of Human Resources

• Executive Chef
• Corporate Executive Chef
• Culinary Director
• Director of Food & Beverage
• Beverage Director
• General Manager
• Assistant General Manager
• Director of Operations

• Club Manager
• General Manager
• Director of Golf Operations
• Food & Beverage Director
• Executive Chef

Whether you're hiring one executive or building an entire leadership team, we provide a tailored search strategy designed to identify outstanding candidates.

We recruit exclusively within the hospitality industry.

That singular focus gives us deep insight into industry trends, compensation benchmarks, organizational structures, and the leadership qualities required to succeed in today's hospitality environment.

The strongest hospitality leaders are rarely applying online.

They are leading award-winning restaurants, luxury hotels, private clubs, and growing hospitality companies.

Our proactive search methodology allows us to confidentially engage executives who would otherwise never enter the hiring process.

We don't flood clients with resumes.

We present a carefully curated shortlist of candidates who meet your operational requirements while aligning with your culture, leadership philosophy, and long-term goals.

Every client works directly with experienced hospitality recruiters.

You'll receive responsive communication, strategic guidance, market intelligence, and personalized service throughout the search.

Every engagement begins with a comprehensive discovery meeting.

We learn about:

• Company vision
• Brand positioning
• Leadership team
• Organizational culture
• Growth plans
• Candidate profile
• Compensation structure
• Success metrics

The more we understand your business, the better we recruit on your behalf.

We develop a customized recruitment strategy based on your industry segment, geographic market, compensation package, and leadership requirements.

Our recruiters identify executives across competing organizations, emerging hospitality brands, luxury operators, restaurant groups, and private clubs.

Rather than waiting for applicants, we actively recruit proven hospitality professionals.

Each potential candidate receives confidential, personalized outreach designed to generate meaningful conversations—not mass recruiting messages.

Candidates are evaluated on:

• Leadership style
• Operational expertise
• Financial management
• Team development
• Culture fit
• Career progression
• Strategic thinking
• Guest experience
• Communication skills

Only the strongest candidates advance.

We coordinate interviews, manage communication, collect feedback, and help clients compare finalists.

We assist throughout the offer process, helping both parties navigate compensation, expectations, relocation, and start dates.

Our involvement continues beyond acceptance to support a successful transition and long-term placement.

Our clients include organizations throughout the hospitality industry.

Independent restaurants, restaurant groups, fine dining, upscale casual, chef-driven concepts, luxury dining, multi-unit operators.

Luxury hotels, boutique hotels, lifestyle hotels, independent hotels, branded properties.

Destination resorts, golf resorts, wellness resorts, ski resorts, coastal resorts.

Country clubs, city clubs, yacht clubs, golf clubs, private members clubs.

Lifestyle hospitality companies, entertainment-driven concepts, food halls, mixed-use developments, hospitality investment groups.

Hospitality recruiting firms that rely on job postings reach only active job seekers. A hospitality executive search firm reaches the people who are already succeeding somewhere else and are not looking.

Executive search focuses on attracting accomplished leaders who are already succeeding elsewhere.

Benefits include:

• Access to passive candidates
• Greater confidentiality
• Stronger cultural alignment
• Reduced hiring risk
• Higher-quality candidate pool
• Faster executive hiring process
• Better long-term retention

For leadership positions, executive search consistently produces stronger outcomes than traditional recruiting methods.

The hospitality industry continues to evolve rapidly.

Organizations are increasingly prioritizing leaders who can:

• Build high-performing teams
• Improve retention
• Strengthen company culture
• Manage labor costs
• Increase profitability
• Enhance guest experience
• Lead organizational growth
• Navigate operational complexity

Today's successful executives combine operational excellence with emotional intelligence, adaptability, and strategic leadership.

Competitive compensation remains one of the most important factors in attracting exceptional hospitality leaders.

Before beginning a search, many clients ask:

• What is the market salary for a General Manager?
• What should we pay an Executive Chef?
• What compensation attracts experienced Directors of Operations?
• How should incentive plans be structured?

Visit our Hospitality Salary Guides for current compensation insights across executive hospitality positions.

Organizations choose JWB Hospitality because we understand that executive recruitment is about far more than filling vacancies.

Our goal is to help companies build leadership teams capable of driving long-term business success.

Clients value our:

• Industry specialization
• Personalized service
• Confidential search process
• Executive-level network
• Market knowledge
• Honest communication
• Long-term partnership approach

Boutique Hotel, General Manager Placement. New York City. Six weeks. A 55-room luxury property lost its GM unexpectedly and needed someone who could stabilise operations without disrupting the guest experience. We mapped talent across New York, Los Angeles and Miami and screened for leadership presence alongside luxury service philosophy. Within three months of placement, RevPAR was up 14 percent, guest satisfaction up 22 percent and staff turnover down 18 percent.

Multi-Unit Restaurant Group, Director of Operations. Southern California. Seven weeks. A growing group needed an operator who could build systems and prepare the company to scale. Three new units opened within ten months and EBITDA improved 9 percent.

Private Members Club, Executive Chef. South Florida. Five weeks. The placement modernised the culinary programme and lifted member satisfaction scores 27 percent in the first quarter.

A weak leadership hire in hospitality shows up in guest reviews, staff turnover and revenue inside two quarters. The cost of a mis-hire routinely exceeds two to three times annual salary once recruitment, lost productivity, team disruption and reputational damage are counted.

The right hire does the reverse. Guest satisfaction rises, the team stabilises, and the brand equity the business has spent years building is protected rather than eroded. That is why hospitality recruiting firms working at executive level are engaged as a risk decision, not a staffing one.

We specialize exclusively in executive hospitality recruitment. Our searches focus on senior leadership positions and passive candidates rather than high-volume staffing.

We partner with restaurant groups, luxury hotels, boutique hotels, resorts, private clubs, lifestyle brands, hospitality ownership groups, and growing hospitality companies across the United States.

Every search is unique, but many engagements are completed within 30–60 days depending on market conditions and role complexity.

Yes. Confidential executive searches are a core part of our business. We protect both client and candidate confidentiality throughout the process.

Yes. JWB Hospitality conducts executive searches throughout the United States.

We recruit executive and management leadership including CEOs, COOs, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Directors of Operations, General Managers, Executive Chefs, Directors of Food & Beverage, Club Managers, Hotel Managers, and other senior hospitality professionals.

A hospitality recruiting agency identifies and places leadership talent for hotels, restaurants, resorts and private clubs. Unlike a general recruiter, a specialist agency evaluates candidates on operational expertise, financial performance and cultural fit within hospitality specifically, and reaches senior leaders who are not applying to job postings.

An executive hospitality recruiter conducts proactive, confidential searches for senior roles such as CEO, COO, General Manager and Executive Chef. The work involves market mapping, direct outreach to passive candidates, structured evaluation of leadership and financial track record, and support through offer negotiation and onboarding.

Hospitality executive search fees typically range from 20 to 30 percent of first-year total compensation, structured on either a contingency or retained basis. Because the cost of a mis-hire at leadership level often exceeds two to three times annual salary, search is usually assessed as a risk-reduction investment rather than a line-item expense.

Assess four things: whether the firm works exclusively in hospitality or treats it as one vertical among many, whether it can reach passive candidates or relies on postings, how many candidates it presents per search, and whether it offers a replacement guarantee. Ask for placements in your specific segment, not the hospitality industry in general.

The right executive changes an organisation. Whether you are hiring a CEO, General Manager, Executive Chef or Director of Operations, or building a leadership team from scratch, working with a specialist hospitality recruiting agency gives you the network and the process to secure that person. Ready to begin your search? Contact JWB Hospitality today to discuss your hiring goals and learn how our hospitality executive search services can help you build stronger leadership teams.

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• CEO Recruiter
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• Executive Chef Salary Guide
• Director of Operations Salary Guide
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