Senior Hospitality Director

About Us

The Headhunter LTD, Albania — a daughter company of The Headhunter Karriera LLC (USA) — is conducting a confidential search on behalf of a visionary real estate development client for an accomplished Senior Hospitality Director to lead hospitality strategy and operations across a portfolio of landmark, high-end mixed-use developments spanning residential, hospitality, retail, and commercial assets.

Our client is recognized for shaping some of the region's most ambitious integrated destinations — large-scale, master-planned developments that blend world-class hospitality with luxury living, leisure, and commerce. Their portfolio includes transformative waterfront and island-scale projects positioned to become premier lifestyle and tourism destinations, built to international standards and designed to compete on a global stage.

About the Role

This role sits at the heart of the client's flagship development, with direct influence over how its hospitality assets are conceived, positioned, and ultimately operated. The Senior Hospitality Director will bridge development and operations — shaping brand strategy and guest experience from the earliest planning stages through pre-opening, launch, and stabilized performance — ensuring every hospitality asset in the portfolio reflects the ambition of the wider destination it belongs to.

The ideal candidate is a senior hospitality leader with deep expertise in luxury hotel and resort operations, brand development, and large-scale asset performance, who can operate at both a strategic and hands-on operational level to protect the client's investment while elevating guest experience and commercial returns.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the hospitality vision and operating strategy across the client's mixed-use development portfolio.
• Partner with development, design, and finance teams on brand selection, concept positioning, and feasibility for new hospitality assets.
• Own full P&L accountability for managed hospitality assets, driving revenue, margin, and guest satisfaction performance.
• Lead pre-opening planning, staffing, systems readiness, and brand compliance for new hospitality developments.
• Oversee smooth transition from construction/development teams to operations, minimizing disruption during launch phases.
• Manage renovation, repositioning, and rebranding initiatives to protect and grow asset value over time.
• Set and monitor performance benchmarks (RevPAR, GOP, ADR, occupancy, guest satisfaction scores) across the portfolio.
• Build, mentor, and lead General Managers and senior operations teams, instilling a culture of service excellence.
• Ensure compliance with brand standards, licensing, health & safety, and labor regulations across all operating jurisdictions.
• Liaise with hotel brands, management companies, franchisors, and other key hospitality partners.
• Present performance updates, business cases, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and ownership.

Required Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Senior Hospitality Director, VP of Operations, or senior hotel/resort executive within luxury or upper-upscale hospitality.
• Demonstrated experience spanning both hospitality operations and development functions (pre-opening, renovation, brand transition).
• Track record of full P&L ownership for hospitality assets, ideally within a real estate development or ownership-driven environment.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with fluency in hospitality performance benchmarking and investment appraisal.
• Deep knowledge of hospitality brand standards, franchise/management agreements, and international quality frameworks.
• Proven leadership of multi-site or multi-property teams across diverse operating environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work fluently with developers, architects, brand partners, and ownership groups.
• Strong communication, negotiation, and crisis-management capabilities.
• Fluency in English required; additional languages an advantage.

Equal Opportunity

Our client is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or age.

To apply, please submit your application directly here: