Frequently Asked
Questions.

Sustera recruits for luxury hospitality and luxury food & beverage. On the hospitality side that means hotels, resorts and lifestyle venues; in F&B, fine dining, restaurant groups and F&B operators. We place across the full spectrum, from operational and line-level roles through hotel and restaurant management to executive search and C-level appointments. Every search is briefed and calibrated to the seniority of the role, so a line-level shortlist and a general manager search are run differently.

We are based in Dubai and work across three regions: the GCC, Europe and Türkiye. In the Gulf that includes the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain, with most of our work concentrated in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar and Doha, plus Egypt for selected luxury projects. In Europe we support year-round properties and seasonal destinations across the UK, France, Italy, Spain and the Greek islands. In Türkiye we recruit for Istanbul and every other city, as well as the seasonal coastal markets of Bodrum, Fethiye, Marmaris and Antalya. Our candidate network is international, so a role in one market is often filled by a professional currently working in another. We go where the right talent is.

Yes. Pre-openings are a large part of our work in the Gulf, on the Turkish coast and in seasonal European destinations, and they are the searches where sequencing matters most. We start with the leadership team: general manager or restaurant director, then division and department heads, so that the people who will run the operation are in place to help select the people they will lead. Line-level recruitment follows in waves timed to the opening date, with visa and permit lead times built into the plan for each market. Because we work on a framework agreement rather than role by role, a full opening team can be briefed once and run as a single project with one point of contact. Our article on building a high-performance opening team sets out the sequence in detail.

Yes. Seasonal recruitment is a core part of our work on the Turkish coast, in the Greek islands and across the Mediterranean, and it is run as a project rather than a series of single roles. We plan the search months before opening, recruit the leadership team first and the line team in waves, and draw on professionals who move between summer and winter destinations as a matter of course. For employers in the Gulf we apply the same approach to the October to April peak, when venues rebuild teams after the summer. We do not provide temporary staffing by the day or the shift; every seasonal placement is a direct hire with the employer, on the employer's contract, for the length of the season or beyond.

There are no upfront fees, retainers or search charges. We begin with a framework agreement that covers all your future roles rather than a single position, then brief each role individually. There is no minimum volume and no exclusivity required. You are invoiced only when a candidate we presented accepts your offer and starts; the fee is a single placement fee, calculated as a percentage of the candidate's annual total salary. The percentage depends on the seniority of the role and is agreed in writing before any search begins, so there are no surprises at the point of hire. In practice this means we share the risk of the search with you: if we do not place, you do not pay. See the investment model for more.

Yes. The framework agreement is signed once with the group or owning company and covers every role you brief us on afterwards, in any of the markets we work in. A group with a hotel in Dubai, a resort in Bodrum and a restaurant opening in London can run all three searches under the same terms, with the same consultant team and one point of contact. Fee levels are set by the seniority of the role, not by the country, so the terms do not change from one market to the next. Each property or role still receives its own detailed brief, because a kitchen brigade in Riyadh and a front office team on a Greek island are not the same search.

Yes. We do not ask for exclusivity, and many of our clients run an internal talent team or use other agencies in parallel. Our framework agreement simply sets out how we work when you brief us on a role; it does not restrict who else you can work with. What we ask for is a clear brief and a single point of contact, so candidates are not approached twice about the same role. Where a search is particularly sensitive or senior, we will tell you if we believe a single search partner would serve you better, and leave the choice with you.

Speed depends on the role. An operational or line-level search draws on a candidate pool we are in constant contact with, so a first shortlist can follow the briefing quickly. A management or executive search takes longer, because the right people are usually employed, need to be approached discreetly and deserve a proper conversation before they are presented. At the briefing stage we agree a realistic timeline for your specific role and keep you informed as the search progresses. What we do not do is send unfiltered CVs to appear fast: every candidate you receive has been assessed against your brief and your culture.

Every candidate you receive has been through the same sequence. We review the CV against the brief, then hold a structured conversation about their experience, their reasons for moving and what they want next. For guest-facing and leadership roles we assess service culture and cultural range, not only technical skill: how they describe a difficult guest, how they have led a team under pressure, how they handle a standard they disagree with. We confirm the facts that matter for the role: right to work or visa status, notice period, salary expectations and willingness to relocate. References are taken with the candidate's permission, usually at offer stage. What you receive is a short list with our written assessment of each person, so you can decide who to meet without reading twenty CVs first.

Yes, and a meaningful share of our senior searches are confidential. The usual reasons are a planned change in an existing position, a new venue or concept that has not been announced, or an owner who does not want the market to know a role is open. In a confidential search we do not name you in the first approach; we describe the role, the market and the opportunity, and reveal the employer only to candidates who are shortlisted and have agreed to proceed. Nothing is advertised, and the brief is held by a single consultant. We also work the other way: when a candidate asks us to keep their interest confidential, we honour that with the same care.

Every placement is covered by our replacement guarantee. If a candidate we placed leaves within the guarantee period, we run a replacement search at no additional fee. The period is set by the seniority of the role: 60 days for operational and line-level roles, 90 days for supervisor and specialist roles, 120 days for management, and 180 days for director and C-suite appointments. The terms are written into your framework agreement. We also work to make the guarantee unnecessary: we check in with both you and the candidate during the first weeks after the start, so integration issues are picked up early rather than becoming a resignation.

Three things. First, focus: we work only in luxury hospitality and luxury F&B, so we understand the roles, the standards and the people before a brief arrives. Second, method: we do not post an advert and forward the applicants. Most of the professionals we place are not actively looking; they are approached directly through our network and assessed for service culture, cultural range and fit, not only for a CV match. Third, accountability: our fee is earned only on a successful placement and backed by a replacement guarantee. A job board gives you volume. We give you a small number of people who are right. Our article on what to look for in a luxury hospitality recruiter goes into this in detail.

Send us a message through the contact form, email info@susteraconsultancy.com or reach us on WhatsApp. The first step is a conversation about your business, your culture and the roles you are hiring for; there is no obligation at this stage. If we are a good fit, we formalise the partnership with a framework agreement, then complete a detailed briefing for each open role: candidate profile, compensation structure, working conditions and process expectations. The search begins once the brief is signed off.