Hospitality Executive Search
for the appointments a luxury property cannot afford to get wrong.
Confidential, performance-based, led by people who have hired at this level.
Sustera runs confidential searches for general managers, directors and C-suite leaders in luxury hotels, resorts and restaurant groups across the GCC, Europe and Türkiye. We approach people who are not looking, assess them against the owner, the operator and the brand at once, and present a short list with our written judgement on each. No retainer: one placement fee, invoiced only when the appointee starts.
Start a Conversation →Leadership for hotels,
restaurant groups and the companies behind them.
Executive search at Sustera covers the roles where a single appointment changes the performance of a property or a group.
Hotels & Resorts
General managers and hotel managers, pre-opening general managers, rooms and food and beverage division directors, directors of People & Culture, finance, sales and marketing, and the regional and cluster leaders who oversee several properties.
Restaurant Groups & F&B
Chief executives and chief operating officers of restaurant groups, operations and culinary directors, executive chefs for flagship venues, brand and concept directors, and the heads of expansion who open new markets.
From line-level roles to C-suite, the full placement scope is on the For Businesses page.
What makes a senior search
different from a hire?
Four things change at this level, and each one changes how the search has to be run.
The right people are not looking
The leaders a luxury property needs are employed, visible and usually content. They do not answer advertisements. They answer a discreet approach from someone who knows their market, their reputation and the reason this role is worth a conversation. That approach is the search.
Three clients, one appointment
A general manager answers to an owner, an operator and a brand, and each judges fit differently. We brief all three before we approach anyone, so the short list satisfies the owner on commercial judgement, the operator on standards and the brand on culture, rather than one of them at the expense of the others.
Discretion protects both sides
Many senior searches replace a leader who is still in post, or precede an announcement the market has not heard. We do not name the employer in the first approach, we hold the brief with a single consultant, and we present candidates only after they have agreed to that specific opportunity.
The appointment is judged in the first season
A senior leader is measured on their first peak season, not their first week. We assess for composure under an owner’s pressure and a full house, we check references at offer stage with the candidate’s permission, and we stay in contact with both sides through the notice period and the first weeks in post.
How does an executive search
with Sustera work?
Four steps, no retainer. One placement fee, agreed in writing before the search begins and invoiced only when the appointee starts.
Brief with the decision makers
A conversation with the owner, the operator or the board, in person or online, about the property, its ambitions and the leader it needs. We agree the profile, the package and who decides, before any name is mentioned.
Mapping and approach
We map the market for the role: who holds comparable positions, who has delivered what this property needs, who is ready for the step. Approaches are direct, confidential and made by the consultant who holds the brief.
Assessment and short list
Candidates are interviewed in depth, assessed for leadership, commercial judgement and cultural range, and presented in a short list with our written assessment of each. References are taken at offer stage, with permission.
Offer, notice and arrival
We help structure the offer, carry the negotiation, and stay close through the notice period and the first weeks in post. Every appointment is covered by our replacement guarantee at the director and C-suite level.
Investment model, guarantee table and the six deliverables of every search → For Businesses
What clients say about senior appointments.
"What stood out was how well Sustera understood both our operational needs and the candidate's perspective. The Hotel Manager placed knew how to lead in a GCC context, not just globally. That specific regional awareness made all the difference."
VP of Operations · Luxury Hotel, Qatar
Hospitality · C-Suite"In Dubai's F&B landscape, the right Director can redefine a venue. Sustera understood this. They didn't send CVs. They sent candidates already tested against our culture and the role. The person placed is still with us."
Regional Director · Luxury F&B Group, Dubai UAE
Food & Beverage · Director LevelReading before
a senior search.
The Executive Search Brief: How to Define the Role Before You Hire
How to write the brief that decides whether a search succeeds.
Read →Senior Hotel Management Recruitment Across the GCC
What makes senior hotel appointments in the Gulf different.
Read →Compensation Benchmarking in Gulf Luxury Hospitality: What a Competitive Offer Actually Contains
What a competitive senior package actually contains.
Read →Hiring Across Cultures in the Gulf: What Premium Brands Need to Understand
Leaders who can run a multicultural team for an international guest.
Read →Executive search,
answered.
No. Senior searches run on the same performance basis as every Sustera placement: no retainer, no search fee, no exclusivity, and a single placement fee agreed in writing before the search begins and invoiced only when the appointee starts. The fee level is set by the seniority of the role. See the investment model.
General managers and hotel managers, division and department directors, regional and cluster leadership, chief executives and chief operating officers of restaurant groups, operations and culinary directors, and the executive chefs of flagship venues. Below that level we run management and operational searches on the same model, with a shorter guarantee period; the guarantee table sets out the tiers.
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. If the search replaces a leader still in post, we agree with you how and when the market learns of it.
Yes. Our network spans the GCC, Europe and Türkiye, and a general manager for Riyadh is as likely to come from London or Istanbul as from Dubai. We confirm visa and relocation terms before a candidate is presented, help structure the package, and support the appointee and their family through the move. See our article on relocating to the Gulf for the questions we settle early.
More questions? → Frequently Asked Questions
Content reviewed by Beyzanur Ateş, Founder · September 2026
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Direct Contact
- Email (businesses) info@susteraconsultancy.com
- Phone +971 58 560 6229
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Based in Dubai, UAE. Serving Europe, GCC & Türkiye.