General Manager

This is more than a job title. It’s a calling for someone who brings not only proven leadership but also depth, grace, and a genuine love for hospitality. We’re looking for a General Manager with character, intuition, and charisma — someone who has already mastered the art of big-brand luxury but now longs for something warmer, and more soulful. A space where hospitality is not scripted, but lived. Where attention to detail isn’t about ticking boxes, but creating moments that matter.

This boutique hotel and its award-winning fine dining restaurant in Cape Town offer just that: a place where you can lead a high-performing team, shape an unforgettable guest experience, and be part of a community that values heart as much as head. You’ll be the visible anchor of the property — hosting guests with natural warmth, working shoulder-to-shoulder with your team, and guiding the business with both wisdom and a lightness of touch.

If you're someone who finds joy in greeting returning guests by name, who knows how to create magic in the everyday, and if you’re looking for a lifestyle fit for the next chapter in your career and life, we’d love to meet you.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**

**Strategic & Operational Leadership**

- Develop and execute annual business plans for the hotel and restaurant ensuring alignment with the group's vision and goals.
- Align operational goals with brand positioning, guest experience targets, and financial objectives.
- Lead cross-functional coordination between hotel and restaurant operations.
- Maintain and communicate the goodwill of the brand through site inspections, hosting journalists, and engaging with the market.
- Act as the primary liaison between the support office and the hotel and restaurant, ensuring effective communication and alignment of goals and strategies.

**Guest Experience, Innovation & Brand Standards**:

- Lead the guest experience from pre-arrival to post-departure, ensuring seamless luxury service across guest touchpoints.
- Monitor guest feedback channels and personally manage key complaints, using feedback as a learning opportunity.
- Maintain brand-aligned design, ambiance, and experiential offerings.
- Benchmark against industry trends and competitor offerings to maintain innovative service standards.
- Take a proactive, visible role in guest hosting to build relationships and ensure a personalized experience throughout the guest journey.

**Financial Management & Procurement**:

- Develop, manage, and report on property-level budgets and forecasts.
- Control costs, optimise profitability, and manage P&L for both entities.
- Support procurement negotiations to achieve favourable property and group-level agreements.
- Approve purchasing and capital expenditure in line with company policy.

**Team Leadership, Succession & Culture**:

- Recruit, onboard, and manage key personnel across the hotel and restaurant.
- Conduct monthly departmental meetings and one-on-one sessions with all direct reports.
- Champion a culture of accountability, innovation, and service excellence.
- Implement a structured performance management system, including personal KPIs, mid-year reviews, and succession planning.
- Step in temporarily during vacancies in key roles to ensure operational continuity.
- Facilitate staff development and identify high-potential talent for future leadership roles
- Support cross-property training and coordinate with external trainers as needed.

**Sales, Marketing & Revenue Generation**:

- Collaborate with the central sales and marketing team to drive direct bookings and foot traffic.
- Support event sales, brand partnerships, and guest engagement initiatives.
- Monitor pricing, packages, and promotions to maintain competitiveness.
- Manage and host key site inspections to ensure they are professionally hosted and aligned with the brand positioning.

**Compliance, Community & Standards**:

- Ensure compliance with labour legislation, health and safety, and food safety regulations.
- Oversee maintenance and hygiene standards across hotel and restaurant facilities.
- Implement SOPs and quality control audits across departments.
- Strategically evaluate and implement sustainable, energy-efficient practices that strengthen the long-term viability of the business, with specific consideration to business risks withing the city such as water shortages and load shedding.

**Neighbourhood Engagement**:

- Establish and support community partnerships that reflect the busIness in a strong, positive light to relevant stakeholders.
- Manage the hotel and restaurant's role as a stakeholder in the broader Kloof Street and Gardens community.
- Actively engage in neighbourhood groups, forums, body corporates and community initiatives to foster goodwill and local collaboration.
- Establish and maintain strong relationships with neighbouring businesses to promote and strengthen the Kloof Street district brand.
- Drive initiatives that contribute to the improvement and ae