General Manager - Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort

Job description

Exceptional Hospitality Starts with You About the Opportunity

The General Manager will provide strategic and operational leadership for the resort, driving financial performance, operational excellence, and exceptional guest experience. This leader will oversee all aspects of the property while developing a high-performing team and fostering strong relationships with ownership, Hilton, and the local community. The ideal candidate will be a proven hospitality executive with experience leading a large-scale luxury or upper-upscale resort.

The successful GM will bring strong commercial acumen, operational discipline, and a passion for service, while positioning the resort for continued growth and success in the Santa Barbara market.

About the Property

Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort is a premier oceanfront destination set across 24 acres along Santa Barbara’s iconic East Beach. Offering the perfect blend of coastal beauty, elevated amenities, and classic California hospitality, the resort features 360 guest rooms and suites, multiple dining outlets, a full-service spa, swimming pool, tennis and pickleball courts, and direct access to the beach. With approximately 60,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space, the resort is a sought-after destination for leisure travelers, meetings, weddings, and special events.

Its stunning oceanfront setting, expansive resort amenities, and proximity to all that Santa Barbara has to offer make Hilton Santa Barbara Beachfront Resort a standout hospitality destination and one of the market’s most distinctive properties. What are we looking for?

Basic Qualifications

Minimum of 2 years’ General Manager experience managing a property with minimum $30 million revenue. Strong financial and commercial acumen, with expertise in budget management, financial oversight, revenue optimization, and driving profitability. Demonstrated eye for detail and a commitment to delivering elevated, luxury-level hospitality and guest experiences. Demonstrated ability to drive high team member engagement and build a strong culture, with a proven track record of developing talent, improving retention, and leading high-performing teams.

Strong community leadership and relationship-building skills, with the ability to establish a trusted presence within Santa Barbara, while building meaningful local partnerships, and leveraging community connections to drive business and long-term success. Adept at identifying opportunities for business expansion and driving long-term profitability in the hospitality industry. Experience managing owner relations and fostering positive partnerships.

Preferred Qualifications

Resort experience. Local market experience. Hilton brand experience.

Responsibilities

As General Manager, your responsibilities will also include: Managing and optimizing hotel operations: You will lead the hotel with strategic oversight of all departments — ensuring alignment with Hilton brand standards. Through effective budgeting, forecasting, and service delivery, you’ll drive operational excellence and a seamless guest experience. By identifying inefficiencies and leveraging guest feedback, you’ll implement targeted improvements that enhance workflow, reduce waste, and elevate service.

Your focus on continuous improvement, coaching, and innovation will strengthen team performance and consistently exceed guest expectations.

Managing commercial financial performance

You’ll take full ownership of the property’s financial performance, including sales, revenue and finance that will lead to growth, cost control, and profitability. This means setting and achieving targets for key performance indicators like GOP and RevPAR, while maintaining strong financial discipline. You'll also collaborate closely with the hotel’s commercial team and lead budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning processes to ensure sustained financial health and business agility.

Communicating with key stakeholders

As the primary point of contact for hotel owners and Hilton’s corporate leadership, you will be responsible for maintaining alignment on business goals, operational strategies, and performance expectations. You will deliver regular updates, collaborate on long-term planning, and act as a trusted advisor, ensuring transparency and partnership at every level.

Leading and developing on-property teams

You will cultivate a high-performing, people-first culture by recruiting top talent, championing diversity and inclusion, and supporting the professional development of every team member. Through performance management, coaching, and recognition programs, you'll inspire engagement, accountability, and continuous growth. Your leadership will empower teams to deliver outstanding service while growing their own careers at Hilton.

Qualifications

What It Takes to Make the Stay At Hilton, our core values define what it takes to succeed here and guide the qualities we look for in every team member: A passion for spreading the light and warmth of Hospitality . Acting with Integrity and always doing the right thing. Inspiring others through Leadership . A belief that Teamwork drives the best outcomes. A sense of Ownership and accountability. And a focus on the Now , bringing urgency and discipline to every moment, knowing it can make a lasting impact.