The Highest Paying Jobs in Hotels/Resorts

General Manager
Director of Sales
Director of Housekeeping
Chief Engineer
Food and Beverage Director
Director of Finance
Director of Security/Facility Operations
Executive Chef
Human Resources Director/Manager
Vice President of Business Development
Operations Manager/Director of Operations

Hcareers is a tech-first hospitality career platform built to help the industry flourish. With a massive database of over 17,000 active hospitality jobs, we are well positioned to curate an accurate list of the best paying hospitality jobs in 2023.

As one would expect, high paying jobs in hospitality often equate to full-time positions (i.e., 9-5 jobs). So, we’ll focus on full-time salary positions that pay $75,000 or more annually. And while some of these positions ask for a hospitality degree (e.g., director-level), many are also achievable through having enough experience, skills, and drive.

At the end, we have a bonus section on the highest paying c-suite hospitality jobs (hint: large hotel CEOs can make millions of dollars per year).

1. General Manager

Typical salary range: $73-155K (median $113K)

Responsibilities: General managers are responsible for maximizing the operational efficiency and profitability of their property. Typical job responsibilities include managing:

Hotel operations
Staffing
Guest experience
Budget

Career path: A typical career path to becoming a general manager is starting as an entry-level role, such as a front desk agent, server, or housekeeper. Gaining experience in multiple departments will help you move through the career ladder, becoming a front desk, kitchen, or housekeeping supervisor and then getting promoted to a general manager through experience and successful performance.

Search for General Manager jobs.

2. Director of Sales

Typical salary range: $145-245K (median $191K)

Responsibilities: Essential functions of the director of sales can include developing and managing the departmental budget and monitoring sales activities, having an understanding of all market segments, creating and executing sales action plans, participating in sales meetings, and more.

Career path: A Bachelor’s degree and five years of related experience are preferred, depending on the company and property you are applying for.

Search for Sales Director jobs.

3. Director of Housekeeping/Housekeeping Supervisor

Typical salary range: $65-105K (median $75K)

Responsibilities: This position typically motivates and trains all housekeeping personnel, creates a regular cleaning schedule, manages vendor contracts, inspects rooms daily, ensures that the new safety and sanitation guidelines are executed, and more.

Career path: A 2-year college degree and five years of related experience or a 4-year college degree with three years of related experience along with supervisory experience are preferred. Requirements can vary depending on the company and property.

Search for Director of Housekeeping jobs.

4. Chief Engineer

Typical salary range: $65-80K (median $73K)

Responsibilities: Chief engineers enjoy resolving problems, working with their hands, and performing general building maintenance. Job requirements typically include troubleshooting and repairing malfunctions in electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems, soliciting bids from contractors and evaluating proposals, coordinating with local health, safety, fire, and building inspectors, supervising maintenance staff, and more.

Career path: An apprenticeship or training program recognized by the industry or a high school degree is required. Supervisory experience and related certification are ideal.

Search for Chief Engineer jobs.

5. Food and Beverage Director

Typical salary range: $67-136K (median $103K)

Responsibilities: The food and beverage director position is a strategic business leader for culinary operations, overseeing the development and implementation of brand service strategy and initiatives. Job requirements can include developing and maintaining food and beverage culinary goals, reviewing financial reports and evaluating performance against budget, and utilizing interpersonal and communication skills to lead, influence, and encourage food and beverage team members.

Career path: A 2-year degree in food service management, hospitality, or related major, bachelor’s degree preferred. 3-5 years of experience in a management-level position is preferred but requirements can vary.

Search for Food and Beverage Director jobs.

6. Director of Finance

Typical salary range: $110-162K (median $137K)

Responsibilities: The Director of finance positions is responsible for all areas relating to financial reporting and analysis. Essential functions of this role are to ensure all legal and tax documentation is properly maintained, manage and communicate cash flow-related issues, support the preparation of annual operating plans and budgets, and more.

Career path: A bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance with a CPA, with ideally 3-5 years of hospitality and senior accounting experience is preferred.

Search for Director of Finance jobs.

7. Director of Security/Facility Operations

Typical salary range: $65-155K (median $78K)

Responsibilities: Essential functions of this role can include being responsible for the supervision of employee performance and developmental coaching, setting up specific goals and objectives for all employees supervised, leading and directing investigations of accidents, thefts, property loss, and unlawful activities, and direct coordination of training, and more.

Career path: A bachelor’s degree with ideally 3-5 years of experience in security management is preferred depending on the company and property you are applying for.

Search for Hotel Director of Security/Facility jobs.

8. Executive Chef

Typical salary range: $80-125K (median $95K)

Responsibilities: An executive chef is responsible for coordinating, supervising, and directing all aspects of food production while maintaining a profitable operation. Job requirements can include coordinating stock levels, creating menus for prospective clients, overseeing daily activities such as preparation, inventory, and log-on reports, knowing and enforcing all health department sanitation laws, and more.

Career path: A culinary degree is required, ideally, with experience, in leading teams and typically 5-10 years of experience in a senior role. Requirements vary depending on the company and property.

Search for Executive Chef jobs.

9. Human Resources Director/Manager

Typical salary range: $135-215K (median $174K)

Responsibilities: A human resources director is responsible for carrying out daily activities including oversight of recruitment, compensation, and training and development. Essential functions typically include performing quality control on candid identification, administering benefits to associates, supporting departmental orientation programs for employees, and more.

Career path: Ideally, candidates will have 5 years of progressive related experience or a 4-year college degree with related experience. Requirements vary depending on the company and property.

Search for HR Director jobs.

10. Vice President of Business Development

Typical salary range: $190-300K (median $225K)

Responsibilities: VPs of business development are typically in charge of developing plans and strategies to increase business through marketing, communications, and sales. Job functions can include providing leadership of sales and marketing/communications teams, overseeing the development and implementation of marketing and sales plans, working with other leadership members to develop and monitor sales budgets and forecasts, and more.

Career path: A bachelor’s degree and ideally 5-10 years of related experience is ideal depending on the company and property applying for.

Search for VP of Business Development jobs.

11. Operations Manager/Director of Operations

Typical salary range: $54-120K (median $85K)

Responsibilities: Essential functions of operations managers or directors are to assist in daily operations alongside the general managers, ensure maintenance of cleanliness and asset management, motivate team members with a positive driving culture, develop marketing strategies for revenue growth through revenue management and sales activities, and more.

Career path: A high school diploma with three years of experience in guest services is ideal, depending on the company and property applying for.

Search for Manager of Operations jobs.

The highest paying c-suite hospitality jobs

The hospitality business offers a wide range of high-paying career paths. And believe it or not, many of the most well-paid figures in the hotel industry today got their start in entry-level hotel roles. Check out these six positions for a better understanding of what it takes to become one of the hotel/resort industry’s top earners.

Hotel Company CEOs

Typical salary range: $250-31MM (median $500K)

Hotel Company CEOs are where you should set your sights if you’re shooting for the stars. A future job as a hotel company CEO should be on your radar if you’re hoping to land one of the highest-paid jobs in the hospitality industry. Often these high flyers, like Marriott’s Arne Sorenson or Hilton’s Chris Nassetta, take home millions of dollars annually.

Chief Information Officers (CIOs)

Typical salary range: $258-347K (median $300K)

Chief Information Officers (CIOs) aren’t necessarily as high profile as the hospitality industry’s CEOs, but they play a key role in assessing strategic technology investments for their company, keeping an eye on innovative technologies that can impact future business and of course, safeguarding the company’s systems from cyber security threats while also keeping up with data privacy regulations. If former Starwood Hotels CIO and Executive Vice President Martha Poulter’s annual compensation of more than $3 million is any indication, hospitality industry CIOs earn their keep.

Vice Presidents of Operations