How to hire a resort manager

How to hire a resort manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step resort manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a resort manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new resort manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a resort manager do?

Post a resort manager job for free, promote it for a fee

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your resort manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a resort manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a resort manager to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a resort manager that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of resort manager salaries for various roles:

   Type of Resort Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Resort Manager	Lodging managers ensure that guests on vacation or business travel have a pleasant experience at a hotel, motel, or other types of establishment with accommodations. They also ensure that the establishment is run efficiently and profitably.	$12-32
   Rooms Director	A Rooms Director ensures smooth operation of valet services, housekeeping, communication, uniformed and concierge services, and guest services. Rooms directors provide guests with quality service with maximum productivity and room revenue... Show more	$24-54
   Director Of Front Office	A director of front office supervises and leads the daily activities of an establishment's front office, ensuring clients receive optimal services. They are primarily in charge of setting goals and guidelines, establishing protocols and timelines, recruiting and training staff, monitoring operations to ensure the workforce functions efficiently, and solving issues and concerns if any would arise... Show more	$23-59

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • PET
   • Resorts
   • Property Management
   • Reservations
   • RV
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Cleanliness
   • Payroll
   • Human Resources
   • Campground
   • Guest Service
   • Financial Reports
   • Guest Rooms
   • Bank Deposits

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage several customer service incidents and tend to emergencies including the administration lifesaving CPR to a gym patron.
   • Assist clients with booking reservations for their pet (s) and signing up for classes.
   • Control $900k in inventory and convert inventory to a scan system hereby reducing lose, overspending and payroll to maintain.
   • Create resort website which increase resort visibility and reservations.
   • Conduct various inspections throughout property to ensure cleanliness and safety.
   • Facilitate yield meetings to maximize ADR and profitability, including identification of group business.

   More resort manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the resort manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A resort manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a resort manager in Arkansas may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level resort manager. Additionally, a resort manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average resort manager salary

   $42,365yearly

   $20.37 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level resort manager salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average resort manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$52,603	$25
   2	North Carolina	$45,403	$22
   3	New York	$45,003	$22
   4	South Carolina	$42,728	$21
   5	North Dakota	$42,403	$20
   6	South Dakota	$42,394	$20
   7	Montana	$42,120	$20
   8	Hawaii	$40,652	$20
   9	Nevada	$40,604	$20
   10	Florida	$39,390	$19
   11	Wyoming	$37,257	$18
   12	Texas	$36,651	$18
   13	Tennessee	$36,596	$18
   14	Illinois	$33,880	$16

   Average resort manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Sun Communities	$60,262	$28.97	1
   2	Wyndham Vacation Ownership	$57,089	$27.45
   3	Hilton Grand Vacations	$50,698	$24.37	8
   4	The Walt Disney Company	$49,597	$23.84	35
   5	Rosewood Hotels & Resorts	$47,124	$22.66
   6	VCA Animal Hospitals	$45,384	$21.82	48
   7	Las Vegas Sands	$44,961	$21.62	1
   8	BrightView	$44,432	$21.36	26
   9	Hilton	$42,174	$20.28	58
   10	BrightView Landscape Development Inc	$41,132	$19.77	48
   11	The Cliffs Resort	$41,053	$19.74
   12	Springboard Hospitality	$40,352	$19.40	5
   13	Benchmark Group	$39,582	$19.03
   14	Benchmark Hospitally	$38,937	$18.72
   15	Highgate Hotels	$38,863	$18.68	77
   16	Marriott International	$38,764	$18.64	313
   17	Goodwin Recruiting	$38,082	$18.31
   18	Station Casinos	$37,526	$18.04	5
   19	National Veterinary Associates	$37,153	$17.86	52
   20	Community of Christ	$37,065	$17.82

4. Writing a resort manager job description

   A resort manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a resort manager job description:

   Resort manager job description example

   Swan Lake Resort is looking to add a Resort Manager to our team. The Resort Manager will be tasked with overseeing the entire operation at Swan Lake Resort. The chosen candidate will work directly with the ownership team to plan and execute short term and long term operational objectives.
   Key Responsibilities To perform this role successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
   Team Management Manages all operational aspects of the resort. Direct Reports will include Human Resources Manager, Director of IT, Director of Golf, Golf Course Superintendent, Restaurant Manager, Executive Chef, Grill Manager, Resort Sales Manager and Facilities Maintenance Manager. Attends management and staff meetings as scheduled. Review applicants, interview, hire and terminate staff as needed to comply with performance standards and service demands. Forecast staffing requirements and assist the managers in assuring that staffing is done within constraints of the budget. Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service. Review work procedures and operational problems to determine ways to improve service, performance, or safety.
   Financial Management Directs the development and implementation of long-range (strategic) and annual (business) plans, operating reports, forecasts and budgets. Assist in the planning of facility improvements, remodeling, construction and repair and interacts with applicable resort managers for this purpose. Monitor budgets and payroll records, and review financial transactions to ensure that expenditures are authorized and budgeted. Meet with department managers on a monthly basis to review monthly performance with regards to revenues and expenses. Record the number, type, and cost of items sold to determine which items may be unpopular or less profitable in all departments.
   Customer Service Investigate and resolve complaints regarding the experience a guest had in any department at Swan Lake Resort. Greet guests, welcome them to the resort and be available if needed during their stay. Serve as a representative within the community.
   Compliance Monitor employee and patron activities to ensure safety and enjoyment for all staff and guests. Participates in on-going facility inspections throughout the resort to assure that cleanliness, maintenance, projects, safety and other standards are consistently attained.
   Advertising/Social Media Assists with the development and execution of advertising plan and budget. Responsible for control and updates made to Swan Lake Resort website. Lead Social Media presence through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and SLR TV and continuously look for new avenues to increase our social media reach.
   Education & Experience: Must have 3 to 5 years' experience in Executive Level Facility Management Past Experience in Resort Operations Preferred Past Experience with Hotel, Food & Beverage and/or Golf Operations a Plus Bachelor Degree Preferred
   Skill Requirements
   Must be willing to be on-call during off-duty hours for emergencies. Must be a team player. Must be able to develop strategies and steps to achieve organizational goals. Must be able to analyze market and competition. Must be able to convey information and ideas clearly. Must be able to evaluate and select among alternative courses of action quickly and accurately. Must work well in stressful, high pressure situations. Must maintain composure and objectivity under pressure. Must be effective in handling problems in the workplace, including anticipating, preventing, identifying, and solving problems as necessary. Must be able to assimilate complex information, data, etc. from disparate sources and consider, adjust, or modify to meet the constraints of the particular need. Must be effective at listening to, understanding, and clarifying the concerns and issues raised by employees and guests Must be able to work with and understand financial information and data.
   Supervisory Responsibilities
   Manager
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right resort manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with resort managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit resort managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your resort manager job on Zippia to find and recruit resort manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit resort managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new resort manager

   Once you have selected a candidate for the resort manager position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a resort manager?