General Manager

Mojave Resort; Palm Desert (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

401(k) matching

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Mojave Resort in Palm Desert is seeking a hands-on General Manager to lead daily hotel operations and help grow the property’s presence locally. You will be the hotel’s chief ambassador in the community, building relationships with businesses, event planners and travel professionals while driving revenue for leisure stays, private events and group bookings.

As a small, intimate boutique hotel, you will lead and develop a lean team, oversee guest services, facilities and financial performance,

Qualifications

• Experience leading small, independent, boutique or lifestyle hotels.
• Ability to drive revenue and understand occupancy, ADR, RevPAR.
• Strong relationship builder with community and partners.
• Comfortable presenting and hosting in group settings.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day hotel operations, ensuring warmth and personalized guest experience.
• Act as chief ambassador in the local community, building relationships with businesses and event planners.
• Identify sales opportunities and promote Mojave for leisure stays, groups, corporate retreats and private events.
• Attend local networking events and sales appointments to generate leads and build partnerships.
• Present the hotel in meetings, tours, client presentations and industry events.
• Collaborate with the commercial team to pursue opportunities and convert leads into business.
• Maintain understanding of the local market, competition, and community calendar.
• Lead and develop a small team; foster ownership of guest experience.
• Oversee staffing, scheduling, procurement, maintenance and operating standards.
• Manage financial performance, budgeting, forecasting and labor controls.

Skills

Hotel management

Sales mindset

Community relations

People leadership

Job description

Mojave Resort is an intimate, 25-room adults-only retreat in the heart of Palm Desert. Originally built in 1957 and thoughtfully reimagined for today, it pairs mid-century character with the easygoing spirit of desert life. Steps from El Paseo, the resort centers around a lush courtyard with a martini-shaker shaped pool and spa, fire tables and event lawn, creating a social sanctuary for weekend escapes, celebrations, private events and full-property buyouts.

We are seeking a General Manager who can lead the hotel while also helping grow its presence in Palm Desert and beyond.

This is not a behind-the-desk GM role. Mojave needs a hands‑on hotelier who is equally comfortable reviewing the day's business, jumping in to support a small team, welcoming guests around the courtyard, presenting the hotel to a room full of potential clients and heading out into the community to build relationships that generate business.

What You'll Do

• Lead all aspects of day-to-day hotel operations, ensuring a consistently warm, polished and personal guest experience.
• Serve as the hotel's chief ambassador in the local community, building relationships with businesses, organizations, event planners, travel professionals and other partners throughout Palm Desert and the Coachella Valley.
• Take an active role in generating revenue, identifying sales opportunities and promoting Mojave for leisure stays, small groups, corporate retreats, private events and full-property buyouts.
• Attend local networking events, community gatherings, sales appointments, trade events and other opportunities where you can introduce Mojave and build relationships.
• Confidently present the hotel in one-on-one meetings and group settings, from property tours and client presentations to community and industry events.
• Partner closely with the above property commercial team to identify opportunities, pursue leads and turn relationships into measurable business.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the local market, competitive landscape, demand drivers and community calendar.
• Lead, coach and develop a small team, creating a culture where everyone is willing to pitch in and take ownership of the guest experience.
• Be highly visible throughout the property and willing to step into daily operations whenever and wherever needed.
• Oversee staffing, scheduling, purchasing, maintenance, guest satisfaction and operating standards.
• Manage the hotel's financial performance, including budgeting, forecasting, labor management, expense controls and revenue opportunities.
• Build relationships with guests before, during and after their stays, developing the repeat business and word-of-mouth advocacy that are especially important to an intimate independent hotel.
• Ensure Mojave remains true to its identity as Palm Desert's relaxed, refined and distinctly social desert retreat.

Who You Are

• An experienced hotel General Manager or senior hotel leader with a strong track record operating small, independent, boutique or lifestyle hotels.
• A hotelier with a meaningful sales background who understands that driving revenue is part of the GM's job, not simply the responsibility of a separate sales team.
• A natural relationship builder who genuinely enjoys getting out into the community, meeting people and turning connections into partnerships and business opportunities.
• Comfortable and polished presenting in group settings, hosting property tours, making sales presentations and representing the hotel at community and industry events.
• Entrepreneurial and proactive, with the instinct to spot opportunities and the follow-through to turn ideas into results.
• A capable operator who understands the fundamentals of rooms, guest service, housekeeping, facilities, staffing and hotel financial performance.
• A visible, hands‑on leader who is comfortable working with a lean team and stepping in when needed. No task is beneath you when it helps the hotel or the guest.
• Commercially minded and accountable, with a strong understanding of occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, forecasting, labor and profitability.
• Connected to the Coachella Valley community or excited to quickly become part of it, with an appreciation for the people, businesses and experiences that make Palm Desert distinctive.
• Warm, confident, resourceful and energized by the opportunity to run a small hotel where your personal relationships and daily decisions can have an immediate impact on performance.

Job Type: FLSA Designation: Full-Time Exempt

Compensation: DOE

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Cell phone reimbursement
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount on hotel stays
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off available 90 days after start date
• Vision insurance
• Supplemental Pay: Bonus Incentive Plan, performance based

Training we provide

Every journey begins with a first step. Maybe yours is focused on growing your career in hospitality – climbing the ladder to management, executive team, corporate or beyond. Maybe you want a stable, fulfilling role where you can thrive or, just maybe, you need a gig for now while you complete your education or audition for your big break. No matter where your path takes you, Practice Hospitality respects your journey and has customized our employee experience to support your goals and ambitions.

About the management team

At Practice Hospitality, we’re driven by a singular purpose: to create experiences travelers seek out and return to, time and time again. To us, that starts by being human – building an environment that balances emotional intelligence, tradition, ritual, and creativity. Because when that happens, hospitality comes alive – and results follow.

Source: Hospitality Online