Host

Carmel Chamber of Commerce, Inc.; California; On-site; USD 19,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

La Playa Hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea seeks a host who can command the room with warmth. The role centers on greeting guests, guiding them to seats, answering questions, and turning arrivals into memorable moments as Bud’s and the Pacific Terrace come alive.

You'll read a room like the tide, handle reservations with grace, and keep the front of house humming in sync with the team. Starting pay is $16.90 per hour plus tips, with opportunities to grow as you embody true hospitality.

Qualifications

• Charm a table of six without breaking a sweat.
• Read a room like the tide, instinctively.
• Know a reservation system inside out.
• Be reliable, punctual and composed.

Responsibilities

• Turn visitors into memorable experiences.
• Read a room instinctively and anticipate guest needs.
• Handle reservations with grace and accuracy.
• Keep the front-of-house humming in sync with the team.

Skills

Charm guests

Reservation system experience

Punctual

Reliability

Tools

Reservation system

Job description

Host Wanted: Command the Room at Carmel's Legendary La Playa Hotel
Compensation: Starting at $16.90 per hour plus tips

Fog rolls in off the Pacific like a secret just beginning to tell itself. Cypress trees twist into shapes no architect could dream up. And somewhere between the fairy-tale cottages and the dunes, there’s a door at La Playa Hotel that only the right person knows how to open.

This is Carmel-by-the-Sea — a one-square-mile fever dream where there are no street addresses, no stoplights, and (allegedly) a standing ordinance against wearing heels without a permit. Clint Eastwood used to run the place. Artists and poets built it. You’re about to become part of its folklore.

Your New Kingdom

Step into Bud’s — the beating heart of La Playa Hotel — where the Lounge hums low, the Library Room holds its secrets, and the Pacific Terrace opens up to a view that’s been stopping people mid-sentence since 1904. This is your stage. Every shift, a new scene. Every guest, a new story waiting on your cue.

What You’ll Actually Be Doing

• Turning “just visiting” into “I’ll never forget this place.”
• Reading a room like you read the tide — instinctively, gracefully, a beat ahead.
• Making reservations feel less like logistics and more like anticipation.
• Keeping the whole operation humming in sync with your team, like a well-rehearsed ensemble.
• Moving through the chaos of a packed terrace with the calm of someone who’s already won.

Are You the One We’re Looking For?

We want someone who can charm a table of six without breaking a sweat, who knows their way around a reservation system like a local knows the shortcuts through the cypress groves. Someone reliable, punctual, and effortlessly composed — the kind of person who makes “genuine hospitality” look like it was never hard work at all.

Why Here, Why Now

At La Playa Hotel and Hotel Carmel, we believe every guest deserves to feel like the only one in the room — and every team member deserves to feel like they matter just as much. Our pillars aren’t just words on a wall: Hands On & Heartfelt, Sincere & Focused, Collaborative & Curious, and Conscientious. It’s how we’ve built something guests come back to, year after year, generation after generation.

Carmel isn’t just scenery — it’s the whole mood. Wander the beach where dogs outnumber people and no one’s ever in a rush. Grab a glass of something local after your shift. Watch the sun drop into the Pacific like it’s putting on a show just for you.

Ready to Set the Scene?

If you’ve got the charisma, the hustle, and the instinct for making people feel seen — Bud’s is waiting for you to walk through the door.