General Manager of Hospitality

Reference: CPT000599-MB-1

Our client, a prestigious Wine Estate based in Franschhoek, is seeking an accomplished General Manager of Hospitality to provide strategic and operational leadership across its diverse hospitality portfolio, including restaurant operations, wine tasting, events, accommodation and leisure facilities.

The successful candidate will be responsible for driving operational excellence, profitability and business growth, while maintaining exceptional service and guest experience standards. Key responsibilities include leading and developing high-performing teams, overseeing financial performance and cost controls, implementing effective sales and marketing strategies, and ensuring seamless coordination across all hospitality divisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership across all hospitality divisions, including the restaurant, wine tasting centre, events, accommodation, padel club, reservations and guest services.
• Oversee the overall performance, profitability, service standards and guest experience across the estate's hospitality operations.
• Develop and implement operational strategies that drive business growth, efficiency, profitability and service excellence.
• Lead, mentor and develop departmental managers and hospitality teams, fostering a high-performance culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Drive sales and marketing initiatives to increase estate visitation, accommodation occupancy, direct bookings, wine sales, restaurant revenue, events business and leisure participation.
• Develop and implement marketing campaigns, strategic partnerships, promotional initiatives, guest loyalty programmes and tourism trade relationships.
• Collaborate with the Commercial Revenue Manager on revenue optimisation, pricing strategies, forecasting, financial performance and commercial planning.
• Oversee departmental budgets, expenditure, cost controls and financial targets to ensure sustainable profitability across hospitality operations.
• Monitor reservations, occupancy, guest spending patterns and departmental performance to identify opportunities for revenue growth.
• Maintain exceptional guest experience standards, ensuring consistent service quality and brand alignment across all hospitality offerings.
• Oversee recruitment, performance management, succession planning, employee development and effective workforce management.
• Ensure effective coordination and communication between hospitality departments, sales and marketing, finance and other operational functions.
• Oversee procurement, inventory management, supplier relationships, asset management and operational cost efficiencies.
• Identify and implement new business opportunities, hospitality development projects and operational improvements.
• Ensure compliance with applicable health and safety, food safety, liquor licensing, employment legislation and other statutory requirements.
• Establish and monitor key performance indicators, operational reporting and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Maintain strong relationships with guests, tourism partners, suppliers, stakeholders and strategic business partners.
• Provide executive-level reporting and strategic recommendations to the CEO.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration or a related field, and/or relevant certification in Hospitality Management, Food and Beverage Management or Event Management.
• Minimum 10 to 12 years' experience in hospitality operations, ideally within multi-unit, estate-style or destination-based hospitality environments.
• At least 5 years' experience in a senior leadership, executive management, General Manager, Operations Director or equivalent position.
• Proven experience overseeing multiple hospitality divisions, including food and beverage, events, accommodation, guest services, wine tasting and/or leisure operations.
• Strong sales and marketing background within luxury hospitality, tourism, wine, leisure or destination-based businesses is essential.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute commercial strategies, marketing initiatives and business development opportunities that generate measurable revenue growth.
• Experience within luxury hotels, boutique hospitality establishments, premium wine estates or similar high-end hospitality environments would be advantageous.
• Proven financial and commercial management capability, including budgeting, revenue optimisation, cost management and profitability.
• Strong understanding of hospitality operations, guest experience management, service excellence and brand positioning.
• Demonstrated success in building, leading and developing high-performing, multidisciplinary hospitality teams.
• Experience in hospitality business development, operational expansion, new venue openings or implementing new hospitality offerings would be advantageous.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, negotiation and relationship-building skills.
• Strong strategic thinking, commercial judgement and decision-making capabilities.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate effectively within a family-owned, fast-paced and evolving business environment.
• Professional executive presence, resilience, adaptability and the ability to manage competing operational and commercial priorities.
• Strong organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills, with exceptional attention to detail.
• A hands-on, people-focused leadership approach with a commitment to employee engagement, accountability and operational excellence.
• Ability to translate high-level business strategy into practical operational and commercial results.

Role Information

• Position: General Manager of Hospitality
• Location: Franschhoek, Western Cape
• Department: Hospitality & Direct-to-Consumer (DTC)
• Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
• Employment Type: Permanent, full-time
• Working Arrangement: On-site
• Monthly Salary: R80,000, with candidate expectations to be considered
• Cellphone Allowance: R1,500 per month
• Additional Incentive: Performance-based bonus
• Appointment Priority: Urgent

This executive-level opportunity would suit an accomplished hospitality leader who combines operational expertise with strong commercial, sales and marketing capabilities. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a proven ability to lead diverse hospitality operations, drive profitability, develop high-performing teams and deliver exceptional guest experiences within a premium hospitality environment.

Candidates who meet the above criteria are invited to submit their CV to ***email_hidden*** .

Should you not receive a response within 7 days, please consider your application unsuccessful.