Executive Hiring Guide: Real Estate & Hospitality Industry

Real estate and hospitality companies need executives who can manage cyclical markets, drive guest experience innovation, and navigate complex capital structures. This guide covers the executive talent landscape.

The Real Estate & Hospitality Executive Landscape

Real estate and hospitality are navigating post-pandemic recovery alongside structural shifts in how people live, work, and travel. Mixed-use developments, experiential hospitality, and proptech are reshaping the industry.

Executive talent must understand both the financial engineering of real estate and the operational complexity of hospitality management.

Key Executive Roles

Critical roles include Chief Development Officer, VP of Asset Management, Chief Operating Officer, VP of Guest Experience, Chief Investment Officer, Head of Revenue Management, SVP of Property Operations, and VP of Design & Construction.

The rise of proptech and alternative accommodations has created demand for technology-savvy leaders who can drive digital transformation across real estate and hospitality portfolios.

What to Look for in Candidates

Real estate executives should demonstrate experience with complex capital structures, joint ventures, and fund management. Hospitality leaders need operational excellence track records, brand development experience, and guest satisfaction improvement metrics.

In both sectors, look for leaders who have managed through market cycles — their performance during downturns reveals leadership character and strategic adaptability.

Common Hiring Challenges

Real estate executive searches are often complicated by geographic specificity — the candidate must understand local markets, zoning regulations, and community dynamics. Hospitality searches require leaders willing to be hands-on across distributed property portfolios.

Compensation structures involving carried interest, promote structures, and performance-based incentives require careful negotiation expertise.

Partnering with an Executive Search Firm

Real estate and hospitality executive search benefits from a firm that understands both the financial and operational dimensions of the industry.

Mogul's practice has placed leaders at organizations including Hilton, Fairmont, Marriott, and Core Spaces, with expertise spanning luxury hospitality, multifamily development, and commercial real estate.