Headhunter Hospitality:
The Specialist Choice for Senior Hospitality Hires
Specialist headhunting for the hospitality, travel and leisure industry.
60 offices in 40 countries, for over 35 years.
The specialist headhunter for hospitality, travel and leisure
Global Search. Local Expertise. Transformational Impact.
At our Cornerstone International Group – Hospitality, Travel and Leisure Practice, we believe that leadership is not just a title; rather, it’s about igniting positive change in strategy, culture, and market success. Through our rigorous search process, we help organizations recruit leaders who will have a lasting impact. With our entrepreneurial partners, located in most major markets worldwide, we combine the agility and client focus of local experts with the reach and resources of a global organization.
Our work is grounded in deep local market knowledge, a strong culture of collaboration, and a commitment to finding leaders who align with your organization’s values and culture.
How specialist hospitality headhunting works
Headhunting is the opposite of recruitment advertising
A specialist hospitality headhunter doesn’t advertise a role and wait for applicants. We map the global hospitality leadership market for your specific brief, identify the senior leaders already excelling in similar roles elsewhere, and reach them confidentially, including the leaders who would never have responded to a job posting. For senior hospitality hires (General Manager, VPs, C-suite, board), this is the only approach that consistently surfaces the caliber of candidate you actually want to engage.
Cornerstone’s headhunter approach works the same way every time we are engaged for a hospitality executive search:
1. We talk and calibrate the brief
When you get in touch, we arrange a structured discovery conversation with a hospitality expert. We explain who we are, what the practice does, and most importantly what we will do for your specific search. We answer your questions about the candidate market, timing, and process. Once engaged we take the brief and test it against current market realities, map stakeholders and set success criteria. The role that gets filled is often subtly different from the one written down at the start.
2. We map the search universe
Built from current industry knowledge, we map the search universe with our local-market consultants across every geography the role spans. You see exactly who is in scope, why, and the methods we’ll use to engage each candidate group. We present one or two candidates early to confirm direction before going deep, rather than burn time on a shortlist that misses the mark.
3. You see a curated shortlist
We bring you a shortlist of candidates who genuinely fit the brief, with high level assessment reports and first-hand references from colleagues who know each candidate’s home market. The choice is yours; we make sure the choice is informed.
4. Assessment and references
First-hand reference work from inside the industry, including the questions clients want to get answered but don’t always know how to phrase.
5. Supporting the hiring process and onboarding
Packaging the right deal requires a fine touch and our involvement on both sides. We start these discussions early in the process to make the offer stage an easy step. We stay close to the leader and offer, through our ICF-certified coach, three onboarding coaching sessions for the first 90 days in the seat as part of our engagement. The placement isn’t done at the offer; it’s done when the leader is operating.
Why a specialist headhunter, not a generalist recruiter
A generalist executive recruiter can fill many senior seats well. A headhunter for the hospitality industry is built for the specific demands of hospitality leadership search, the industry where culture is the product, where the candidate pool is global but small, and where the cost of a wrong hire is measured in years of guest experience and team turnover, not just dollars.
Cornerstone Hospitality is the hospitality-only practice of Cornerstone International Group, with 60 offices across 40 countries. Every search we run is hospitality. We don’t cross over into life sciences, financial services, or industrial, the hospitality executive search and leadership-advisory mandate is our complete focus.
This focus is what lets us identify candidates other firms can’t reach, vet them against the criteria that actually predict hospitality success, and place them into roles where they go on to perform, not just accept the offer and leave within 18 months. For more on the specific service lines that sit under the Cornerstone Hospitality headhunting practice, see our Hospitality, Travel and Leisure Executive Search overview.
Frequently asked questions about engaging a hospitality headhunter
What hotel owners, restaurant operators, and travel-industry boards ask us most often before engaging Cornerstone.
How is a hospitality headhunter different from a recruitment agency?
A hospitality recruitment agency typically advertises a role and screens applicants who respond. A specialist hospitality headhunter works the opposite way, we identify the senior leaders already excelling in similar roles elsewhere, approach them confidentially, and bring those who match your brief to the table. The candidates you see are people who would never have applied. For executive roles, General Manager, VPs, C-suite, board, this approach is the standard in hospitality.
Do I pay a headhunter as the employer, or does the candidate?
The hiring organization pays. Cornerstone operates on a retained engagement model, you commission us to run the search exclusively for your role, and our fee is structured in installments through the engagement. The candidate never pays. This is the global standard for executive search in hospitality and across most industries.
How long does a hospitality executive search take?
Most senior hospitality mandates run 10 to 16 weeks from kick-off to signed offer. The first three weeks are dedicated to market mapping and candidate identification, weeks four through eight cover candidate engagement, interviews, and shortlisting, the final weeks handle client interviews, reference checks, and negotiation. For board-level or international cross-region searches, timelines can extend slightly. We provide a milestone-by-milestone calendar at engagement start.
What guarantee comes with a Cornerstone search?
Every Cornerstone retained search comes with a replacement guarantee. If a placed candidate leaves within the agreed protection window for reasons not attributable to the client’s circumstances, we re-run the search at no additional professional fee. The specifics of the guarantee period and conditions are covered in the engagement letter, at the start of every assignment.
Do you work with independent operators, or only large hotel groups?
Both. Cornerstone’s hospitality practice supports independent and family-owned luxury properties, regional hotel groups, international hotel and resort brands, restaurant groups, travel companies, and hospitality investment firms. We tailor the engagement model to the size and complexity of the organization, our minimum is that the role is senior enough to warrant a retained, specialist search.
Which regions do you cover?
Many hospitality recruiting firms operate from a single country or region. Cornerstone’s hospitality practice is global, our hospitality specialist team sits in different regions from EMEA, to The Americas to APAC. Roughly 70% of our hospitality searches involve at least one cross-border element, placing an international hire into a local market or vice versa.
How do I start a conversation about a senior hire?
Use the form on our contact page or email Florian Kittler directly at florian-kittler@cornerstone-group.com. Initial conversations are confidential, free of charge, and focused on understanding the role and the strategic context. Engagement only begins when both sides agree the fit is right.
What our clients and candidates say
“Florian played a pivotal role in my career transition within the hospitality industry, combining deep expertise in executive search with a highly strategic advisory approach. Unlike traditional recruiters, he takes the time to truly understand your long-term ambitions, challenges your assumptions, and positions you for sustainable leadership success. His network across the global hospitality sector is exceptional, and his commitment to delivering the right long-term fit goes far beyond a transactional placement.
Stefan SavicHospitality Professional · Asset Management, Development & Strategy
“Over the years I have worked with Florian and he has continually provided a service second to none. The caliber of individuals he recommends is always spot on, as he ensures that he understands not only the requirements and expectations of a role but also the importance of the success and growth of the business being related to people.
Daniel AylmerChief Executive Officer, Greater China
Both quotes are verified LinkedIn recommendations, see all client and colleague recommendations.
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Whether you are recruiting a single General Manager, restructuring an executive team, or planning succession at the board level, start with a confidential conversation. No commitment, no charge.
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