How Much Do Hospitality Recruiters Charge? (2026 Fees)

If you're hiring a hotel, resort, club or restaurant manager through a recruiter, the fee is usually the first question. The short answer: most hospitality recruiters charge a percentage of the new hire's first-year pay, and the percentage depends on the fee model. Here's what's typical, what the fee is calculated on, and what it costs in dollars for common manager roles.

The three ways hospitality recruiters charge

These ranges come from recruiting firms' own published benchmarks, so treat them as typical rather than fixed. GoFractional, citing industry survey data, puts the median and most common direct-hire fee at 20%, with a range of 15% to 20% at generalist firms and 20% to 25% at firms that specialize in direct hire.

Temporary and hourly placements are billed differently, as a markup on hourly pay, and aren't covered here. For a deeper comparison of the two main models, read contingency vs. retained recruiting for hospitality.

What the fee is calculated on

Two firms can quote the same percentage and charge very different amounts, because they calculate it on different numbers. Ask exactly what's included:

• Base salary only. The most common basis for contingency fees, and the simplest to calculate.
• Total first-year compensation. Common in retained search. It can include the target bonus, a signing bonus and other cash pay.
• Housing and relocation. Resorts and seasonal markets often provide housing or pay for a move. Ask whether those count toward the fee.
• Minimum fees. Many firms set a minimum fee, so lower-paid roles cost more than the percentage alone suggests.

Our fee is calculated on first-year base salary only. Bonuses, housing and relocation don't count toward it.

What a recruiter fee costs for common hospitality roles

Here's what the fee would be on each role's average base salary from our 2026 salary guide, at our rate and at two common market rates. Your offer will differ by market, venue and experience, so use these as a starting point.

Our $9,000 minimum applies when the base salary is under $50,000. Above that, the fee is simply 18% of base. See our recruiting pages for front office managers, restaurant general managers, executive chefs and food and beverage directors.

What to compare besides the percentage

• The guarantee. How long it lasts, when it starts, and whether you get a replacement search or a refund. Contingency guarantees often run only 30 to 90 days.
• When the fee is due. On the offer, on the start date, or after a set number of days.
• Exclusivity. Whether you can work with other recruiters on the same search at the same time.
• Candidate ownership. How long the firm is owed a fee if you later hire someone it introduced. GoFractional puts this commonly at 6 to 12 months.
• Confidentiality. Whether the firm can run a quiet search to replace someone still in the role.
• Specialization. Whether the recruiter works only on hospitality managers or fills every kind of role.

Is a hospitality recruiter worth the fee?

The fee isn't the right comparison. The real comparison is the cost of a manager seat staying empty for another quarter, or of hiring the wrong person and starting over. We break that cost down in our article on the hospitality talent shortage. A recruiter also reaches managers who aren't applying to job posts, because they're employed and doing well.

If you have a strong internal candidate or a deep applicant pool, you may not need a recruiter at all. For a department head or unit leader role that has to be filled well and filled soon, a contingency fee is often the lowest-risk way to do it, because you pay only for a hire.

What we charge

• 18% of first-year base salary, with a $9,000 minimum
• No retainer. You pay nothing until you hire.
• A six-month (180-day) replacement guarantee on every placement
• Portfolio pricing for multi-property groups
• [Confidential replacement searches](/executive-search) on the same terms
• No fees for candidates, ever

We place department heads and unit leaders for resorts, hotels, private clubs and full-service restaurant groups nationwide. We don't place temporary or hourly workers, and we don't run corporate C-suite or regional VP searches.