General Manager - Populus Denver

Crescent

$90K — $120K *
Hospitality & Recreation
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of General Manager experience in full-service, lifestyle, luxury, or upscale hotel environments.
  • Proven track record in leading experiential, independent hospitality concepts.
  • Strong financial acumen with expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and revenue management.
  • Demonstrated ability to develop high-performing teams in service-oriented settings.
  • Passionate about sustainability and purpose-driven hospitality.
  • Experience building engaging hotel cultures aligned with a mission-driven ethos.
  • Background in community engagement and partnership cultivation.

Responsibilities

  • Provide strategic leadership across hotel operations prioritizing guest satisfaction and financial performance.
  • Serve as a cultural steward of the Populus ethos, reflecting its mission and sustainability commitment in guest experiences.
  • Drive revenue growth through comprehensive planning, budgeting, and expense management.
  • Analyze performance metrics to identify areas of improvement for market standing.
  • Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and other departments to enhance commercial outcomes.
  • Recruit and mentor a high-performing leadership team, promoting associate development.
  • Maintain a visible leadership presence, ensuring quality, safety, and service standards are upheld.
  • Cultivate relationships with ownership, community organizations, and local stakeholders.
  • Ensure compliance with policies, sustainability initiatives, and regulations.
  • Support talent acquisition and associate relations in partnership with People and Culture.

Benefits

  • Competitive executive compensation package available.
  • Operational incentive plan eligibility.
  • Comprehensive benefits for associates and family members.
  • 401(k) program with company match.
  • Travel discounts at Crescent-managed properties in North America.
  • Opportunities for career growth with a leading hospitality management company.
  • Chance to lead a pioneering and purpose-driven hotel.
Full Job Description
About the Opportunity

We are seeking an exceptional General Manager to lead this landmark property. This individual will serve as both an operational leader and a cultural steward-responsible for delivering outstanding financial performance, exceptional guest experiences, and associate engagement while bringing the Populus mission and values to life every day.

The successful candidate will understand how to balance Crescent's commitment to operational excellence with Urban Villages' vision for purpose-driven hospitality. They will be equally comfortable discussing RevPAR, EBITDA, and market share as they are building community partnerships, inspiring associates, and advancing sustainability initiatives.

This is a rare opportunity to lead one of the hospitality industry's most innovative hotels while partnering with Crescent Hotels & Resorts and Urban Villages to help shape the future of hospitality.

What We Offer

  • Competitive executive compensation package
  • Operational incentive plan eligibility
  • Comprehensive benefits for eligible associates and family members
  • 401(k) program with company match
  • Travel discounts at Crescent-managed properties throughout North America
  • Career growth opportunities with a leading hospitality management company
  • The opportunity to lead one of the most innovative and purpose-driven hotels in the United States

Key Responsibilities

  • Provide strategic leadership for all aspects of hotel operations with a focus on guest satisfaction, associate engagement, financial performance, and operational excellence.
  • Serve as the steward of the Populus ethos and guest experience, ensuring the property's mission, values, and sustainability commitments are reflected throughout the guest and associate journey.
  • Drive revenue growth and profitability through strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, expense management, and revenue optimization.
  • Analyze financial and operational performance metrics to identify opportunities to strengthen results and grow the property's standing in the market.
  • Partner closely with Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, and Food & Beverage leaders to strengthen commercial results and the guest experience.
  • Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain a high-performing executive leadership team while creating opportunities for associate growth and advancement.
  • Foster a culture that celebrates innovation, authenticity, inclusivity, accountability, and exceptional service.
  • Maintain a visible presence throughout the property, upholding the standards of quality, cleanliness, safety, and service.
  • Build and maintain positive relationships with ownership, community organizations, environmental partners, tourism leaders, business partners, and local stakeholders.
  • Ensure compliance with company policies, sustainability initiatives, brand standards, safety regulations, and all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
  • Partner closely with People and Culture to support talent acquisition, associate relations, engagement, and leadership development.
  • Represent Populus, Urban Villages, and Crescent Hotels & Resorts at industry events, community functions, and corporate meetings as needed.

How We Populus

The General Manager will champion and embody the values that define Populus and shape every guest and associate experience.

Rooted in Nature

We look to nature first for inspiration and wisdom. Leaders at Populus cultivate meaningful connections to place, celebrate local partnerships, and create experiences that honor the community and environment around us.

Generous

We give back more than we take, in every direction. The successful candidate will foster a culture of service, abundance, and stewardship where associates, guests, ownership, and the community all benefit from our presence.

Curious

We explore, question, and seek to understand. We are looking for a leader who embraces innovation, challenges convention, listens deeply, and continuously seeks opportunities to elevate the guest experience.

Brave

We do the right thing, especially when it is harder. This leader will be transparent, authentic, accountable, and willing to make courageous decisions that support long-term success.

Qualifications

  • Minimum of five (5) years of experience as a General Manager within a full-service, lifestyle, luxury, or upscale hotel environment.
  • Demonstrated success leading highly experiential, independent, lifestyle, or luxury hospitality concepts preferred.
  • Proven ability to drive financial performance while maintaining exceptional guest satisfaction and associate engagement.
  • Strong understanding of hotel financials, budgeting, forecasting, revenue management, and P&L accountability.
  • Experience building and leading high-performing teams in dynamic, service-driven environments.
  • Passion for sustainability, environmental stewardship, and purpose-driven hospitality.
  • Demonstrated ability to build culture and associate engagement within a mission-driven organization.
  • Experience representing a hotel within the community and cultivating meaningful local partnerships.
  • Experience working collaboratively with ownership groups, asset managers, and management companies.
  • Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and leadership skills.
  • Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, or a related field preferred.

Why Populus?

This is more than a General Manager role. It is the chance to lead a hotel that is rewriting what hospitality can be, where every stay leaves something good behind and the whole team feels the difference.

At Populus, guests return not only for the design, the dining, and the service, but because being here means something. The person who leads it will shape a place where doing right by the planet and running a strong business are the same work, and where the community is genuinely better for Populus being in it.

If you lead with both heart and discipline, and you believe a hotel can be exceptional and meaningful at once, we would welcome the conversation.

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