A recruiter who has run hotels and lodges

Fairlead Hospitality Search is a small Cape Town firm that recruits senior managers for hotels and lodges across South Africa.

Anele Jacobs

Founder, Fairlead Hospitality Search

Office021 418 207 Mobile082 615 734 Emailhello@fairlead.edwebmedia.com
See the current roles

From the front desk to the search

Anele Jacobs started on reception at a Cape Town city hotel in 2004. Over the next twelve years she ran front office teams and a rooms division, then managed a country house hotel in the Winelands and, last, a private game lodge in the Sabi Sand. Along the way she hired dozens of managers and learnt how much a property depends on getting those few appointments right.

She founded Fairlead Hospitality Search in 2018, after one owner too many asked her where to find a good general manager. The firm stays small on purpose. Anele speaks to every candidate herself, sends a short list rather than a pile of CVs and never puts a name forward without the candidate’s yes.

The properties we recruit for

  • Country house hotels
  • Safari lodges
  • City hotels
  • Wine estates
  • Golf resorts
  • Boutique guesthouses
  • Beach resorts
  • Mountain resorts

How Fairlead works

Anele works directly with the owner or general manager, and you hear from her every week until the role is filled.

Send a hiring brief

  1. The brief, in person

    A call or a visit to learn the role, the team around it and what the owners want next.

  2. A short list, not a pile

    Three to five people who have done the job, each one interviewed by Anele first.

  3. Interviews and references

    Set around your diary, with references checked before any offer is made.

  4. The offer and after

    Package, notice and relocation agreed, then a check-in after the first 90 days.

Candidates get straight advice, and nothing goes to a property without their yes.

Send your CV

  1. A real conversation

    A call about where you are now, where you want to be and what would make you move.

  2. Straight notes on your CV

    What an owner or general manager will look for, and what to cut.

  3. Roles that fit

    Only the ones that suit your grade, your region and your plans.

  4. Introductions, with your yes

    Your name goes to a property only after you have agreed to it.

Demo