Director of People and Culture - Recess Hotels : Job Details

Recess is where the everyday takes a break.

Launching in the Fall of 2026, Recess Hotel & Club will transform Savannah's storied Manger Building into a new kind of lifestyle hotel and clubhouse. With 221 rooms—including suites and bunk rooms—plus co-working, a rooftop pool, a circuit-based wellness club, a French brasserie, and layered social spaces, Recess is designed as a public club : a private clubhouse for all. Locals, members, and travelers will come together to eat, drink, work, play, and connect.

The project builds on the momentum of Hotel Bardo Savannah, Left Lane's flagship urban resort that opened in 2024. Bardo has already been recognized as one of the Best New Hotels in the World by Condé Nast Traveler, Best Hotels of the Year by Travel + Leisure, and earned the inaugural Michelin Key designation—cementing Left Lane as one of hospitality's most closely watched innovators.

Left Lane is a vertically integrated hospitality development and management company focused on transforming historic, iconic properties into layered destinations that reflect their communities. With more than $1.5B in projects planned across Savannah, Memphis, Pittsburgh, Providence, Phoenix, and Bozeman, Left Lane is building a portfolio of hotels, clubs, and experiences that are both nostalgic and forward-looking.

Find and seek. Stay here, play here. Welcome to Recess.

Overview

We are seeing an Director of People & Culture for our lifestyle hotel and clubhouse Recess Savannah who believes genuine, human connections make people's lives better. This individual is a collaborator and culture setter who creates and nurtures positive team dynamics across the property and leads and supports best-in-class human resources functions. The right candidate is a hands-on leader who enjoys working in the trenches with the operating team and working in a fast-paced entrepreneurial environment. .

Responsibilities

• Act as a strategic partner to the leadership team and provide insightful, innovative thinking and problem-solving on critical people issues
• Optimize the people resources function/team and refine key processes toward achieving strategic objectives
• Provide leadership and guidance on special projects, people analytics & reporting, talent gaps, training, change management, and talent development
• Maintain a competitive approach to recruiting and onboarding high-potential talent
• Provide recruiting leadership, ensuring a strong recruitment strategy focused on candidate experience and timeliness
• Plan, develop, and implement policies, processes, and surveys to support the organization's people resource compliance and strategy needs
• Administer human resource programs including, but not limited to, recruitment, selection, onboarding, compensation, benefits, performance management, recognition, health and safety, and training and development
• Facilitate professional development, training, and certification activities
• Oversee the daily workflow of the department.
• Provide constructive and timely performance feedback
• Analyze organizational trends including review of reports and metrics from the organization's human resource information system (HRIS) or talent management system
• Monitor and ensure compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws and recommend best practices; review and modify policies and practices to maintain compliance
• Maintain knowledge of trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in human resources, talent management, and employment law; apply knowledge to communicate changes in policy and practice
• Develop and manage departmental budgets
• Perform other duties as required

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in human resources, preferably in a lifestyle/luxury hospitality environment
• Superior communication and presentation skills, both oral and written
• Proficient in software (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Project Management)
• Excellent interpersonal and organizational skills
• Well-versed in critical thinking, cultural awareness, and business acumen
• Strong leadership skills and ability to foster high levels of accountability
• Excellent organizational and time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines
• Confident, collaborative, and with a point of view
• Highly analytical in thought and recommendations
• Comfortable identifying strategic needs but also an executor ensuring the implementation of a strategic plan