NOW HIRING: GENERAL MANAGER

We are looking for a General Manager who will serve as the heart and anchor of The Layer | Atami Hotel. This is a hands-on, people-first leadership role for someone who is comfortable with ambiguity, enjoys building systems while operating them, and takes pride in creating warm, memorable guest experiences.

We work with clear SOPs and modern hospitality systems, but our greatest strengths are judgment, timing, and emotional intelligence. Technology helps remove friction so the GM and team can focus their energy on presence, engagement, and experience.

This role offers space for thoughtful, flexible leadership and meaningful responsibility.

Key Responsibilities

Guest Experience & Hospitality

• Create a welcoming, energetic atmosphere where guests feel instantly at ease

• Guide guests through seamless arrivals and departures that feel natural and unforced

• Spend time understanding guests as people, not just reservations

• Create moments of “surprise and delight” that feel personal, joyful, thoughtful, and confident

• Respond to guest needs with warmth, empathy, and sound judgment

Operations & Team Leadership

• Oversee day-to-day hotel operations, including front desk, housekeeping coordination, and shared spaces

• Hire and build, then lead, train, and support a small hospitality team with clarity, trust, and kindness

• Use SOPs as a foundation for consistency while adapting them thoughtfully in practice

• Ensure smooth communication across Japanese- and English-speaking guests and staff

Growth & Collaboration

• Work closely with the founders during opening and ongoing operations

• Consistently identify ways to level up our operations and guest experience, sharing insights and solutions that turn those ideas into reality

• Grow into greater responsibility as The Layer brand evolves

• Help define pre-opening revenue and F&B targets, then actively steer performance through real-time adjustments once live

Hospitality Technology & Systems

• Work comfortably with modern hospitality technology, including a cloud-based PMS, housekeeping tools, mobile check-in, and digital keys

• Use efficient systems to create more time for conversation, attentiveness, and guest engagement

• Partner with the founders to refine workflows as guest behavior and expectations evolve

Who You Are

• You have  a minimum of 5 years of work experience, including 3 years of hospitality experience (hotel preferred, with openness to other hospitality environments)

• You are fluent in Japanese and comfortable in English

• You are comfortable using modern hospitality technology and open to learning new systems

• You lead with warmth, judgment, and flexibility,  remain steady under pressure, and are confident making independent decisions

• You enjoy working in small, evolving teams

• You have a passion for Atami—or are excited to explore and learn its energy and character

What Success Looks Like

• Guests feel welcomed, energized, and genuinely cared for

• The hotel feels chic, lively, and human and reflects Atami’s expressive, warm, and memorable spirit

• Staff engage with guests naturally and confidently

• Technology quietly supports the experience without drawing attention

• Once open, stable growth in occupancy and revenue across all BUs based on targets

Why Join Us

• Help build a thoughtful, contemporary hospitality operation from the ground up

• Work with best-in-market tools that support great service and meaningful connection

• Have real autonomy, trust, and influence in your role with the ability to drive meaningful, real-time impact

• Inclusive, informal, and straightforward culture

• Be part of a long-term vision rooted in place, people, and care

• Housing support and transportation allowance available