By The Sea Resorts · 6 days ago
Chief Operating Officer
Panama City Beach, FL
Full-time
Onsite
Director/ExecutiveBy the Sea Resorts is seeking a dynamic and experienced Chief Operating Officer to lead and oversee the operational functions of their premier hospitality company. The COO will drive growth, enhance guest experiences, and optimize operational efficiency across all resort properties while establishing structure and accountability in operations.
Hospitality
Responsibilities
Own day-to-day operating performance across all hotels and operating entities
Directly manage General Managers and senior operational leaders
Ensure consistent operating standards while respecting brand and asset differences
Drive alignment between Operations, Commercial, Finance, and Ownership priorities
Be accountable for Guest Sentiment Scores (GSS) and review performance across all properties
Eliminate chronic issues tied to housekeeping, maintenance, cleanliness, and asset condition
Ensure guest issues are solved structurally, not repeatedly patched
Establish clear operating expectations tied to measurable guest outcomes
Oversee Engineering and Facilities performance across the portfolio
Ensure preventative maintenance (PM) programs are properly designed, staffed, scheduled, and executed
Shift engineering from reactive 'fix-it' mode to planned asset preservation
Partner closely with the VP of Facilities to enforce planning discipline, bid rigor, and capital coordination
Ensure maintenance staffing levels reflect asset age, condition, and guest expectations
Ensure each property is staffed appropriately for its size, age, and service level
Balance labor efficiency with service quality—no false economies
Implement scheduling, productivity benchmarks, and accountability systems
Address turnover, training gaps, and performance management proactively
Own operational expense performance in collaboration with Finance and Commercial leadership
Ensure budgets are executable, realistic, and adhered to
Understand CPOR, productivity metrics, and cost drivers by department
Hold GMs accountable for variance explanations and corrective action
Build a culture of ownership, accountability, and operational pride
Replace informal habits with clear processes and expectations
Coach, develop, and—when necessary—upgrade leadership talent
Establish clear performance standards and consequences
Qualification
Required
Senior multi-property hospitality operations experience (hotel or resort portfolio)
Proven success running both independent and branded assets
Demonstrated strength in engineering oversight, housekeeping execution, and labor optimization
Strong financial acumen; comfortable managing budgets, labor models, and cost controls
Comfortable operating in an ownership-led environment with high expectations
Preferred
Experience leading operational turnarounds or fixing under-maintained assets strongly preferred
Company
By The Sea Resorts
By The Sea Resorts is a hotel management company with assets and operations currently concentrated in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Founded in 1998
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Brad Busby
Chief Executive Officer
Jack Easdale
Chief Commercial Officer (CCO)
Company data provided by crunchbase