Director of Hospitality & Lifestyle – UHNW Private Estate

Menlo Park Area, California
Full-time, with flexibility for guest visits, private events, evenings, and weekends as needed
Salary: Up to $250,000 DOE + benefits + discretionary bonus
Relocation: Assistance may be considered for the right candidate including relocation allowance 

A private principal in the Menlo Park area is seeking an exceptional Director of Hospitality & Lifestyle to oversee the guest and event experience across a magnificent estate with multiple residences. This individual will approach the property as an intimate, world-class resort—setting the aesthetic, anticipating preferences, and ensuring every detail feels thoughtful, personal, and beautifully executed.

This person will be the eye for the experience, recognizing the elevated details that transform a beautiful setting into something meaningful and memorable. Whether preparing a residence for an overnight guest or creating the atmosphere for an intimate dinner or large celebration, they will consider how everything looks, feels, flows, and comes together.

The Director will work closely with the longstanding Lead Estate Manager, who oversees the property and broader household operations. This is not a traditional Estate Manager position. The focus is on hospitality, lifestyle, guest services, and entertaining, and candidates must come from a true five-star luxury hotel, resort, or comparable private-hospitality environment.

Key Responsibilities

Guest Experience & Hospitality

• Curate a highly personalized, five-star experience for the principal and every guest.
• Prepare each residence before arrivals, ensuring it is beautifully presented, fully stocked, and tailored to individual preferences.
• Communicate with guests in advance regarding schedules, dietary needs, allergies, preferred products, and special requests.
• Stock residences with preferred foods, beverages, toiletries, amenities, and thoughtful personal touches.
• Coordinate airport transfers, private transportation, luggage assistance, itineraries, and departure logistics.
• Provide guests with property information, Wi-Fi access, technology instructions, and details regarding available amenities.
• Anticipate personal and professional needs throughout each stay while remaining discreet and respectful of privacy.
• Maintain confidential guest-preference profiles to ensure consistency across future visits.
• Conduct detailed walkthroughs before every arrival and departure, viewing each residence through the eyes of the guest.

Private Events & Entertaining

• Bring the same elevated, highly personalized approach to every event, from intimate dinners to large-scale celebrations.
• Serve as the principal’s eye for the overall event experience, ensuring each gathering feels cohesive, intentional, and meaningful.
• Develop the vision, atmosphere, and guest journey for each event—from arrival and welcome through dining, entertainment, and departure.
• Identify the thoughtful details that make an event memorable, including personalized menus, place settings, music, lighting, florals, preferred beverages, meaningful gifts, and special moments.
• Consider how the event looks, feels, sounds, and flows, ensuring each element reflects the principal’s taste and the purpose of the occasion.
• Partner with private chefs to curate menus, beverage service, table settings, and the overall dining experience.
• Coordinate décor, florals, lighting, entertainment, staffing, service standards, and guest flow.
• Ensure important guests, personal preferences, dietary requirements, celebrations, and meaningful milestones are appropriately recognized.
• Manage outside caterers, event teams, and luxury vendors in partnership with the Lead Estate Manager.
• Conduct detailed walkthroughs before every event to ensure nothing has been overlooked.
• Remain present and highly observant throughout events, anticipating needs and making discreet adjustments in real time.
• Oversee preparation, service, and breakdown so every gathering feels polished, personal, and effortless.

Lifestyle & Concierge Services

• Serve as a private concierge for the principal and their guests.
• Arrange dining, entertainment, cultural experiences, wellness services, appointments, transportation, and special-access opportunities.
• Create thoughtful itineraries based on individual interests and preferences.
• Assist with business-related requests that may arise during a guest’s stay.
• Handle last-minute changes and evolving needs with calm, creativity, urgency, and excellent follow-through.

Estate Collaboration & Service Standards

• Partner closely with the Lead Estate Manager to align hospitality, events, guest services, and estate operations.
• Collaborate seamlessly with household staff, chefs, drivers, security, vendors, and outside service providers.
• Establish elevated and consistent service standards across all guest residences and events.
• Create arrival checklists, event protocols, guest-preference records, and hospitality systems.
• Ensure guest residences, entertaining spaces, amenities, and hospitality areas are maintained to impeccable standards.
• Look beyond operational readiness to ensure every space feels warm, welcoming, and intentionally prepared.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience within a five-star luxury hotel, resort, private club, high-level concierge, or comparable private-hospitality setting is required.
• Ideal backgrounds may include Luxury Hotel Manager, Resort Manager, Director of Hospitality, Director of Guest Relations, Lifestyle Manager, or Private Concierge.
• Proven ability to curate highly personalized and memorable experiences for discerning guests.
• Extensive experience producing intimate dinners, private celebrations, and larger events.
• A sophisticated aesthetic eye and deep understanding of the details that make an experience feel personal, elevated, and meaningful.
• Experience managing private chefs, luxury caterers, event teams, and high-end vendors.
• Deep understanding of luxury service, etiquette, discretion, and anticipatory hospitality.
• Polished, warm, gracious, and naturally service-oriented.
• Exceptionally organized, proactive, resourceful, and detail-focused.
• Calm under pressure and capable of adjusting quickly while maintaining the highest standards.
• Unwavering discretion and respect for the privacy of the principal and their guests.

Please apply only if you have genuine five-star luxury hotel, resort, high-level concierge, or comparable private-hospitality experience. This position is centered on creating extraordinary guest and event experiences—not facilities management or traditional estate operations.