I applied online. The process took 6 days. I interviewed at Kirkwood Collection (Santa Barbara, CA) in Sept 2025
Interview
It was a great experience overall! From the quick response to my initial application, to the progressive steps through a 3-step interview process. I was lead through two virtual/video conference calls and one solid in-person interview, involving all of the key decision-makers.
The coordination efforts that were made by the HR/Recruiting Leadership were admirable and kept me on track. The questions asked were more heavily aligned with leadership style and cultural fit, as opposed to specific leadership skills… this may have been because my resume had already answered a lot of the industry skill-related questions.
I really appreciated the time and thoughtfulness invested into the interview by the Regional Operations Director, it was so refreshing to meet with someone who was heavily invested into the organization and the people!
The Founder and the VP emphasized the importance of celebrating the individual ‘brands’ and history that each property has well established and also it was assuring to learn how important their business was to them, starting with the company culture down to the financials. I would highly recommend any hospitality professional to engage with this organization because the leadership seems genuinely focused on people and experiences!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
How do you prevent bringing a standardized brand hotel experience to a boutique luxury property?
Don't apply here, biased, toxic, not approachable environment. You won't be valued for your experience or work. I will not be moving forward with my interest in working for this kind of dead end organization.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What makes you think your 6+ years' of C-Suite experience is good enough to work for us?
Thank you for the feedback. While this is not the feedback we want to hear, we appreciate your honesty and are working with our team to prevent this in the future.
Although this opportunity did not work out for us, we wish you the best in your future endeavors!