General Manager
"Hospitality expert, padel tennis enthusiast"
You bring your expertise, enthusiasms, and curiosities; and we’ll provide you with a space to play.
- Full Time – Permanent Contract
- Earnings circa £65,000/annum, including TRONC (Tips & Service Charge)
- Onsite Role
- Based at Mad Swans in the Mendips (Bristol)
- Must be eligible to work in the UK
Mad Swans in the Mendips is located in Farrington Gurney near to Bristol & Bath.
Full Address: Marsh Lane, Farrington Gurney, Bristol, BS39 6TS.
Find out more about Mad Swans and what The Times had to say about our first opening at Mad Swans in the Mendips:
Can a cool new hotel near Bath really make golf fun for everyone?
Would you like to lead one of The UK’s 50 Best Places to Stay in 2026?
We are now recruiting for a commercially focused, operationally strong General Manager with significant hotel and rooms experience to lead the team and take Mad Swans in the Mendips to the next level.
This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced hospitality environment, understands the realities of running a multi-revenue hotel operation, and knows how to balance guest experience with commercial performance. We are looking for a resilient and agile operator who can adapt quickly, solve problems proactively, lead from the front and consistently get the job done.
What we do
We are experts in our field, committed to creating boundary-pushing social spaces that spark meaningful connections through play in nature.
Mad Swans is a countryside hangout for mavericks. The unruly. The friendship groups you wish you were in. The families you want to hang out with. For evenings that go on forever. And weekends that become folklore. Come for a good time. Come for a long time. Come for a breath of fresh air. Whoever you are. Come as you are.
Social play spanning Padel Tennis, Pickleball, Darts, Shuffleboard and Golf gives guests the chance to explore one game or sample them all, across a few hours, a day, or a long weekend. We’re all about great food, which is why we’ve teamed up with experts in their field to create two distinct dining experiences and endless ways to enjoy them. The Potting Shed proudly boasts a menu of refreshing takes on Brasserie classics while, in The Hangout, the focus is on shareable plates with no compromise on flavour. But wherever guests find themselves, from course to court, the meadow to the orchard, they’re never far from a plate of something delicious to satisfy any craving. And, for evenings that go on forever, an Eco Cabin for the night is only a starlit walk through the wilderness away.
What we can do for you
We understand that there’s more to life than work, which is why our roles are designed to allow exploration, from long-time passions to brand-new intrigues.
We believe that to be interested is to be interesting – that means industry-leading training within and outside of your specified job role. If you have a question, we want to provide you with the tools to answer it. As we make our start in the world, our team need to be able to wear a few different hats, which we treat as an opportunity, allowing you to take considered detours into topics of interest, in the pursuit of a broader, richer perspective.
And out of hours, our guests’ playground is yours too. Enjoy the wide variety of green spaces, and the games they host, at an exclusive rate. You’ll have the opportunity to get involved in all things Mad Swans, from padel lessons to cocktail workshops, after all, we want you to be as excited by our product as we are.
About the Role
The General Manager will have full accountability for the entire site operation, including the Restaurants, Bars, Cabin Accommodation, Event Spaces, Retail Shop and Sports Activities.
A key focus of this role will be driving occupancy, guest satisfaction, rooms revenue and operational standards across the accommodation offering. You will understand what makes a successful hotel operation — from reservations and guest journey management through to housekeeping standards, yield awareness, maintenance coordination and maximising overnight revenue opportunities.
Mad Swans in the Mendips is a complex, multi-faceted hospitality business and requires a commercially astute leader who can confidently manage changing priorities, operational pressures and peak trading periods while maintaining exceptional guest standards throughout the site.
What there is to it
You will take full ownership of the whole site and play a critical role in driving commercial performance, guest satisfaction, operational excellence and team culture.
This role requires a highly resilient and adaptable leader who is comfortable operating at pace, making decisions quickly and being fully accountable for performance across all areas of the business. You will be expected to identify opportunities, solve problems proactively and ensure high standards are consistently delivered across both the hotel and wider guest experience.
Reporting directly to the Operations Director, you will be supported by a fantastic management team which includes an Assistant General Manager, Golf Manager, Agronomy & Robotics Manager, Gym & Racquets Manager, Reservations Manager, Retail Team Leader and Maintenance Team Leader.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
- Driving accommodation occupancy, ADR and overall rooms revenue performance
- Ensuring exceptional standards across all guest accommodation, housekeeping and public areas
- Taking ownership of the end-to-end guest journey from reservation through to departure
- Managing operational performance across all revenue streams while maintaining profitability targets
- Monitoring labour, payroll and operational costs to ensure commercial efficiency
- Using business performance data, guest feedback and operational insight to make agile decisions and drive continuous improvement
- Leading from the front during busy service periods and operational challenges
- Creating a culture of accountability, pace, resilience and high performance across the team
- Ensuring problems are resolved quickly, effectively and professionally with a solutions-focused mindset
- Collaborating with the Reservations and operational teams to maximise occupancy, upselling and guest spend opportunities
- Maintaining consistently high operational standards across all departments, even during peak trading periods
- Adapting quickly to changing business needs, seasonal demands and operational priorities
This is a full-time (48 hours a week) permanent position and will work any five days out of seven. Earnings for this role is circa £65,000/annum, including TRONC (Tips & Service Charge).
Location – this is an onsite role and will be located at Mad Swans in the Mendips, Marsh Lane, Farrington Gurney, Bristol, BS39 6TS.
Working Hours – shift times will vary throughout the week; however, the regular operational times will be from 6.00 am to 11.00-12.00 pm.
Working Days – this role will work any five days out of seven and will involve working on weekends on a regular basis. Working hours will vary in line with the operating calendar and needs of the business.
Who We’re Looking For
We are looking for a General Manager who is:
- An experienced Hotel General Manager or senior Hotel Operations Manager with strong rooms and accommodation experience
- Commercially aware with a strong understanding of occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, payroll management and cost control
- Experienced in leading complex, multi-revenue hospitality operations
- A resilient and agile operator who thrives in fast-paced environments and performs well under pressure
- Someone who takes ownership, solves problems quickly and consistently gets the job done
- A hands-on leader who leads from the front and supports the operation wherever needed
- Passionate about delivering exceptional guest experiences across every touchpoint
- Highly operationally focused with exceptional attention to detail and standards
- Experienced in managing budgets, forecasting and delivering profitability targets
- Comfortable making decisions quickly and adapting to changing business demands
- Able to motivate, inspire and develop high-performing teams
- Confident managing operational challenges, guest issues and peak trading periods
- Proactive, solutions-focused and commercially minded
- Excited by being part of an ambitious and growing hospitality concept
- An excellent communicator with strong organisational and prioritisation skills
- Self-driven, accountable and highly motivated
- Comfortable working at pace in a dynamic hospitality environment
- Ideally interested in sports, lifestyle hospitality and experiential guest concepts
This role would suit a commercially driven hotel operator who enjoys building high-performing teams, thrives in dynamic environments and takes pride in delivering exceptional guest experiences while driving business results.
Please note, you must be eligible to work in the UK as we are unable to sponsor any work permits or visas.
What is in it for you
- Tips & Service Charge
- Free Parking
- Free Employee Meal whilst on shift
- Wage Stream – access your pay for hours worked before pay day
- Employee Discounts on Food, Sports, Activities, Cabins and in the Retail Shop
- Reward & Recognition Initiatives
- Team Social & Well-being Activities & Events
- Employee Referral Scheme Bonus
- Mad Swans Water Bottle
- Mad Swans Hoodie
- Plant your own tree at Mad Swans
How to Apply
If you believe you have what it takes to come on-board and would like to be part of something new and exciting, we would love to hear from you. Please simply apply by hitting the apply button.
Please note, emails from Mad Swans via our careers portal may land in your junk folder. Please check your junk folder to avoid missing any email updates from us.
Recruitment Agencies
We are not working with any recruitment agencies at this time. As such, we do not accept any speculative CV’s and/or candidate profiles and are, therefore, unable to consider these.
