Use size- and service-specific compensation references as a screen, then price the actual role locally. Do not combine the advertisements above into a synthetic national “boutique hotel salary range.”
Horizon Hospitality’s 2026 compensation report provides the following figures for its category under 150 rooms OR annual revenue under $3 million. Its methodology combines public information, placement experience and interviews; these are recruiter-guide figures, not a probability-sample boutique wage survey. (horizonhospitality.com)
| Position in Horizon’s small-hotel category | Lower | Median | Upper | Listed bonus range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full-service general manager | $83,100 | $97,700 | $112,400 | 20–30% |
| Full-service director of sales | $74,800 | $88,000 | $101,200 | 20–30% |
| Select-service general manager | $64,600 | $76,000 | $87,300 | 15–25% |
| Select-service director of sales | $56,100 | $66,000 | $76,100 | 15–25% |
Source: report page 10, visually checked. “Lower” and “upper” are the publisher’s labels, not identified percentiles; bonus percentages do not establish guaranteed payouts. (horizonhospitality.com)
For wider context, BLS reports $69,250 as the May 2025 median annual wage for lodging managers. That broad occupation is not equivalent to a full-service boutique GM running a restaurant, owner reporting and a complex property. Use it as context, not as the recruiting budget for every hotel. (bls.gov)
Recommended calibration procedure: match geography, room count, annual revenue, outlet complexity, reporting responsibilities, team size and availability requirements. Where the hotel’s room count and revenue point to different compensation categories, obtain a role-specific comparison instead of selecting the cheapest category automatically.