HOSPITALITY AND HUMAN RESOURCES
Hotel experience that informs people leadership.
I’m Karl Cieslak, a hotel HR leader and former General Manager based in Largo, Florida. I’ve managed HR for approximately 300 associates across two full-service Marriott Autograph Collection hotels and supported hotel teams through operational transitions, manager development, and HR systems changes.
View résumé (PDF) Contact Karl
Full-service hotel HR
Mainsail Lodging & Development
Epicurean Hotel Tampa and Fenway Hotel Dunedin
Senior Human Resources Manager, Dual Property | April 2023–May 2024
Human Resources Manager, Dual Property | May 2022–April 2023
I led daily HR operations and served on both property Executive Committees, working with General Managers and ownership. My responsibilities covered employee relations, workplace investigations, talent acquisition, manager onboarding, benefits and leaves of absence, payroll, performance management, offboarding, and terminations.
I earned performance bonuses in both years by meeting or exceeding HR department goals, including employee engagement and training completion. I designed and delivered manager training on investigations, progressive discipline, harassment prevention, and consistent policy application.
I directed Workday HCM implementation activities, including user-acceptance testing, process validation, training, and go-live execution. A SharePoint HR records-management model I built was adopted company-wide.
At the end of my tenure in May 2024, Epicurean ranked 39th and Fenway ranked 47th among Autograph Collection hotels for OSAT and overall performance. These were property results achieved by the hotel teams I supported.
Hotel operations and general management
General Manager
Holiday Inn Express Trinity | Naples Hotel Group
September 2020–February 2022
I led operations and people support for a 25-person hotel team, including recruiting, payroll, scheduling, onboarding, benefits coordination, coaching, and performance management. That experience helps me understand the practical needs of department leaders and the effect of people decisions on service delivery.
Task Force Manager and Front Office Manager
IHG Corporate Managed Hotels
July 2017–September 2020
I supported hotel transitions, team rebuilding, leader coaching, and implementation of brand, HR, financial, and service controls across East Coast assignments.
Education and professional development
- Two Master of Business Administration degrees from Everglades University, with concentrations in Human Resources Management and Project Management, awarded in 2022.
- Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management, Cum Laude, Everglades University, 2020.
- SHRM-CP examination scheduled for January 2027.
What I’m looking for
Property HR and People Support leadership opportunities in Tampa Bay, where I can support associates, develop managers, and apply my hotel operating experience to day-to-day HR decisions.