Hiring a lodging manager in Denver, CO

Employers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area pay lodging managers a median of $96,470, with the middle half of the market between $74,620 and $160,780. Denver residents working in management occupations report a median of $98,051, which is 2% above what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a lodging manager earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$74,620
Median	$96,470
75th percentile	$160,780

Half of lodging managers in this area earn between $74,620 and $160,780. A band set below $74,620 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Denver residents earn

$98,051

Median earnings of Denver residents working in management occupations, 64,692 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 2% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Answer inquiries pertaining to hotel policies and services, and resolve occupants' complaints.
Participate in financial activities, such as the setting of room rates, the establishment of budgets, and the allocation of funds to departments.
Confer and cooperate with other managers to ensure coordination of hotel activities.
Greet and register guests.
Monitor the revenue activity of the hotel or facility.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-9081.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Facebook, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Accounting software.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Denver?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 55.6% of Denver adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Denver commute runs 25.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 24.4% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Denver County, management of companies and enterprises employs 14,860 and turns over 6.7% a quarter, with 2,571 hires against 1,282 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $17,723 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about lodging managers. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $19,294 to $28,941 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.