Carolina Bhikhari, MBA, SHRM-CP, CPC
Franchise Partner
Division: Hospitality
Location: District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland
Carolina Bhikhari
Franchise Partner, Gecko Hospitality
Hospitality Division | District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia
Phone: 410-883-5054 | Email: carolina@geckohospitality.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbhikhari/
Credentials: MBA, SHRM-CP, CPC
About Carolina
Carolina Bhikhari is a hospitality recruiter with Gecko Hospitality, serving clients and candidates across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia market. She specializes in talent acquisition and HR-based recruiting, with a career spanning medical, retail, and, most recently, hospitality.
Background & Experience
Carolina holds an MBA from the University of South Florida and has been a certified HR professional since 2016. Over several years in recruiting, she’s built expertise across medical, retail, and most recently, hospitality, with a consistent thread throughout her HR career: a focus on talent acquisition and finding the right person for the right position.
Areas of Focus
Positions: General Manager and Assistant General Manager; Director of Operations and Rooms Division leaders; Food & Beverage and Sales leadership; Executive Committee and senior hotel leadership; Multi-property and regional leaders
Markets served: District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia.
How Carolina Evaluates Talent
I start with scope, not titles: what P&L a candidate actually owned, how many properties or outlets rolled up under them, and whether their team retention numbers reflect real leadership or just a good market. From there, I look for examples of how they react under pressure; how someone handled a season slump, a labor shortage, or a brand transition tells me far more than how they perform when everything’s running smoothly. Multi-unit or multi-outlet experience matters, but I weigh it against whether the person can articulate why something worked, not just that it did. I’m also listening for concept fit; a brilliant resort GM isn’t automatically the right fit for a private club’s membership culture, and that distinction saves everyone time. Ultimately, I’m evaluating whether someone can walk into a room, earn trust fast, and make a property or a team genuinely better within their first year.
Carolina’s Market Perspective
What I’m seeing in the DMV right now isn’t one market, it’s several running at once. New ownership groups are moving into properties and clubs across the region and reinvesting, and that’s where the real hiring energy lives: independent and owner-operated clubs and boutique hotels bringing in fresh leadership as that investment takes hold. Luxury boutique in particular has held its footing even while the broader regional economy has taken hits from federal workforce cuts. Layer on a short-term staffing push from this year’s FIFA World Cup matches and the America’s 250th celebrations, and you’ve got hotels and event teams competing hard for the same caliber of operator. What makes this region fun to work in, though, is how different that talent pool actually is: DC’s private club world, Maryland’s Chesapeake coast, Virginia wine country, each with its own culture and its own definition of the right leader. That’s exactly why timing and fit matter more here than in most markets.
Advice
For employers: Before we start a search together, have clarity on your P&L expectations, team structure, and what success in year one actually looks like. The more specific you are, the faster I find the right fit.
For candidates: Come ready to talk numbers and stories. I want to hear about your actual P&L scope and retention results, plus a moment where you led a team through real pressure or turned a property around.
In Carolina’s Words
“I want every candidate I work with to end up somewhere that moves them closer to the life they’re actually trying to build.”
Testimonials
“Carolina was amazing. She was very communicative and professional throughout the entire process.”
Carlos O. (Successfully placed candidate, Google review, 2023)
“The Gecko team was absolutely amazing. They were prompt and answered any questions that I had!”
Michelle E. (Successfully placed candidate, Google review, 2026)
Carolina Bhikhari, MBA, SHRM-CP, CPC
Franchise Partner
Division: Hospitality
Location: District of Columbia, Virginia, Maryland
Carolina Bhikhari
Franchise Partner, Gecko Hospitality
Hospitality Division | District of Columbia, Maryland & Virginia
Phone: 410-883-5054 | Email: carolina@geckohospitality.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cbhikhari/
Credentials: MBA, SHRM-CP, CPC
About Carolina
Carolina Bhikhari is a hospitality recruiter with Gecko Hospitality, serving clients and candidates across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia market. She specializes in talent acquisition and HR-based recruiting, with a career spanning medical, retail, and, most recently, hospitality.
Background & Experience
Carolina holds an MBA from the University of South Florida and has been a certified HR professional since 2016. Over several years in recruiting, she’s built expertise across medical, retail, and most recently, hospitality, with a consistent thread throughout her HR career: a focus on talent acquisition and finding the right person for the right position.
Areas of Focus
Positions: General Manager and Assistant General Manager; Director of Operations and Rooms Division leaders; Food & Beverage and Sales leadership; Executive Committee and senior hotel leadership; Multi-property and regional leaders
Markets served: District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia.
How Carolina Evaluates Talent
I start with scope, not titles: what P&L a candidate actually owned, how many properties or outlets rolled up under them, and whether their team retention numbers reflect real leadership or just a good market. From there, I look for examples of how they react under pressure; how someone handled a season slump, a labor shortage, or a brand transition tells me far more than how they perform when everything’s running smoothly. Multi-unit or multi-outlet experience matters, but I weigh it against whether the person can articulate why something worked, not just that it did. I’m also listening for concept fit; a brilliant resort GM isn’t automatically the right fit for a private club’s membership culture, and that distinction saves everyone time. Ultimately, I’m evaluating whether someone can walk into a room, earn trust fast, and make a property or a team genuinely better within their first year.
Carolina’s Market Perspective
What I’m seeing in the DMV right now isn’t one market, it’s several running at once. New ownership groups are moving into properties and clubs across the region and reinvesting, and that’s where the real hiring energy lives: independent and owner-operated clubs and boutique hotels bringing in fresh leadership as that investment takes hold. Luxury boutique in particular has held its footing even while the broader regional economy has taken hits from federal workforce cuts. Layer on a short-term staffing push from this year’s FIFA World Cup matches and the America’s 250th celebrations, and you’ve got hotels and event teams competing hard for the same caliber of operator. What makes this region fun to work in, though, is how different that talent pool actually is: DC’s private club world, Maryland’s Chesapeake coast, Virginia wine country, each with its own culture and its own definition of the right leader. That’s exactly why timing and fit matter more here than in most markets.
Advice
For employers: Before we start a search together, have clarity on your P&L expectations, team structure, and what success in year one actually looks like. The more specific you are, the faster I find the right fit.
For candidates: Come ready to talk numbers and stories. I want to hear about your actual P&L scope and retention results, plus a moment where you led a team through real pressure or turned a property around.
In Carolina’s Words
“I want every candidate I work with to end up somewhere that moves them closer to the life they’re actually trying to build.”
Testimonials
“Carolina was amazing. She was very communicative and professional throughout the entire process.”
Carlos O. (Successfully placed candidate, Google review, 2023)
“The Gecko team was absolutely amazing. They were prompt and answered any questions that I had!”
Michelle E. (Successfully placed candidate, Google review, 2026)