This study aimed to suggest ways Korea’s top-class hotels can improve their global competitiveness, using as a model the developmental process of hotel leadership in the US. We conducted an expert opinion survey on hotel leaders in Korea and the US and explored the differences between their perceptions of emotional leadership and servant leadership and ways to improve organizational performance. We also conducted a quantitative study involving employees of Korea's top-class hotels to investigate the effect of emotional and servant leadership styles on job satisfaction, innovative behavior, and customer orientation. The results suggest that, to improve job satisfaction, respect for values and support for growth under servant leadership should be focused on and that innovative behavior is encouraged by respect for values and the formation of community under servant leadership. To enhance customer orientation, respect for values and support for growth should be focused on. Finally, job satisfaction and innovative behavior contribute directly to improving customer orientation.