Director of Travel Industry Sales - W Prague

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

M anaging Luxury Leisure Sales Activities

• Focuses on luxury leisure opportunities from luxury travel agencies.
• Partners with Global Account Executives that manage Luxury travel agencies (Signature, Internova,etc.)
• Works with Marketing teams on market-level and property-specific strategies and initiatives.  Pulls-through existing national and regional promotions with travel agency customers. 
• Partners with regional team to help implement the market’s luxury leisure strategy at key buying locations.  Verifies local market strategy is in alignment with the overall account goals.
• Gains expertise in resort amenities (e.g. Spa), ‘new package offerings’ and market promotions; promotes offerings with local buyers. 
• Develops complete understanding of Marriott’s value proposition to the travel agency market and all associated programs and services.
• Partners with), Travel Industry Wholesale to pull through business within launch market and sustain selling solutions at the property level.
• Understands competitive market set and economic environment in order to position hotels appropriately during sales process. 
• Attends appropriate trade shows, travel agency shows, and retail agency events. 
• Assists with business for other source markets on behalf of travel agency customers, as a value-added service. 
• Focuses on luxury leisure transient and group opportunities from retail travel agencies.

Managing Sales Activities

• Manages of all retail, and travel management accounts, including accounts based in source markets that produce sales into the local area.
• Works with the Director of Sales to establish understanding of sales strategy and effective implementation of this strategy for the hotel in these segments.
• Manages and directs the on-property multi-segment sales effort to achieve hotel revenue goals by proactively targeting current and new high value accounts in the market and implementing effective sales deployment strategies to grow market share. 
• Achieves pre-defined group, retail, premium retail sales goals by actively up-selling each business opportunity to maximize revenue opportunity.
• Contracts and closes individual premium retail, retail, groups business resulting from strategic selling, negotiating skills and pull-through tactics.
• Retains, expands and grows account revenue through account growth, margin management and implementation of sales and marketing initiatives in the key buying locations.

Building Successful Relationships

• Serves as account’s “local service guarantee” by verifying that outstanding service delivery is maintained at every customer touch point, issues are resolved timely and to the customers’ 100% satisfaction.
• Creates strong partnerships between field and corporate by maintaining a productive dialogue and exchange of ideas.
• Acts as the customer advocate through understanding the account needs and opportunities. 
• Identifies emerging business opportunities and risks in the market to determine strategic Sales and Marketing implications and provides feedback to key stakeholders; partners with key stakeholders in account planning and determining strategy execution approaches for the market. 
• Manages relationships with the key buyers that drive business to the market to optimize account reach and share for the segment.
• Develops working relationships with Property staff and provides coaching on specific booking needs to establish pull-through of opportunities of the wholesale segment.
• Develops and manages relationships with key buyers that drive business to the local market, optimize share and grow the luxury leisure segment.

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Education and Experience

Required:

• High school diploma or GED; 2 years experience in the sales and marketing, guest services, front desk, or related professional.
                                                                                                                     OR
• 2-year degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; no work experience required.
  
  Preferred:
• 4-year bachelor’s degree in business administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management. 
• Lodging sales experience.
• Luxury Leisure sales experience.
• Account management experience.

W Hotels’ mission is to Ignite Curiosity, Expand Worlds. We are a place to experience life. We’re here to open doors and open minds. We are constantly inspired by new faces and new experiences. A tuned-in, up-for-anything spirit is at our core and has made us renowned for reinventing the norms of luxury around the globe. Whatever/Whenever is our culture and service philosophy that brings our guests’ passions to life. If you are original, innovative, and always looking towards the future of what’s possible, welcome to W Hotels. In joining W Hotels, you join a portfolio of brands with Marriott International. Be where you can do your best work,​ begin your purpose, belong to an amazing global​ team, and become the best version of you.