Account Director, Global Luxury & Lifestyle Sales, Australasia

Hotel Brand:
Location: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney

Hotel: Corp Sydney, Level 11,20 Bond St, 2000

Job number: 125547



About Us

IHG® Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s leading hotel companies, with around 325,000 colleagues working across more than 100 countries to deliver True Hospitality for Good.

You'll know our hotel brands. They are some of the best known and most popular in the world – Regent Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Six Senses, voco, Vignette Collection, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Hotel Indigo as well as Kimpton Hotels.  

All of these brands work together towards our goals of creating True Hospitality for Good. This is a mission that's seen us go from strength to strength with more rooms in an ever-growing portfolio of hotels across more and more locations. Which makes this an incredibly exciting time to become part of the team.   

Your Day to Day 

With spectacular growth in our region - which includes a newly revamped rewards program and new brands in market - and an even bigger ambition, there couldn’t be a better time to join the IHG family.

We currently have an amazing opportunity for a highly motivated sales professional to join our team. We are looking for an Account Director, Global Luxury & Lifestyle Sales for Australasia. The role will be based out of our Sydney support office and report into our Director of Global Luxury & Lifestyle Sales APAC based in Singapore. We are also open to the role being remote and based out of our major capital cities of Melbourne or Brisbane. 

The core responsibility of the role is to manage and develop new business from an account portfolio of luxury-focused accounts and located within assigned sales territory, in order to deliver revenue to hotels globally, maximizing revenues and market share for all brands with focus on Luxury & Lifestyle.  

The account portfolio is comprised of luxury agency, network/consortia and tour operator accounts having high complexity given their size and global reach.  Keys to success in this role are: 

1) Identifying, soliciting, influencing and converting highly valuable revenue opportunities, 

2) Developing and maximizing relationships with contacts at all levels within the assigned account portfolio, 

3) Developing and executing innovative plans for each account, in order to grow revenue and share

What we need from you

To be successful in this role the following skills and attributes are highly desirable.  

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Marketing, Management, Business, Hospitality or a relevant field of work, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.
• 5 or more years of progressive work-related experience in the service industry with at least 3 years in multi-unit or corporate roles, as well as demonstrated mastery of technical and business knowledge and understanding of multiple disciplines/processes related to the position.  Extensive sales experience is required, as well as client management experience among large, complex luxury accounts.
• Ability to create compelling proposals and presentations to showcase the value of IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Brands, providing an overall solutions approach.
• Ability to conduct regular business reviews and provide ongoing support to develop client loyalty.
• Stay updated on luxury & lifestyle travel market trends, consumer behavior, and competitors' strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand the needs and preferences of high-net-worth travelers. 
• Thinks beyond traditional ways of doing things by using the principles of strategic account management, as well as gaining insight that is the platform for the development of creative and innovative client solutions.  Possesses sufficient business acumen (financial and commercial knowledge) to assess the impact of non-traditional approaches to gaining market share. 
• Knowledge and expertise, both deep and broad, of our luxury & lifestyle brands, along with competitive brands. 
• Experience in working in global markets, deep understanding of managing across diverse, multi-cultural teams and customer organizations.
• Sales management experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale sales segment plans from conception through implementation and assessment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills for providing information to clients, vendors, senior management and staff. 
• Works effectively at board level in client companies, possess strong relationship management skills, and well-developed probing, listening, negotiating and persuading abilities.
• Knowledge of hotel sales & marketing, business planning, etc., along with strong sales ability, sales management, problem solving and analytical skills. 
• Knowledge of macro-economic and industry trends, competitive landscape and other factors which influence account strategies, positions and initiatives. 
• Strong commercial acumen and an ability to influence across an owned, managed and franchised environment 
• Experience with franchise organization or ownership constituencies is preferable. International experience or handling accounts with international scope is required.
• Computer skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, social media, and using sales-related software.

Being a global role, the role will require the successful applicant to travel extensively and work outside of normal business hours. 

What we offer

In return, we'll give you a competitive benefits package including salary, private health, bonus and discounted accommodation worldwide and the opportunity to progress your career with IHG.  

At IHG we offer opportunities for flexible and hybrid working arrangements. Additionally, we value diversity, equity, inclusion, and wellness for our colleagues which is represented by our suite of industry leading benefits. 

You'll have the chance to work with a great team of people and the opportunity for room for you.  Please apply on-line and tell us how you can bring your individual skills to IHG. To find out more about us or any other jobs with IHG please go to  www.careers.ihg.com  

IHG is an equal opportunity employer.

At IHG, we’ve made a promise. As one of the world’s leading hotel groups, we’re here to deliver True Hospitality for Good. Making our guests and colleagues feel welcome, cared for, recognised and respected – wherever they are in the world. Want to be part of the journey?

We need people like you to make a difference and create exceptional experiences every single day. Don’t just join a growing team of 370,000 colleagues across 100 countries. Let your passion shine. Innovate and collaborate around the world. Embrace your ambition.

Don't quite meet every single requirement, but still believe you'd be a great fit for the job? We'll never know unless you hit the 'Apply' button. Start your journey with us today.