Account Director – Luxury Travel & Leisure

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

 

Provides account management support for luxury travel agencies focused on luxury leisure individual and group business. Manages all day-to-day activities related to the sales function with a focus on building long-term, value-based customer relationships that enable achievement of property sales objectives. Actively soliciting both FIT and group business opportunity to maximize revenue opportunity.  Achieves personal and team related revenue goals.  Verifies business is turned over properly and in a timely fashion for proper service delivery.  Responsible for driving customer/guest loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer/guest experience.  Provides service to customers in order to grow the account on behalf of the company.

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

 

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED; 2 years experience in the sales and marketing, guest services, front desk, or related professional area.

OR

• 2-year degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; no work experience required.

 

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

 

Understanding Market Opportunities & Driving Revenue

•  Focuses on luxury leisure opportunities from luxury travel agencies.

• Partners with group counterpart to effectively manage the business opportunity.

•    Responds and handles for incoming leisure group opportunities for the property.

•    Identifies, qualifies and solicits new group/catering business to achieve personal and each property’s revenue goals.

•    Focuses efforts on leisure group accounts with significant potential sales revenue.

•    Develops effective leisure group sales plans and actions.

•    Gains expertise in hotel amenities (e.g. Spa), ‘new package offerings’ and market promotions; promotes offerings with buyers. 

•    Maximizes revenue by upselling packages and creative food and beverage.

•    Understands the overall market - competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, economic trends, supply and demand etc. and knows how to sell against them.

•    Closes the best opportunities for each property based on market conditions and individual property needs.

•    Uses negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business and negotiate contracts.

Providing Exceptional Customer Service

•    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. 

•    Supports brand’s Service and Relationship Strategy, driving customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience.

•    Participates in and practices daily service basics of the brand.

•    Executes exemplary customer service to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by assisting the customer and ensuring their satisfaction before and during their program/event.

•    Serves the customer by understanding their needs and recommending the appropriate features and services that best meet their needs and exceed their expectations, while building a relationship and loyalty to the property and brand.

Building Successful Relationships

• Works collaboratively with off-property sales channels (e.g., , Market Sales, Strategic Accounts) to ensure sales efforts are coordinated, complementary and not duplicative.

• Manages and develops relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.

• Uses sales resources and administrative/support staff.

 

Additional Responsibilities

• Utilizes intranet for resources and information.

• Conducts site inspections.

• Creates contracts as required.

• Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract, customer correspondence).

 

MANAGEMENT COMPETENCIES 

Leadership
•    Adaptability - Maintains performance level under pressure or when experiencing changes or challenges in the workplace.   
•    Communication - Conveys information and ideas to others in a convincing and engaging manner through a variety of methods.
•    Problem Solving and Decision Making - Identifies and understands issues, problems, and opportunities; obtains and compares information from different sources to draw conclusions, develop and evaluate alternatives and solutions, solve problems, and choose a course of action.
•    Professional Demeanor - Exhibits behavioral styles that convey confidence and command respect from others; makes a good first impression and represents the company in alignment with its values.

Managing Execution
•    Building and Contributing to Teams - Actively participates as a member of a team to move the team toward the completion of goals.
•    Driving for Results - Sets high standards of performance for self and/or others; assumes responsibility for work objectives; initiates, focuses, and monitors the efforts of self and/or others toward the accomplishment goals; proactively takes action and goes beyond what is required.
•    Planning and Organizing - Gathers information and resources required to set a plan of action for self and/or others; prioritizes and arranges work requirements to accomplish goals and ensure work is completed.

Building Relationships
•    Coworker Relationships - Interacts with others in a way that builds openness, trust, and confidence in the pursuit of organizational goals and lasting relationships.  
•    Customer Relationships - Develops and sustains relationships based on an understanding of customer needs and actions consistent with the company’s service standards. 
•    Global Mindset - Supports employees and business partners with diverse styles, abilities, motivations, and/or cultural perspectives; utilizes differences to drive innovation, engagement and enhance business results; and ensures employees are given the opportunity to contribute to their full potential.

Generating Talent and Organizational Capability 
•    Organizational Capability - Evaluates and adapts the structure of own assignments and suggests improvements to work processes to best fit the needs and/or support the goals of an organizational unit. 
•    Talent Management - Provides support and feedback to help individuals develop and strengthen skills and abilities needed to accomplish work objectives.

Learning and Applying Professional Expertise
•    Applied Learning - Seeks and makes the most of learning opportunities to improve performance of self and/or others.
•    Business Acumen - Understands and utilizes business information to manage everyday operations.
•    Technical Acumen - Understands and utilizes professional skills and knowledge in a specific functional area to conduct.
o    Sales Ability:  Persuasiveness - Using appropriate interpersonal styles and communication methods to gain acceptance of a product, service, or idea from prospects and clients. 
o    Sales Disposition - Demonstrating the traits, inclinations, and outlooks that characterize successful salespersons; exhibiting behavior styles that facilitate adaptation to the demands of the sales role.
o    Sales Implementations - Driving and supporting the implementation of sales strategies and systems; seeking and taking appropriate actions on feedback; taking responsibility for implementation success.
•    Basic Competencies - Fundamental competencies required for accomplishing basic work activities. 
o    Basic Computer Skills - Uses basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word processing software, Internet browsers, etc.).
o    Mathematical Reasoning - Demonstrates ability to add, subtract, multiply, or divide quickly, correctly, and in a way that allows one to solve work-related issues.
o    Oral Comprehension - Demonstrates ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
o    Reading Comprehension - Demonstrates understanding of written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
o    Writing - Communicates effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

 

Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.

Combining timeless glamour with a vanguard spirit, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts is committed to delivering exquisite experiences at more than 50 luxury hotels and resorts in the best addresses around the world. Beginning with the debut of The St. Regis hotel in New York by John Jacob Astor IV at the dawn of the twentieth century, the brand has remained committed to an uncompromising level of bespoke and anticipatory service for all of its guests, delivered flawlessly by a team of gracious hosts that combine classic sophistication and modern sensibility, as well as our signature Butler Service. We invite you to explore careers at St. Regis. In joining St. Regis, 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.