Sales & Events Manager GCC

Job description

JOB SUMMARY

 

Drives revenue to achieve Hotel’s topline goals by proactively soliciting all business segments (Transient, Group, and Catering) located in the GCC market with the main focus on (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia); to include new business from corporate accounts, sourcing new accounts, identifying new targets, and re-soliciting past business leads. Focuses on properties BT Pricing strategy. Handles event (social/corporate) catering and Group opportunities from GCC Market. Contracts and closes group, catering and social business and verifies that business is turned over properly and in a timely fashion for quality service delivery.  Achieves group and catering revenue goals by actively up-selling each business opportunity to maximize revenue. Implements the brand’s service strategy and applicable brand initiatives in all aspects of the sales process and drives customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience. Partners with Leadership to ensure competitive sales strategies are in place for the hotel and stay competitive within the market by aligning sales activities to generate business and communicate real-time competitor intel.  Reports directly to Property Sales Leaders (DOSM/DOSD) and works closely with all other hotel department, focuses on sales driven tasks.  May work with Regional Sales and GSO teams to drive production from targeted high priority accounts including maximizing special corporate business within the represented market place. Ensure compliance with Ritz-Carlton Standard Operating Procedures to maintain brand integrity. 

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 area.

OR

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

 

Preferred:

·  Previous experience in proactive lead generation in hospitality and sales discipline; knowledge of property-specific business segments (e.g. group, catering, transient); knowledge the hospitality industry.
·  Previous experience selling luxury brands and experiential services preferred.

 

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Managing Sales Activities

·  Works with Property Sales Leader (DOSM and/or DOSD) in identifying the top accounts of the hotel, determine account deployment structure, identify key buyers within each account, and coordinate efforts to drive demand and pull-through business from the accounts for the stakeholder hotels. 
·  Assist Property Sales Leader in identifying share shift targets.
·  May work with Local Sales, GSO teams to drive production from targeted high priority accounts including maximizing (Transient, Group, and Catering) business within the represented market place.
·  Provides property support by coordination and executing property internal mining efforts to assigned hotel.
·  Uses negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business and negotiate contracts.
·  Works with the management team to create and implement a catering sales plan addressing revenue, customers and market.              
·  Designs, develops and sells creative catered events.
·  Maximizes revenue by up-selling packages and creative food and beverage.
·  Manages catering sales revenue and operation budgets, and provides forecasting reports.       
·  Develops menus that drive sales.   
·  Assists with selling, implementation and follow-through of catering promotions.
·  Solicits new business from non-deployed small business accounts, reader boards, and leads sent through internal referral mechanisms.
·  Solicits potential new accounts or business opportunities by leveraging business intelligence provided by Sales & Marketing Planning and Support or other third-party data sources to generate leads.
·  Re-solicits non-deployed realized opportunities, including turndowns, lost opportunities, and actualized business when appropriate.
·  Drives customer satisfaction through daily interactions (e.g., solicitations, re-solicitations, account calls, site inspections, new business calls, face to face activities, Sales Blitz, etc.).
·  Conducts customer facing sales activities on behalf of the hotels in partnership with Property Coordinator/Resource as appropriate. (e.g., lunch and learns, social hours, company of the month activities, local/regional industry events, Regional Conventions, etc.). 
·  Conducts site inspections for customer accounts as appropriate.
·  Plans and participate in frequent regional sales/business trips and industry related meetings.
·  Maintains complete and up-to-date lead information on each account in Opera System to verify accurate reporting and customer base information.
·  Attend BEO meeting to ensure operational alignment of all attending departments for next events. Attend weekly Customer Engagement Meeting.
·  Qualifies and maintains customer’s long-term business potential and refers customers to market, field, hotel or national sales office, as required.
·  Verifies accurate and timely lead turnover to other Sales Channels and partners closely with the Multi-Hotel Sales to ensure qualified leads are entered into Opera System.
·  Leverages MI Leads for Out of Org, Non-Deployed Accounts.
·  Presents stakeholder hotel benefits and features based on customer needs.
·  Understands and utilizes all business processes written in support of the sales organization. 
·  Utilizes negotiation skills and creative selling abilities to uncover new business.
·  Uses all information systems (e.g., Opera, MRDW, MarRFP-SAPP, Hoteligence, Account Relationship Management (ARM) to research the deployment and value of the accounts deemed important for stakeholder hotels.
·  Understands the overall market (e.g., competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, economic trends, supply and demand etc.) to sell effectively against the competition. 
·  Communicates trends, opportunities, and market changes to appropriate parties, as needed.
·  Leverages all available sales channels, (e.g., marriott.com, group and transient intermediaries, field sales, worldwide reservation offices, etc.), to optimize sales revenues.
·  Understands and actively utilizes company marketing initiatives/incentives to convert cold leads to warm leads.
·  Tracks weekly activities and relationship to revenue and room night production.
·  Sets day-today priorities to complete assigned responsibilities
·  Actively participates and contributes to Sales Strategy Meetings as appropriate. 
·  Adjusts to significant variation in daily workload through independent prioritization. 
·  Activate local tactics for deployed accounts to pull-through GCC buyer needs. Communicate best practices for generating creative revenue opportunities. 
·  Responds to incoming catering opportunities for the property. 
·  Solicits affiliate business associated with citywide events from approved affiliate list provided by Citywide Sales Executive, as applicable.
·  Performs other duties as appropriate.

 
·  Building Successful Relationships
·  Leverage deployed account resources to drive business for properties for identified hotels to pull-through business to grow account share.
·  Participates in community and hotel networking events (e.g., Rotary Clubs, Social Hours, Chamber of Commerce, etc).
·  Visits neighborhood target and local small business accounts and coordinate follow up efforts.
·  Coordinates with Property Sales Leader to understand needs and priorities of stakeholder hotels to identify focus areas.
·  Works collaboratively with all sales channels (e.g. the Multi-Hotel Sales, Account Sales and Global Sales) to establish coordinated sales efforts that are complementary, and not duplicative.
·  Handles customer care issues and as necessary, refers them to the appropriate owner.
·  Supports the company’s service and relationship strategy, driving customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience.
·  Services customers to obtain and grow share of the account.
·  Executes and supports the company’s customer service standards. 
·  Engages in property related events that support the development of new accounts (e.g., General Manager (GM) Reception etc.).
·  Performs other duties, as assigned, to meet business needs.

Skills and Knowledge

Fluent in Arabic language, an advantage. 

Aggressive negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business with a high conversion ratio. 

Possesses software knowledge (Microsoft Office, etc).

Possesses systems knowledge (OPERA Sales & Catering, Meeting Matrix) and building business blocks.

Must be able to “Knock on doors” to get the business

Knows how to conduct research on the Internet.

Weekly prospecting and soliciting  goals

Uncovering new customers (Local and Social)

Effective sales skills to up-sell products and services

Ability to manage guest room and meeting space inventories

Broad understanding of facility management (sanitation, maintenance, operations)

Strong customer development and relationship management skills

Knowledge of overall hotel operations as they affect department

Knowledge of Event Technology products and services

Knowledge of contract management and legalities

Strong communication skills (verbal, listening, writing)

Strong problem-solving skills 

Strong customer and associate relation skills

Strong presentation and platform skills

Strong organization skills

Strong “Closing skills”

Strong “persuasion” skills

Effective decision making skills

Valid Driving License (Preferably in GCC)

 

 

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.

At more than 100 award-winning properties worldwide, The Ritz-Carlton Ladies and Gentlemen create experiences so exceptional that long after a guest stays with us, the experience stays with them. Attracting the world’s top hospitality professionals who curate lifelong memories, we believe that everyone succeeds when they are empowered to be creative, thoughtful and compassionate.

Every day, we set the standard for rare and special luxury service the world over and pride ourselves on delivering excellence in the care and comfort of our guests.

Your role will be to ensure that the “Gold Standards” of The Ritz-Carlton are delivered graciously and thoughtfully every day. The Gold Standards are the foundation of The Ritz-Carlton and are what guides us each day to be better than the next. It is this foundation and our belief that our culture drives success by which The Ritz Carlton has earned the reputation as a global brand leader in luxury hospitality. As part of our team, you will learn and exemplify the Gold Standards, such as our Employee Promise, Credo and our Service Values. And our promise to you is that we offer the chance to be proud of the work you do and who you work with.

In joining The Ritz-Carlton, 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.