Director of Sales & Marketing

Job Description

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Sales and Marketing is responsible for developing and executing strategies that maximize the hotel’s revenue, market share, and profitability. This individual oversees sales, marketing, public relations, and revenue-generation activities, while working closely with the General Manager, Revenue Management, Operations, and Finance.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Develop and implement an annual sales and marketing plan aligned with the hotel’s business goals, budget, brand standards, and market position.

• Set revenue, production, and activity goals for sales team and monitor performance against those goals.

• Identify opportunities to grow room revenue, food & beverage revenue, meetings and events, and other hotel services.

• Build and maintain business relationships with corporate accounts, travel managers, meeting planners, tour operator, government agencies, local organizations, and other key customers.

• Personally manage or support high-value accounts, major negotiations and strategic sales opportunities.

• Develop account plans and sales strategies for key market segments and target accounts.

• Monitor booking pace, lead sources, conversion rates, booking windows, and account production; adjust sales efforts as needed.

• Ensure timely follow-up on leads and proposals, and oversee the sales process from initial inquiry through contract, handover, and post-event follow-up

• Establish competitive pricing and contract recommendations in partnership with the General Manager and Revenue Management.

• Conduct regular sales calls, site inspections, client entertainment, trade-show participation and community outreach.

• Maintain an active sales pipeline and accurate forecast using the hotel’s sales-management system.

• Review lost business, declined proposals, and customer feedback to identify areas for improvement.

Marketing and Brand Management

• Create and oversee marketing plans that build awareness, support demand, and generate qualified business.

• Ensure all marketing materials and customer communications are accurate, on brand, and consistent with hotel brand standards.

• Manage the hotel’s website content, photography, listings, and promotional information in coordination with brand or external partners.

• Oversee digital marketing activities, including paid campaigns, email marketing, social media, search visibility and online promotions, as applicable.

• Coordinate marketing campaigns with seasonal demand, local events, hotel packages, and business priorities.

• Work with the General Manager and relevant teams to develop offers that support occupancy, average daily rate, and total hotel revenue.

• Monitor online reputation and guest feedback, coordinating with Operations to address recurring concerns and strengthen the hotel’s market position.

• Support public relations, media inquiries, influencer or community partnerships, and local promotional opportunities.

• Track campaign performance and recommend improvements based on results and return on investment.

• Manage relationships with marketing agencies, designers, photographers, media partners, and other vendors as needed.

Meetings, Events, and Group Business

• Oversee the sales strategy for meetings, conferences, weddings, and social events, and group room blocks, where applicable.

• Ensure proposals, contracts, room blocks, and event details are accurate and completed within establish timelines.

• Coordinate the transition of confirmed business to the events, front office, food and beverage and operations teams.

• Participate in pre-event planning meetings and ley client meetings to ensure expectations are clearly understood.

• Review event and group performance, client satisfaction, and opportunities for repeat business.

• Help resolve client concerns and support service recovery when sales commitments or event expectations are not met.

Leadership and Team Development

• Recruit, lead, coach, and develop sales and marketing team members.

• Set clear expectations for productivity, customer service, responsiveness, and professional conduct.

• Conduct regular one-on-ones, sales meetings, performance reviews, and pipeline reviews.

• Provide training in prospecting, negotiation, presentations, account management, CRM use, and brand standards.

• Foster collaboration between Sales & Marketing and hotel departments, particularly Operations, Revenue Management, Reservations, and Finance.

• Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, inclusion, and guest-focused service.

• Organize coverage and priorities to ensure the department responds promptly to client and internal request.

Budgeting, Reporting, and Administration

• Prepare and manage the Sales & Marketing budget, including payroll, travel, advertising, trade shows, memberships, and vendor cost.

• Monitor expenses and ensure spending is within budget and produces measurable value.

• Prepare sales forecast, activity reports, market updates, and performance summaries for hotel leadership.

• Analyze production by market segment, account, channel, and booking source.

• Maintain accurate account records, contracts, proposals, reports, and customer information in accordance with hotel procedures.

• Ensure compliance with hotel policies, brand standards, applicable laws, and data-privacy requirements.

• Participate in budget planning business reviews, and hotel strategy meetings.

Market and Competitive Analysis

• Track local market conditions, competitor activity, rate positioning, new supply, demand generators, and economic or seasonal trends.

• Use available market data and feedback from clients and industry partners to identify sales opportunities.

• Recommend adjustments to account focus, sales coverage, marketing campaigns, and commercial strategy.

• Build relationships with local tourism organizations, business associations, convention and visitor bureaus, and community groups.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, hospitality, marketing, or related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

• Experience in mid-sized, full service, select-service, boutique, or independent hotel with comparable customer and market mix preferred.

• Experience working with hotel bran, franchise, management company, or ownership group preferred.

• Familiarity with revenue-management systems, digital advertising, reputation-management tools, and hotel distribution channels.

• Experience managing group, corporate, government, leisure, or meetings and events business relevant to the property.

• Local market knowledge and established relations with area businesses, event planners, or tourism organizations preferred.

• Demonstrated success in developing business and achieving revenue or sales targets.

• Experience with hotel sales systems, property-management systems, and common business software.

• Strong understanding of hotel market segments, sales processes, pricing principles, and hotel operations.

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, relationship-building skills.

• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.

• Ability to analyze performance data and translate finding into practical actions.

Key Performance Indicators

• Total hotel revenue by market segment.

• Room revenue, occupancy, average daily rate (ADR), and RevPar performance.

• Market share and competitive-set performance, where applicable

• Sales pipeline value, lead response time, conversion rate, and account production.

• Group and event revenue, booking pace, and cancellation performance

• New account acquisition and retention of existing accounts.

• Marketing campaign performance and return on investment

• Sales & Marketing budget performance.

• Client satisfaction, repeat business, and online reputation indicators.

• Team performance, development, and retention.

Core Competencies

• Strategic and commercial thinking

• Customer and relationship focus

• Leadership and team development

• Negotiation and influence

• Communication and presentation

• Planning, organization, and follow-through

• Data interpretation and decision-making

• Cross-functional collaboration