Sales Manager

Job Description

Job Description

Job Title : Sales Manager

Company : Highway West Vacations

Property : Grand Lake Lodge - Colorado; Palm Canyon Hotel and Borrego Valley Inn - California

Location : Primarily based at Grand Lake Lodge in Grand Lake, Colorado. Hybrid position requiring a minimum of three days per week onsite. Candidates should be based in Colorado, preferably within the Granby-Grand Lake area. During Grand Lake Lodge's off-season, this position will provide seasonal sales support to Palm Canyon Hotel and Borrego Valley Inn in California, including occasional travel to those properties as business needs require.

Employment Status : Full-Time, Exempt

Compensation : Competitive base salary (meeting applicable Colorado minimum salary requirements) plus commission 

Reports To : Property General Manager, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to the Vice President

About the Opportunity

Are you a driven hospitality sales professional who knows how to build relationships, develop new business, and turn opportunities into revenue?

Highway West Vacations is seeking a results-oriented Sales Manager to drive group room nights, meetings, and event revenue across three distinctive hospitality properties: Grand Lake Lodge in Colorado, Palm Canyon Hotel, and Borrego Valley Inn in California.

This is an exciting opportunity for a proactive, entrepreneurial sales professional who thrives on prospecting, relationship building, strategic selling, and closing business. You will have the opportunity to represent unique destination properties, cultivate new markets, grow existing accounts, and make a measurable impact on revenue performance.

The position is primarily based at Grand Lake Lodge in Colorado during its operating season. During the lodge's off-season, you will transition to providing sales coverage and business development support for our California properties. This multi-property structure offers exposure to diverse hospitality markets, destinations, and customer segments while providing year-round sales responsibilities.

The ideal candidate is a self-starter who enjoys working independently, takes ownership of revenue goals, and understands that successful hospitality sales requires both strategic planning and consistent, proactive sales activity.

This is a sales-driven position focused on generating and securing business-not an event operations or catering management role. You will own the sales process from initial prospecting and client engagement through contract execution, event detailing, and operational handoff.

Compensation & Benefits

Highway West Vacations offers a competitive compensation and benefits package designed to recognize and reward talented hospitality professionals.

• Competitive base salary based on experience and qualifications, meeting applicable Colorado minimum salary requirements.
• Commission opportunities tied to sales performance and revenue generation.
• Employee health insurance.
• Paid vacation and sick leave.
• Paid holidays.
• Life insurance.
• Employee discounts at participating Highway West Vacations properties.

What You'll Do

Sales Strategy & Revenue Generation

• Drive group room night, meeting, and event revenue to achieve and exceed established property and portfolio sales goals.
• Proactively identify, pursue, negotiate, and close new group business across assigned properties.
• Develop and execute strategic quarterly sales plans focused on revenue growth, account development, market opportunities, and need-date production.
• Maintain a consistent pipeline of qualified prospects through outbound sales calls, emails, networking, referrals, industry relationships, and other business development activities.
• Strategically target business to maximize occupancy, revenue, and profitability, with a focus on need dates and overall property performance.
• Consistently meet or exceed monthly, quarterly, and annual sales objectives and outbound activity expectations.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with existing accounts while identifying opportunities to expand business and generate repeat bookings.

Business Development & Market Engagement

• Develop business across key hospitality market segments, including SMERF (Social, Military, Educational, Religious, and Fraternal), corporate, nonprofit, government, association, and other group markets.
• Identify emerging market opportunities, competitive trends, and potential sources of new business.
• Conduct property site tours, client visits, sales presentations, and client events to showcase each property's unique offerings.
• Represent Highway West Vacations and its properties professionally at networking functions, industry events, and other business development opportunities.
• Collaborate with fellow sales managers to share leads, cross-sell properties, and maximize revenue opportunities throughout the portfolio.

Client Relationship Management & Event Detailing

• Independently manage the group sales lifecycle from initial inquiry and prospect qualification through contract negotiation, execution, detailing, and operational handoff.
• Prepare, negotiate, and execute group contracts that maximize revenue and protect property profitability.
• Maintain accurate sales pipelines, booking records, client communications, and sales activity within TripleSeat CRM.
• Complete group detailing and Banquet Event Orders (BEOs), including menus, room setups, diagrams, vendor coordination, billing details, and other event specifications.
• Coordinate all pre-arrival logistics and communicate client requirements, expectations, and event details clearly and accurately to the appropriate operational teams.
• Ensure a thorough and timely handoff to property operations teams to support a seamless guest and client experience.

Reporting & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Provide timely and accurate weekly sales reporting to property and above-property leadership in accordance with Highway West Vacations' reporting standards.
• Partner closely with General Managers, property leadership, operations teams, revenue management, reservations, front desk, and other sales professionals to achieve overall revenue objectives.
• Work collaboratively with leadership, including the RVP of Operations, Revenue Manager, Vice President of Commercial Strategy, and Senior Vice President of Operations, as needed to support revenue-generation strategies.
• Demonstrate professionalism, accountability, ethical business practices, and a commitment to Highway West Vacations' core values.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for a confident, competitive, and relationship-driven sales professional who combines strong business development skills with a genuine understanding of hospitality.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum of five years of professional sales experience, preferably within the hospitality industry.
• At least three years of direct hospitality sales experience, with a demonstrated track record of growing group business and consistently achieving revenue targets.
• Proven ability to prospect, develop qualified leads, negotiate contracts, and independently close business.
• Strong understanding of hospitality group market segments, including SMERF, corporate, nonprofit, government, and association markets.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic sales plans, manage a sales pipeline, and maintain productive client relationships.
• Experience using CRM platforms and sales management systems. Proficiency in Microsoft Office and other standard business applications.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, negotiation, presentation, and organizational skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and consistently deliver measurable results.
• Willingness and ability to travel occasionally to assigned California properties based on seasonal business needs.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Hospitality Management, Marketing, or a related field.
• Previous experience selling group lodging, meetings, retreats, weddings, and other group-related hospitality business.
• Experience with TripleSeat or similar hospitality sales and event management CRM platforms.
• Experience with property management systems (PMS), reservation platforms, and revenue management tools.
• Background in resort, boutique hotel, destination hospitality, outdoor recreation, or seasonal hospitality environments.
• Established relationships with regional corporate, association, SMERF, or group travel accounts.

Work Location & Travel

This position is primarily based at Grand Lake Lodge in Grand Lake, Colorado, with a hybrid work arrangement requiring a minimum of three onsite days per week.

During Grand Lake Lodge's seasonal closure, the Sales Manager will transition to supporting sales and business development efforts for Palm Canyon Hotel and Borrego Valley Inn in California.

Occasional travel to the California properties will be required to support onsite sales initiatives, client relationships, property tours, and business development activities.

Candidates located in or near the Granby–Grand Lake area are strongly preferred.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work for extended periods at a desk using a computer and other standard office equipment.
• Ability to occasionally lift or carry up to 25 pounds.
• Ability to travel between assigned properties as business needs require.

An Important Note About This Role

This is a business development and revenue-generation position, not a catering, event planning, or event operations management role.

The Sales Manager is accountable for identifying and securing new business, developing client relationships, negotiating and closing contracts, managing group bookings, and completing the necessary event detailing and operational handoffs.

While the role includes coordinating event details and communicating client requirements, the execution and day-of management of events are the responsibility of the property's operations and event teams.

If you are a motivated hospitality sales professional who enjoys building business, closing deals, and driving revenue, we invite you to join Highway West Vacations and help grow our portfolio of distinctive destination properties.

HWV Hospitality Services Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

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