Assistant Director – Event Booking Centre
Company:
The St. Regis Dubai
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The Assistant Director of Event Booking Centre is responsible managing the sales team via the Senior Sales Managers to maximise revenue through increased bookings across the sales office. Provides an efficient and effective process to quickly handle customer enquiries within pre-defined parameters. Communicates booking information to all relevant departments. Effectively presents and sells all conference and banqueting products which meet customer needs.
Ensures business is turned over properly and in a timely fashion for proper service delivery. Leads and 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 hotel sales objectives. Achieves personal booking goals and leads direct reports on the accomplishment of their booking goals.
Provides service to our customers in order to grow all accounts on behalf of Marriott International.
SCOPE / BUSINESS CONTEXT / CANDIDATE PROFILE
Scope Measures:
• St. Regis, Westin and W Hotels - Al Habtoor City
• Cross sell into St Regis Polo Resort
• Guest Rooms & Suites
• Banqueting & Meeting space
• 2 direct reports
• Recognising opportunities, interviewing and hiring associates as per business needs.
• Annual Revenue
• BDRC
• Leads entered
• Leads converted Annual Projected Revenue
Business Context
Responsible for developing a working knowledge of all departments in the hotel and their dependence and interaction with the Sales Department. Responsible for driving customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience. Proactively prospect for the target customer of the property (e.g., group, catering, business travel, leisure travel). Learn proficiency in using Marriott’s Customer Focused Sales Call Process and the skill of closing the sale through training and trial. Full understanding of property revenue goals and how to achieve personal and team related revenue goals. Provide service to our customers in order to grow share of the account on behalf of Marriott International, across the enterprise. Partner effectively with Event Operations to maximize the customer experience of the property
Business Results
Balanced Scorecard Results: Supports strategies and conducts activities to drive market share, guest satisfaction and financial results.
• Sales and Marketing Management: Focuses on building the hotel’s top line revenue by executing against the sales strategy. Deploys Centre Sales team against key accounts including targeted segment sales, local and social catering, business travel sales and extended stay sales to achieve sales goals.
• Revenue Management: Works with Revenue Management to ensure proper pricing, appropriate transient and group mix and implementation of sales strategy. Addresses market fluctuations and economic conditions by partnering with Revenue Management to change sales strategy as appropriate for each hotel.
• Guest Satisfaction: Ensures sales process meets or exceeds guest needs. Identifies and addresses guest satisfaction issues to improve results, create customer loyalty and increase market share. • Human Resources: Selects, develops and retains a diverse hourly and management workforce to generate revenue and provide sales expertise to the properties. Creates and sustains a work environment that focuses on fair and equitable treatment and associate satisfaction to enable business success.
• Financial Management: Develops and manages annual operating budget to achieve or exceed budgeted revenue expectations. Ensures successful performance by increasing revenues, controlling expenses and providing a return on investment for the owner and Marriott International.
TECHNICAL EXPERTISE
The following are specific responsibilities and contributions critical to the successful performance of the position:
Sales and Revenue Management
• Provides sales functional expertise and leadership to participating hotels.
• Provides critical input to market leaders for development of property and overall market sales strategy.
• Participates in weekly sales strategy meetings.
• Works collaboratively with property/cluster Revenue Management and Event Management personnel to effectively manage the placement and execution of sales opportunities.
• Works with market and/or regional team to develop, implement and maintain Sales office standards.
• Provides ongoing feedback and recommendations to improve effectiveness of overall sales office processes.
• Works with market leadership to encourage non-participating or new hotels to join the sales office
• Analyzes period end and other available systems data to identify trends, future need periods and obstacles to achieving goals. Makes recommendations and works with hotel leaders to improve sales results.
• Provides targeted and timely communication of results and other achievements and challenges to the Director of EBC.
• Reviews turnover to the Event Services team for consistency and completion.
• Ensures that sales strategies are communicated, implemented and updated as market conditions fluctuate.
• Utilizes property diagnostic process (PDP) in order to maximize revenue and profits.
• Monitors local, regional and International business outlook and provides updates to Revenue Management.
• Oversees all day to day activities of direct reports
• Provides positive and aggressive leadership to ensure maximum revenue potential; sets example with personal
booking goals.
• Works with Hotel GM and MP-DOSM to ensure understanding of sales strategy and effective implementation of this strategy for each segment.
• Recommends multi property booking goals for sales team members.
• Proactively develops and manages relationships with key stakeholders, both internal and external.
• Analyses market information by using sales systems and implements strategy to achieve hotel’s financial room
and catering goals.
• Assists Revenue Management with completing accurate projections.
• Partners with revenue leader on approval of space release policy for catering to maximize revenue.
• Develops implements and sustains aggressive solicitation program focused on increasing business.
• Works with Human Resources, Engineering and Loss Prevention to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Displays leadership in guest hospitality, exemplifies customer service and creates a positive example for guest
relations.
• Empowers associates to provide excellent customer service.
• Observes service behaviors of associates and provides feedback to individuals and/or managers.
• Reviews all guest satisfaction results to identify areas of improvement.
• Incorporates guest satisfaction as a component of department meetings with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Interviews and hires management and hourly associates with the appropriate skills to meet the business needs of
the operation.
• Develops, implements and maintains a departmental orientation program for associates to receive the appropriate
new hire training to successfully perform their job.
• Executes and supports hotel appropriate Customer Service and Brand Standards.
• Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract,
customer correspondence).
• 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 Marriott.
• Gains understanding of the hotel’s primary target customer and service expectations; serves the customer by
understanding their business, business issues and concerns, to offer better business solution both prior to, and
during the program/event.
REQUIREMENTS
Candidate Profile
Experience
• Sales & Admin experience, ideally in the International market and ability to demonstrate strong client relationships in the corporate market driving corporate transient, catering and group business. Solid sales & account managements skills are essential, with a strong knowledge of corporate market and business trends. A good researcher, negotiator and client focused approach is required. The candidate should be able to show strong knowledge of constructing and executing sales & client action plans. There should be excellent communication (verbal & written) skills, confident presentation ability and a second language would be an advantage. Direct sales experience is essential (including skills in dealing with travel/event decision makers), with experience in the group/banqueting sales market a desirable asset.
Skills and Knowledge
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken
words and sentences.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or
services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control
systems.
• Analytical/Critical Thinking - The ability to gather and organize information using a logical and systematic
process; recognize patterns and relationships in complex data; examine data to identify implications, problems
and draw appropriate conclusions; generate alternative solutions to problems; evaluate strengths, weaknesses
and consequences of alternative solutions and approaches to solving problems.
• Revenue Management - Knowledge of total hotel revenue management concepts, processes and strategies
(including sales cycles and trends, account management, pricing, and inventory management).
• Basic Computer Skills - Using basic computer hardware and software (e.g., personal computers, word
processing software, Internet browsers, etc.).
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal
services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of
customer satisfaction.
• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.
• Number Facility - The ability to add, subtracts, multiply, or divides quickly and correctly.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic
planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and
coordination of people and resources.
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about products, services or situations, or to
develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Management of Financial Resources - Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and
accounting for these expenditures.
• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, P&L statements,
operating budgets, forecasting and scheduling, and the reporting of financial data.
Management Competencies
• Active Learning - Possesses a zeal for and seeks new learning experiences; quickly comprehending and
applying new information to the job.
• Building Credible Relationships - Skilled at establishing effective relationships with customers and internal
partners; promoting openness, trust and confidence in one's intentions.
• Communication - Skilled at clearly conveying information and ideas through a variety of media; engaging the
audience and helping them understand and retain the message.
• Customer Focus - Ability to develop and sustain productive customer relationships; actively seeking information
to understand and address customers' needs.
• Drive for Results - Skilled at setting goals for personal and group accomplishment; working tenaciously to meet
or exceed those goals.
• High Work Standards - Sets high standards of performance for self and others; assumes responsibility and
accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks.
• Planning and Organizing - Skilled at controlling sales assignments; allocating appropriate time to priority goals,
requirements, and sales opportunities.
• Problem Solving / Decision Making - Ability to identify and understand issues, problems, and opportunities;
• using effective approaches for choosing a course of action or developing solutions
• Sales Disposition - Energetic, proactive, takes calculated risks, and perseveres to attain goals
Education and Experience
• High School Diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s Degree preferred but not essential
• Hospitality Management Degree preferred but not essential
• Hotel sales & marketing related courses
• Previous experience with a large scale or multi-site EBC environment
• Opera Sales & Catering experience is preferred but not essential
• Prior team leadership experience preferred but not essential
• Experience of GCC countries is preferred but not essential
• Fluent Arabic both oral and written is preferred but not essential
• Marriott sales experience is preferred but not essential
TRAINING
• Previous Marriott or Starwood Sales Training preferred but not essential
• Marriott Foundations of leadership preferred but not essential