Director of Sales

Cotton House•Cleveland, MS

About The Position

The Director of Sales is responsible for leading the overall sales effort for Cotton House Cleveland and driving top-line revenue through strategic solicitation, relationship development, and market positioning. This role is responsible for generating group room nights, catering revenue, banquet business, wedding business, and transient sales opportunities while ensuring alignment with the hotel’s financial goals, brand standards, and service culture. The Director of Sales serves as the primary sales leader for the property and works closely with the General Manager, Revenue Management, and operational leaders to identify opportunities, convert business, and ensure successful execution of group and event programs from contract through completion.

Requirements

Minimum of 3 to 5 years of hotel sales experience required.
Prior experience in a Director of Sales, Senior Sales Manager, or comparable hotel sales leadership role preferred.
Strong knowledge of group sales, corporate sales, catering sales, banquet business, and hotel revenue strategy.
Proven success in prospecting, closing business, and growing market share.
Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
Strong organizational skills with high attention to detail.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced hotel environment.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office and hotel sales, CRM, and revenue systems.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of Marriott systems and brand standards preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business, Marketing, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute a comprehensive sales plan designed to achieve and exceed hotel revenue goals in guest rooms, catering, banquet, and ancillary revenue streams.
Actively solicit new business through outside sales calls, prospecting, networking, community involvement, client appointments, and industry relationships.
Grow and maintain business within key market segments, including corporate, group, SMERF, weddings, social events, university-related travel, sports teams, and local business travel.
Identify opportunities to increase occupancy, average daily rate, and total hotel revenue through strategic selling.
Monitor booking pace, market trends, competitor activity, and demand patterns to adjust sales strategies as needed.
Work in partnership with hotel leadership to support overall budget achievement and long-term business growth.
Prospect, negotiate, and secure group room blocks, meetings, weddings, banquets, and social events.
Prepare proposals, contracts, banquet event orders, rooming lists, and related sales documentation accurately and in a timely manner.
Ensure all definite business is turned over clearly and completely to operational teams for successful execution.
Maintain strong communication with clients from the initial inquiry through post-event follow-up.
Maximize use of hotel event spaces, including banquet rooms, restaurant buyouts, and outdoor venues, where applicable.
Collaborate with Food & Beverage leadership to drive catering and banquet revenue while protecting profitability.
Build strong relationships with corporate accounts, wedding planners, event organizers, community partners, travel organizers, and repeat clients.
Maintain a visible presence in the local market and represent the hotel at community functions, tourism initiatives, trade events, and networking opportunities.
Conduct site tours and client meetings that effectively showcase the hotel’s accommodations, meeting space, food and beverage offerings, and overall guest experience.
Provide professional and timely responses to all leads, inquiries, and account needs.
Ensure a high level of client satisfaction and pursue repeat business opportunities.
Maintain accurate and organized sales records, account activity, lead status, and production reporting in the hotel’s sales systems.
Prepare and present weekly sales updates, monthly production reports, pace reports, forecasts, and other reporting as requested.
Participate in the annual budget process and ongoing forecasting discussions.
Review contracts and booking details carefully to ensure accuracy and minimize operational or financial risk.
Ensure that all sales processes and documentation comply with hotel policies, brand expectations, and ownership requirements.
Serve as a key member of the hotel leadership team.
Work closely with the General Manager on weekly priorities, business review, revenue strategy, and account development.
Collaborate with Front Office, Housekeeping, Food & Beverage, and Banquets to ensure seamless execution of all group and event business.
Help create a culture of accountability, responsiveness, professionalism, and proactive selling.
Provide direction, training, and support to any sales or catering team members, if applicable.