Director - Sales

Hilton•Detroit, MI

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Exceptional Hospitality Starts with You. In addition to overseeing the Sales team and broader sales strategy, the Director of Sales will personally lead the hotel’s Business Travel segment and a designated segment of Group business, building relationships with key accounts, developing new business opportunities, and driving production within these markets. The ideal candidate is a strategic, relationship-driven sales leader with a strong understanding of luxury hospitality, a proven ability to develop high-performing teams, and a demonstrated track record of generating business across corporate, group, business and leisure markets. This individual should be equally comfortable setting long-term strategy, coaching and developing team members, cultivating high-value client relationships, and actively pursuing new business.

Requirements

8+ years of hotel sales experience, with demonstrated success in luxury or upper-upscale hospitality.
Proven leadership experience managing, coaching, and developing a sales team.
Demonstrated track record of achieving or exceeding sales and revenue goals.
Strong knowledge of the business travel, corporate, and group markets, with established industry relationships preferred.
Experience managing key corporate accounts and negotiating corporate agreements.
Experience generating and closing group business; specific group segment experience to align with the hotel’s business needs.
Strong understanding of hotel revenue management principles, including rate strategy, displacement, profitability, and optimal business mix.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic sales plans and translate market opportunities into measurable business results.
Strong financial and analytical skills, with the ability to interpret production reports, forecasts, market data, and performance metrics.
Exceptional relationship-building, negotiation, presentation, and communication skills.
Highly motivated, proactive, and results-oriented with a strong business-development mindset.
Ability to effectively coach, influence, and hold team members accountable while fostering a collaborative and positive culture.
Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
Professional, polished, and service-oriented demeanor appropriate for a luxury hospitality environment.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and hotel sales/CRM systems.
Willingness and ability to travel for sales missions, trade shows, client visits, and industry events.
Flexibility to work occasional evenings, weekends, and holidays as business needs require.

Responsibilities

Lead, direct, and oversee the hotel’s Sales team, establishing clear objectives, priorities, account strategies, and performance expectations.
Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy aligned with the hotel’s overall business plan, positioning, revenue objectives, and market opportunities.
Establish annual and quarterly sales goals by market segment and ensure the team is focused on achieving or exceeding targets.
Develop strategies to increase market share, optimize business mix, strengthen account production, and drive profitable revenue.
Analyze market trends, competitive activity, account production, booking patterns, and business performance to identify opportunities and proactively adjust sales strategies.
Partner closely with the Commercial Director and Revenue Management Team to align sales strategy with overall hotel objectives.
Collaborate with Revenue Management to ensure sales efforts support optimal rate strategy, occupancy, profitability, and need-period objectives.
Establish and maintain effective account management strategies for key corporate, group, agency, and other high-value accounts.
Identify opportunities to diversify demand across business travel, group, leisure, catering and other priority market segments.
Develop and manage a strategic sales action plan, including account penetration, prospecting, solicitation, client entertainment, sales calls, trade events, and industry networking.
Ensure the Sales team effectively utilizes the hotel’s CRM and sales systems to track activity, pipeline, account production, and business opportunities.
Monitor and evaluate individual and team performance, providing regular coaching, feedback, and accountability.
Recruit, train, mentor, and develop Sales team members to build a high-performing, collaborative, and results-oriented culture.
Lead regular sales meetings, strategy sessions, account reviews, and performance discussions.
Maintain direct sales responsibility for a designated group market segment, to be determined based on hotel business needs and market opportunity.
Develop and execute a targeted strategy to generate new group business and maximize production within the assigned segment.
Prospect, solicit, negotiate, and close group business in accordance with hotel strategy and established financial objectives.
Build and maintain relationships with meeting planners, intermediaries, corporate clients, agencies, and other group decision-makers.
Conduct site inspections, client presentations, sales appointments, entertainment, and other relationship-building activities.
Develop and maintain a robust pipeline of prospective business across assigned markets.
Identify new revenue opportunities through market research, competitive analysis, industry relationships, and prospecting.
Establish and maintain strong relationships with key clients, industry partners, travel professionals, meeting planners, and other business influencers.
Develop strategic account plans for key accounts and ensure appropriate follow-up and engagement.
Represent the hotel at trade shows, sales missions, conferences, industry events, and other business-development opportunities.
Leverage relationships with the luxury travel, corporate, entertainment, technology, professional services, and other relevant business communities to generate demand.
Work collaboratively with Marketing to identify opportunities for partnerships, client engagement, brand exposure, and market development.
Monitor sales production, market performance, account activity, and pipeline against established goals.
Prepare and present sales forecasts, performance reports, account updates, and strategic recommendations to hotel leadership.
Use data and market intelligence to make informed decisions regarding account priorities, sales resources, and business opportunities.
Partner with Revenue Management to evaluate group and corporate opportunities based on rate, demand, displacement, profitability, and overall account value.
Identify and actively pursue need-period opportunities while protecting the hotel’s long-term rate and brand positioning.
Ensure accurate forecasting and timely communication of business trends and potential risks or opportunities.
Hold the Sales team accountable for achieving established revenue and production objectives.