Sales Manager

Surety Hotel•Des Moines, IA

31d

About The Position

The Sales Manager reports to and works directly with the Director of Sales. In this position you possess a background of advanced Sales skills with networking and proactive sales efforts at the forefront of all you do. In this role, you will be responsible for all tasks related to driving Corporate/Tour and Association Group and Banquet Revenue Market Share. This will be achieved through proactively connecting with arriving travelers, networking, and negotiating rates and contracts with pricing and terms that are in the best interest of Surety to exceed the hotel's revenue goals. At Aparium, our teams are encouraged to hold themselves, the guests, and each other in high regard. Respect for the team is imperative and we have a no-tolerance policy for the “old school way”. Located in the historic Hippee Building in downtown Des Moines, Surety Hotel celebrates the city’s past while helping shape its future. Housed in a beautifully restored, 1913 Beaux-Arts landmark and now part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, Surety blends independent character with world-class hospitality. Inspired by the meaning of a surety bond, we make a promise as well; unmatched service, incredible design, and a superior level of hospitality rooted in connection and community. With 137 guest rooms and suites, vibrant gathering spaces, and onsite dining at Mulberry Street Tavern, Surety is both a destination for travelers and a point of pride for the City of Certainties. Your past experiences have led you to understand that there is an art + science to how and what a hospitality professional is responsible for. You have great pride in Surety Hotel and love to sell! You are a proactive self-starter who is highly motivated by achieving financial results, you get an adrenaline rush on Tuesdays when STR reports come out, you love to be #1! You have worked in hotel sales, and you are excited by the opportunity to learn more. The passion you have for delivering results has led you to be in this Sales role and challenging the status quo is part of your DNA. You continually find ways to partner with your clients and peers to identify areas of opportunity and have the grit and tenacity to see it through. The ability to work with controlled measure and respect for your leadership team and peers is imperative. You will also actively develop trusting and transparent relationships with your clients and associates at the hotels. As a team member within Aparium Hotel Group, you will work with a phenomenal group of peers who insist that you are collaborative, humble, experienced, and open-minded – no egos are allowed.

Requirements

Minimum of four (4) years’ experience in sales
Completion of four-year college degree preferred though not required if you have proven years of experience.
Must possess computer skills and detailed knowledge of various programs, including but not limited to a thorough knowledge of Sales systems, GDS and PMS systems. Preferred system knowledge of Marriott CI/TY, Knowland, CVENT Group.
Adaptable interpersonal skills to communication and address all employee levels of the hotel.
Professional proficiency of the English language in reading, writing and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

The Sales Manager is combination salesperson that will focus on Corporate, Association and Entertainment markets who has demonstrated through performance a thorough understanding and competence in sales, account management functions, the hotel/travel industry, and life of events/group bookings.
Fully develop the above-mentioned market segment to achieve monthly room night and revenue goals, develop and implement sales action plans, and achieve monthly activities targets, maintain positive interdepartmental communications and to complete special projects as assigned by the Director of Sales.
Business development of potential new accounts through proactive sales calls, connecting with guests and planners in the pre-arrival stage, in person and/or virtual presentations, monthly/quarterly account reviews, and continual interaction with booking agents & account managers, not solely with decision makers but with decision influencers as well.
Existing account management & maintenance, including regular contact with existing accounts, optimizing opportunities and monitoring overall account production for all segments.
Creatively engage the entertainment community, travel agent & travel manager community and corporate offices and divisions to ensure the property is front-of-mind, targeting optimal visibility placements, and active engagement.
Identify new accounts for the hotel by navigating and analyzing the business intelligence available and action accordingly. This includes but is not limited to, Arrival Reports, Business Journal Reviews, Google Alerts, Knowland and Hotelligence/Kalibri Labs deep dives.
Understand the Competitive set- competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, economic trends, supply, and demand etc. and know how to sell against them and shift share.
Coordinate ongoing research of the travel industry to detect market trends and related information for development of new marketing strategies to ensure hotel is optimally positioned to drive results.
Invite clients to the hotel for entertainment, lunches, FAM Trips tours, site inspections or participation in Lifestyle events.
Be familiar with all Aparium sales policies and selling techniques with an emphasis on maximizing occupancy and Average Daily Rate (ADR).
Develop networking opportunities through active participation in community and professional associations, trade shows, activities, and events for sales opportunities.
Provide excellent customer sales service to grow share of accounts, upsell and maximize revenue from confirmed bookings
Handle account details so that all pertinent aspects of solicitation and closing are complete and documented and coordinate various departments' participation in servicing accounts/bookings.
Reinforce the company's Art + Science ideologies to ensure the experiences of trans local hospitality, intuitive service, and collaboration are implemented and modeled by yourself and every leader of the hotel.
Uphold and role model the company’s principles of People, Place, and Character; and ensure you are modeling the way of our values that drive collaboration, intuition, and trans local hospitality.
Leading the proactive sales efforts through mining and uncovering sales leads, prospecting off competitor data and market insights.
Entertaining and touring clients at Surety Hotel to develop and foster mutually beneficial relationships.
Responsible for the day-to-day sales efforts, including contracting new group/event bookings, monitoring, and working existing accounts and validating the bookings and potential of each.
Responsible for accurate data entry of all accounts and bookings into Marriott's CRM system, CI/TY, logging activities, and responsible for tracking/auditing the final production for all bookings.
Work with your DOS and Director of Revenue to identify and understand seasonality, demand periods (high and low) and how the group rate strategy fits into the overall hotel’s strategy for driving revenue.
Analysis and ongoing review of competitors accounts and pricing strategies and adjust accordingly to ensure RevPAR penetration and market leadership are met or exceeded.
Demonstrates a high degree of drive and determination and the willingness to complete tasks and projects as assigned by the Director of Sales or Aparium team.