Senior Director, Group Sales

Choice Hotels International • North Bethesda, MD

11d • $140,000 - $1,850,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Choice Hotels is seeking a results-driven Senior Director, Group, Meetings & Events to lead the strategy, growth, and performance of the company’s group sales business. This role leads a team of Group Sales Directors, Managers, and the Inside Sales function and is responsible for developing and executing sales and marketing strategies that increase revenue through group, meetings, and event channels. The position serves as a strategic leader within Global Sales, managing key third-party partnerships, evaluating market opportunities, driving adoption of data-driven sales practices, and supporting hotel engagement across the portfolio. This leader partners cross-functionally to deliver strategic business results, influence organizational priorities, and drive incremental revenue for Choice Hotels. The role functions as part of the leadership team of a sales organization and has significant impact on departmental performance and business outcomes.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive sales, business development, account management, hospitality, travel, meetings, events, or related commercial experience.
• 7+ years of people leadership experience, including coaching, developing, and managing high-performing sales teams.
• Demonstrated experience creating and executing sales strategies that drive revenue growth and market share.
• Experience managing strategic partnerships, vendor relationships, and cross-functional business initiatives.
• Experience with budget ownership, business planning, forecasting, and operational management.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
• Experience utilizing Salesforce.com or comparable CRM platforms.
• Experience with Tableau or other business intelligence and reporting tools.
• Strong analytical and data interpretation capabilities.
• Experience with sales pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting systems.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Exceptional leadership, coaching, and talent development capabilities.
• Strong communication, presentation, and executive influencing skills.
• Ability to define and lead organizational change initiatives.
• Proven relationship-building and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
• Ability to evaluate market trends and translate insights into business results.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional partnerships and strategic initiatives.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Hospitality Management, Marketing, Sales, Communications, or a related field or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Nice To Haves

• Hospitality, lodging, travel, meetings, or events industry experience preferred.
• Experience leading managers or senior-level sales professionals preferred.
• Familiarity with marketing technology and digital communication platforms preferred.
• Master’s degree in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, Marketing, or a related discipline preferred or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Relevant industry certifications are a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

• Lead, develop, and coach a team responsible for driving group, meetings, and events revenue growth.
• Establish performance expectations, revenue objectives, pipeline goals, and accountability measures to ensure consistent achievement of business targets.
• Develop and execute comprehensive sales and marketing strategies that increase revenue and market share across group channels and vertical markets.
• Identify and cultivate new business opportunities while strengthening existing customer relationships and strategic accounts.
• Drive adoption of insights-based selling practices leveraging data, analytics, CRM platforms, Tableau, Salesforce, and other business intelligence tools.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key third-party providers and strategic partners that support group and meeting business growth.
• Lead meeting technology integration initiatives and support connectivity with external group and meeting platforms.
• Partner closely with Distribution, Marketing, Revenue Management, Sales Enablement, and other internal stakeholders to optimize channel performance and customer engagement.
• Develop channel-specific business plans and marketing programs designed to increase customer acquisition, retention, and loyalty.
• Deliver communication, education, and training to hotel operators regarding group channel opportunities, platform utilization, and revenue optimization strategies.
• Manage budgets, resource allocation, and operational plans supporting assigned channels and strategic initiatives.
• Analyze business trends, market dynamics, customer insights, and competitive activity to identify opportunities and implement solutions that improve business performance.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives and contribute to the strategic direction of the Global Sales organization.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits, including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Leave and paid time-off for holidays, vacation, personal, family, volunteer, sick, jury duty, bereavement, military, and religious observance
• Financial benefits for retirement and health savings
• Employee recognition programs
• Discounts at Choice hotels worldwide
• Variable, performance-based sales commission
• Annual awards of Choice Hotels International common stock through Choice’s Long-Term Incentive Plan (LTI Plan)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior