Strategic Account Manager - Lodging Services
About The Position
The Strategic Account Manager, Lodging Services reports to the Director of Lodging and serves as the primary point of contact for a portfolio of accounts. The role develops long-term relationships with hoteliers and event owners operating at the venues AwayTeam serves. Success is achieved through client engagement, event management, and proactive and reactive communication with hoteliers, event owners, event attendees, and venue teams. Working with the Director of Lodging, venue leaders, and internal departments, the Account Manager continuously improves and develops AwayTeam products and services. The role works closely with venue teams, hoteliers, and event owners to meet financial and service goals. Responsibilities also include strategic account and partner management, lodging solutions and event housing, hotel contract negotiation and performance monitoring, client reporting, customer support, and representing AwayTeam at select events. The position may require weekend on-call availability for select events and travel up to 50%.
Requirements
- Hotel or travel industry experience.
- Experience in a customer-service-oriented industry.
- Experience in sales operations.
- Excellent interpersonal, problem-solving, and negotiating skills.
- Ability to work as a team player.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Expert-level command of MS Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook, and demonstrated ability to learn multiple new software platforms quickly.
- Ability to document and communicate with all levels of the organization.
- Ability to manage multiple software programs, respond promptly and accurately to email and phone communications, and provide simple, rapid, competent support.
- Ability to develop lasting professional relationships with clients.
- Business acumen appropriate for participating and interacting in office meetings.
- Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
- Professional writing skills when representing the company in documents, email, or other written communications.
- Budgeting experience and financial proficiency.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, and ability to work well under deadlines.
- Ability to sit or stand for extended periods, indoors or outdoors.
- Ability to lift 30 pounds.
- Ability to operate a computer.
- Ability to travel up to 50%.
Nice To Haves
- Marketing and promotional experience.
Responsibilities
- Serve as the primary point of contact for key event owners, venues, and hotel partners, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Lead onboarding and relationship management for new clients and partners.
- Develop and maintain strong, mutually beneficial partnerships with hotels, CVBs, and other vendors.
- Conduct strategic planning meetings with venue teams and event organizers to understand event needs and deliver tailored lodging solutions.
- Oversee and optimize hotel performance for contracted events, including pick-up monitoring, reporting, and communication.
- Present AwayTeam services and value propositions in B2B and B2C settings, including sales meetings and client strategy sessions.
- Coordinate creation and management of event housing RFPs and negotiate hotel contracts to maximize value for stakeholders.
- Collaborate with team members on promotion strategies to support successful event promotion and maximize booking conversion.
- Manage pre- and post-event communications, reporting, and wrap-up reviews with partners to assess KPIs and identify improvement opportunities.
- Provide on-site representation at select events, conferences, and meetings to support service quality and relationship growth.
- Present senior-level reporting on client performance, booking pace, and partner satisfaction.
- Identify opportunities to improve service delivery and operational efficiency.
- Act as a strategic advisor to clients, offering proactive solutions and fostering high standards of excellence.
- Act as a point of escalation for customer service issues.
- Assist with customer support by answering phone calls, emails, and chat messages, and be on-call during weekends for select events.
- Evaluate and negotiate hotel contracts as necessary.
- Prioritize product quality.
- Provide leadership, mentorship, and guidance to support team-member development, collaboration, and performance excellence.
- Perform other duties as assigned by management.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
No Education Listed
