Senior Sales Manager, Group

Four Seasons Hotels And Resorts – Punta Mita, Nay

Four Seasons is powered by our people. We are a collective of individuals who crave to become better, to push ourselves to new heights and to treat each other as we wish to be treated in return. Our team members around the world create amazing experiences for our guests, residents, and partners through a commitment to luxury with genuine heart. We know that the best way to enable our people to deliver these exceptional guest experiences is through a world-class employee experience and company culture.

At Four Seasons, we believe in recognizing a familiar face, welcoming a new one and treating everyone we meet the way we would want to be treated ourselves. Whether you work with us, stay with us, live with us or discover with us, we believe our purpose is to create impressions that will stay with you for a lifetime. It comes from our belief that life is richer when we truly connect to the people and the world around us.

About the location:

Promote and sell to group market in defined geographic region for three properties, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita and Four Seasons Resort Nevis and Naviva, A Four Seasons Hotel. Generate hotels/resorts awareness through direct phone sales; direct sales calls, tradeshows and networking groups. Work closely with sales and marketing teams to solicit, sell and confirm group business required to meet budgeted sales goals for both properties. Candidate should possess the ability to solicit group travel. This position requires a high degree of independent judgement and discretion on decision making and managing confidential information of the three properties.

Performs and follows up on all extra tasks, actions and responsibilities assigned by the Director of Sales and Directors of Marketing. Has the ability to be a Public Ambassador for Four Seasons Hotels.

This is a remote role that supports the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Punta Mita, Nevis and Naviva, reporting to the Director of Group Sales. This role involves interactions with internal and external stakeholders at various levels.

What You’ll Be Doing

Business Development and Prospecting:

• Identify and target group customers and site selection companies that will generate business on behalf of hotels but not conflict with WSO efforts.
• Negotiate, draft, generate proposals, contracts and addendums that ensure resort budget and revenue targets are achieved.
• Utilize various prospecting resources to solicit and secure business on behalf of hotels.
• Use company wide programs, sales developments, prospecting projects, WSO customer events and reporting for business development.
• Follow up on all business inquiries and leads and qualify business to generate group room nights.
• Create and execute account plans for assigned market territory to ensure maximum group revenue and budgeted group targets are achieved for both properties.
• Achieve monthly, quarterly and annual revenue and direct sales goals including outside sales calls, prospecting calls, site inspections, and entertainment as outlined.
• Assist Director of Sales in the development of new programs and sales campaigns in an effort to obtain additional sales from the various market niches.
• Assist Director of Sales with the implementation, follow-through and updating of the quarterly action plans.
• Explore new ways to increase revenue.

Prioritizing & Time Management:

• Treat active selling, solicitation and business development as #1 job priority.
• Protect the Golden-Selling Hours for both properties. Allocate time and resources as appropriate for account potential.
• Schedule activities effectively, meet deadlines and cover hotel’s internal meetings and events assigned.
• Handle and organize sales calls and trips in a cost and time-efficient manner and within compliance of established budgets.
• Plan activities in advance. Ability to coordinate special events, promotions and other required management duties as assigned.
• Secure proper handover to another Sales Manager buddy partner while traveling and/or vacation periods.
• Complete weekly prospecting calls to solicit new and untapped business leads.
• Attend assigned meetings, webinars and conference calls on time (5 mins prior to starting time).
• Vacations and any time off must be authorized by both resorts through the Director of Sales.

Community Connectivity:

• Participate in local group/meetings organizations as needed for job.
• Identify, select and participate in local organization that will garner positive exposure for hotel, increase network of potential clients, and generate new business opportunities. Ideally, manager will have an opportunity to serve on a committee or board to demonstrate leadership within the community.

Product Knowledge and Training:

• Maintain complete product knowledge and in-depth understanding of both comp sets’ Features/Advantages/Benefits.
• Perform customer site inspections to uncover needs and present solutions that will maximize booking opportunity and create strong customer relationships.
• Create VIP, Site Inspection alerts, etc in a timely manner identifying and communicating traveller’s needs and acting as liaison to ensure all operational and marketing aspects of their stay are met. Involve as many PC Members and/or Department Heads to greet clients and provide answers to questions/concerns during their visit.
• Understand and utilize the sales tools the company provides and to follow and support all sales and marketing MOS. Ability to sell all hotel products and services.

Sales Effectiveness:

• Write clear and effective sales correspondence.
• Provide error-free proposals, contracts and addendum to clients.
• Make a strong and positive impression on clients in individual and group settings.
• Contact customers in-house to promote good will and foster additional business or repeat business to property or sister property.
• Develop and utilize sales skills in all sales interactions.
• Cross-sell with leisure, catering and group managers and team-sell also where appropriate.
• Meet deadlines to present Market Budget and Marketing Plan for the following year with action plans, ROI and expenses.
• Respond to complaints from customers and give after-sales support when requested.
• Keep updated information in Golden Sales & Catering presenting rates and concessions per resort and reasons why clients book one resort or another when competing for the same piece of business.

Sales Administration:

• Establish and maintain strong Golden Sales & Catering maintenance including account creation, account traces, contact information, client email lists, back ups, bookings, due dates, meeting space, etc. in accordance with Four Seasons standards.
• Understand and maximize the utilization of all automated sales and reservations systems (Opera) involved with corporate or travel industry business.
• Participate in sales meetings, pipeline meetings and leadership meetings as required by both properties.
• Proactive and prepared for Yield and Forecast Meetings when assigned.
• Respond and maintain effective correspondence with all potential and existing clients.
• Follow up on all pending and currently booked business details.
• Produce monthly sales recaps of market achievement based upon marketing plan objectives.
• Produce weekly sales reports on time, even while on business trips.
• Produce and execute quarterly and annual action plans.
• Participation and contribution to annual Marketing Plan including proposing and managing territory sales expenses and travel budgets.
• Initiate booking feedback as needed with both DOS, DOMs and GMs during the sales process up to and including contract.
• Produce own expense report collecting all necessary back ups based on cross charging procedures requested by Finance Department.
• Produce, plan, coordinate and execute Site Inspections and Fam Trips.
• Provide all the necessary information to Sales Coordinators while supporting drafting proposals (only when Sales Manager is on business trips), Site Impressions alerts, Room bookings, Agendas, etc. Contracts, Addendums or any other Financial/Legal document cannot be assigned to Sales Coordinators.
• Track and follow up signed agreements.
• Utilize work day in an organized way, professionally and planned to cover office’s logistics.

Travel:

Varies but approximately 40%

Who You Are

• Have a strong attention to detail, monitor quality and be obsessively service oriented.
• Be versatile and flexible and maintain composure during stressful times.
• Manage, coach and guide assistant to assigned sales coordinator.
• Receive and share constructive criticism.
• Have interpersonal sensitivity.
• Keep supervisors informed of any and all potential problems so corrective action can be taken where needed.
• Prepares and presents Hotel’s Embark Course and Operations Meeting in a professional and friendly way when on properties.
• Secures to achieve Commitment Report Department’s targets.
• Maintain a professional appearance and conduct personal behaviour in a mature professional business manner where representing the hotels and company.
• Be a sound analyser and problem solver.
• Be a doer and implementer.
• Be a team member and assist as needed within both hotels.
• Develop and use good acumen and be a good business operator.
• Communicate industry trends or market data as needed to better understand our marketplace and business.
• Respond to hotel safety or emergency situations.
• Support and provide proper handover and back-ups to buddy partners while doing sales trips or during vacation periods.
• Support in a very professional way another Sales Manager while buddy partnering during their absence, treating accounts, territories and follow ups as own until Sales Manager is back.

What You Bring

• Luxury hotel group sales minimum of 4 years in a managerial role. Proven sales track record required.
• College Degree – 4 years, or equivalent experience.
• Reading, writing and oral proficiency in the required language(s). Good personal & professional references.
• Working computer skills and knowledge including but not limited to Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Golden Sales & Catering, Ideas, Internet, Opera.

Four Seasons is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer. Minorities, women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.