DIRECTOR OF SALES
Reports to: General Manager, the position is exempt.
WHO WE ARE
Hotels done differently. At Aparium, we believe in the power of People, Place and Character. We ensure our hotels are a place where individuals are valued and celebrated, elevating our associates' pride in who they are, where they live and who we serve. Our hotel is a tribute to the neighborhoods and the people of the communities where we operate.
Located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, Hotel Heron will open in the spring of 2024 offering guests the opportunity to see Old Town from a new vantage point. With Washington, DC just minutes away, Hotel Heron acts as a flag in the sand just across the river, beckoning travelers to explore beyond the National Mall and Monuments to discover a city ripe for its new renaissance. Originally opened in 1926 as the George mason Hotel, this adaptive reuse combines the iconic inn with an adjacent new building that houses a modern event space and elevated guest rooms. This chic 134 room boutique hotel is home to KILN, a signature ground floor restaurant serving hearth inspired Mid-Atlantic cuisine, Francis Hall, a cozy craft cocktail bar hidden in the heart of the hotel, and Good Fortune, an open-air seasonal rooftop bar with unparalleled views of the Potomac. Elevated amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness center and meeting spaces designed for socializing, co-working, creating, eating, drinking, and relaxing. The hotel brings together world travelers and neighbors alike while showcasing Alexandria's rich legacy and knack for innovation through thoughtful touches from local businesses and artisans.
The hotel is managed by Aparium Hotel Group. Founded in 2011, Aparium is driven by the belief that all hospitality experiences should be fueled by the poetics of their surroundings and was born with an intense focus on unearthing the amazing moments unique to every city. Since its founding, Aparium has grown into a new kind of hotel brand, one that ventures off the beaten path, both geographically and philosophically. Recognized by Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards as a leading hotel brand, Aparium is known for its singular ability to combine the business acumen of large hospitality companies with the charm of boutique hotels, bringing the disparate forces together in bustling, smaller markets.
THE ROLE
This sales leadership role requires the tenacity to build and support an efficient and productive sales + catering team; it is not for the faint of heart. If you are known to have grit that is associated with an entrepreneurial spirit, then we invite you to your next career opportunity.
You understand how a successful sales department should be built for success; you have a trainer's mindset and can develop and guide any team through all sales process phases. You gain deep satisfaction from creating and implementing systems, processes, tools, and sales strategies that help teams succeed for years to come.
WHO YOU ARE
You are passionate about sales, catering, collaboration, and communication with the ability to think creatively and strategically to identify and close on revenue opportunities. You are a talented and highly effective sales leader that enjoys the solidarity of a team and knows that everyone plays an important role, no matter their title. When one of the members of the team goes down, you are the first to jump in and pick them up. You are ambitious and looking for the next opportunity. Your confidence in your past success, aptitude, and can-do attitude will prove you are the perfect fit for this leadership role. If you are confident in your experience in sales, then this is the role for you.
You are adventurous and driven, plus your experiences have led you to understand that there is an art + science to the how and what a sales leader is responsible for. Your career journey has been dynamic and is filled with numerous success stories of how you captured indecisive groups and accounts. You are inquisitive and look forward to discovering the business needs of your clients and city.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Uphold and role model the company's principles of People, Place, and Character; and ensure direct reports also model our values that drive collaboration, intuition, and translocal hospitality.
- Be a collaborative peer and a key partner with the Director of Revenue; work as a team to develop best-in-class tools and strategies to maximize revenue and RevPAR index. Maximize hotel revenue through effective pricing strategies for catering, group, and space inventory, which is done by analyzing sales statistics against booked vs. consumed business; and having an educated understanding of your price positioning in the comp set and local market.
- Be the face of the hotel, attending and partnering with all city groups, organizations and key leaders and sharing all hotel specific branding to build local awareness of hotel, outlets, and team. You are responsible for building excitement around the hotel opening through hard hat tours, client meetings, city and civic meetings, etc.
- Work closely with the General Manager to ensure all area hotel, restaurant and event associations are represented through your leadership. In addition, you will use these platforms to build hotel awareness and connections for hotel business.
- Report on business booked and client meetings throughout pre-opening with HQ team, GM, and other hotel leaders. Be prepared to speak to market conditions, and be able to articulate all strategies to GM, ownership and HQ as needed in a way to exude confidence on all sales and revenue generating initiatives.
- Be responsible for the final approval of all sales platforms prior to opening for correct data and reporting purposes. Systems include Delphi, Tour Connections, Lanyon, Wedding Wire, HMS, Be Merri, etc. These platforms will be built by HQ and outside resources with the final product to be reviewed prior to launch.
- Complete the critical path document and approve all items prior to opening.
- Recruit and build a strong sales team within properties to ensure the hotel's success.
- Be responsible for securing new sales and catering accounts, developing + maintaining accounts and relationships, and implementing effective sales strategies to meet overall budgeted revenue and profitability goals. You will negotiate with clients using creative attractive menu presentations + event proposals to achieve both maximum revenue/profit potential and fulfillment of contractual responsibilities while satisfying client needs.
- Lead and direct the sales and catering team in developing and executing the sales and marketing plan and in refining their revenue forecasting; provide creative strategies to positively influence sales initiatives that drive revenue helping teams achieve their monthly, quarterly, and annual goals.
- Coach Sales team by collaboratively helping them creatively solve problems when challenges arise; ensure the team receives the necessary learning and development to grow within their roles whether it is functional training or soft skill development activities.
- Craft and establish the annual sales goals, ensuring they are fully understood and implemented in the hotel; collect and maintain proper documentation of incentive worksheets to document achievements, which is best in the market.
- Develop the annual budget and sales & marketing plan in collaboration with the General Manager, Director of Revenue Management and Controller, ensuring the department operates within cost constraints, achieves revenue management goals; drives optimal business mix and ADR goals.
- Build and maintain a trusting and transparent relationship with all stakeholders including ownership and asset management. Specifically, taking the time to develop rapport and respect with the individuals of your peer group, known as the Executive Committee.
- Establish regular and frequent communication with Aparium Headquarters to ensure initiatives are executed within the hotel marketing plan; champion the need for thorough and accurate reporting and forecasting to develop an informative database of business to identify needs, trends and gaps that will create better booking decisions.
- Additional tasks and responsibilities as requested by SVP of Sales + Revenue, Corporate Director of Sales, and/or hotel General Manager in support of a successful operation.
POSITION REQUIREMENTS
- Minimum of three (3) to five (5) years of hospitality sales experience within upscale, lifestyle or luxury hospitality companies
- Minimum of two (2) years in a Director of Sales role
- Independent and boutique / lifestyle experience preferred.
- Delphi FDC and Lanyon system knowledge preferred but not required.
- Bachelor's degree in sales, marketing, communications, or hospitality is preferred though not required if you have the proven years of experience in a sales leader role.
- Adaptable interpersonal skills to communicate and address all associate levels of the hotel.
- Professional proficiency of the English language in reading, writing, and verbal communication
HOW YOU LEAD
- Engage others in general conversation tactics to build rapport quickly; leading and adapting communication and presentation tactics to engage your audience; displaying adaptable interpersonal skills for a wide range of audiences and stakeholders.
- Approach fact-finding and discovery missions in a collaborative effort; valuing input and experiences of others that creates additional insight to uncover deeper issues that may need to be addressed or removed as a barrier to implementation.
- Value the importance of making decisions with integrity, maintaining confidentiality across internal workgroups, and knowing how to use discretion when appropriate; knows how to keep a secret by understanding the difference between transparency and confidentiality
- Highly analytical in thought and recommendations, although never acting like the smartest person in the room; and continually seeking out the facts; able to express a point of view without being driven by your ego.
- Demonstrates business acumen and practices sound financial decisions by ensuring the actions and plans put into place support the achievement of sales goals and budgets
- Demonstrates the ability to identify strategic needs yet can be a "soldier" to ensure a strategic plan is implemented.
As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aparium Hospitality Services celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all employees to ensure they feel a sense of belonging. We do not discriminate and believe every individual should be proud of who they are, where they come from and take pride in who we serve. Aparium is an E-Verify employer.
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Aparium Hotel Group
Dec 23, 2024 