Position Summary
The Business Transient Sales Manager is responsible for developing, managing, and growing the hotel's Business Transient segment through proactive sales efforts, strategic account management, local negotiated rate development, corporate RFP participation, and strong relationships with businesses and organizations that generate individual room-night demand.
The Business Transient Sales Manager will work closely with the Director of Sales, General Manager, Revenue Management, and other members of the Sales Team to identify need periods, target high-value accounts, evaluate production, and implement strategies designed to increase occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, and market-share performance.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Business Development & Prospecting
- Identify and actively prospect new local, regional, and national corporate accounts capable of producing Business Transient room nights.
- Conduct consistent outbound sales activity through telephone prospecting, email campaigns, in-person sales calls, site visits, networking, and client appointments.
- Research businesses, projects, relocations, construction activity, training programs, government activity, healthcare demand, transportation, entertainment production, and other demand generators within the hotel's market.
- Conduct regular parking lot and competitive hotel shops to identify potential corporate accounts utilizing competing properties.
- Identify companies opening, expanding, relocating, or conducting projects within the market.
- Develop relationships with decision-makers responsible for corporate lodging and travel.
- Convert qualified prospects into producing negotiated accounts.
Local Negotiated Rate Account Management
- Develop and maintain the hotel's portfolio of Local Negotiated Rate (LNR) accounts.
- Evaluate prospective accounts based on anticipated room-night production, stay patterns, day-of-week demand, seasonality, and rate potential.
- Negotiate rates that balance client needs with the hotel's revenue objectives.
- Monitor account production regularly to ensure negotiated accounts are delivering anticipated room nights.
- Identify underperforming accounts and implement strategies to increase production.
- Conduct account reviews with key clients and identify opportunities to increase hotel share.
- Maintain relationships with existing accounts to support retention and prevent displacement to competitors.
Corporate RFP Management
- Identify and pursue appropriate corporate RFP opportunities.
- Complete and submit RFPs accurately and within required deadlines.
- Partner with Revenue Management and the Director of Sales to determine competitive pricing and account strategy.
- Monitor acceptance and rejection results and complete appropriate follow-up.
- Maintain accurate documentation of RFP status, pricing, production expectations, and outcomes.
- Pursue preferred-hotel and corporate travel-program placement whenever appropriate.
Account Penetration & Relationship Management
- Develop relationships beyond a single contact within key accounts.
- Identify travel arrangers, executive assistants, procurement contacts, human resources representatives, project managers, recruiters, training coordinators, relocation contacts, and other individuals influencing hotel selection.
- Conduct regular account visits and business reviews.
- Identify additional departments, divisions, projects, and travelers within existing accounts.
- Increase the hotel's percentage of available room-night production from key accounts.
- Develop recovery strategies for accounts that have reduced or discontinued production.
Revenue & Market Strategy
- Partner closely with Revenue Management to understand occupancy forecasts, need dates, booking pace, ADR strategy, and market conditions.
- Focus prospecting efforts on accounts capable of producing business during identified need periods.
- Understand the hotel's competitive set and effectively communicate the hotel's value proposition.
- Monitor competitor pricing, amenities, corporate programs, and sales strategies.
- Support strategies designed to improve MPI, ARI, RGI, occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR.
- Maintain rate integrity while maximizing appropriate corporate volume.
CRM & Sales Accountability
All sales activity must be accurately and consistently documented within the hotel's designated CRM.
The Business Transient Sales Manager will be responsible for documenting:
- Prospecting calls and emails
- Client appointments and site visits
- New accounts and contacts
- LNR opportunities
- RFP activity
- Follow-up activity
- Account production discussions
- Lost or declined business and reasons
- Future follow-up dates
- Account development strategies
- Definite and potential revenue opportunities
The Sales Manager will participate in regularly scheduled sales meetings and be prepared to discuss activity, pipeline, account production, opportunities, challenges, and strategies.
Key Performance Expectations
Performance will be evaluated on both sales activity and measurable business results.
Key measurements should include:
- New qualified corporate accounts developed
- New LNR accounts secured
- Corporate room nights generated
- Business Transient revenue generated
- ADR achieved
- Account production versus established goals
- Existing account retention
- Growth within existing accounts
- RFP submissions and acceptance/conversion
- New opportunities entered into the CRM
- Prospect-to-producing-account conversion
- Client appointments and outside sales calls
- Account penetration
- Reactivation of dormant accounts
- Documented prospecting and follow-up activity
- Market-share contribution
Community & Market Engagement
The Business Transient Sales Manager is expected to maintain a visible presence within the local business community and develop relationships with organizations that can create connections to potential hotel clients.
Participation may include relationships with the local Chamber of Commerce, CVB/DMO, tourism organizations, economic development organizations, business associations, corporate relocation organizations, government and military contacts, local universities, healthcare organizations, construction/development organizations, and other market-specific business groups.
The purpose of this involvement is not simply attendance. The expectation is to leverage these relationships to identify new businesses, upcoming projects, relocations, corporate travel opportunities, community developments, and decision-makers who can generate incremental hotel revenue.
Knowledge, Skills & Qualifications
- Previous hotel sales experience strongly preferred.
- Business Transient, corporate, or LNR sales experience preferred.
- Strong prospecting and business-development skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain professional client relationships.
- Strong negotiation and closing skills.
- Ability to analyze account production and determine account value.
- Knowledge of hotel revenue management principles and market segmentation.
- Experience with hotel CRM and sales-management platforms.
- Understanding of corporate RFP processes and negotiated-rate programs.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Ability to independently manage a portfolio of accounts and prospects.
- Professional presentation and client-facing skills.
- Ability and willingness to conduct outside sales calls and attend networking events.
Position Expectations
This is a revenue-producing sales position. Success is not measured solely by the number of calls, emails, or appointments completed. Sales activity is expected to result in qualified opportunities, new accounts, increased account penetration, converted business, room nights, revenue, and measurable contribution to the hotel's Business Transient segment.
The Business Transient Sales Manager is expected to take ownership of their assigned market segments and accounts, maintain an active pipeline, consistently follow up on opportunities, develop strong client relationships, and demonstrate measurable progress toward established monthly, quarterly, and annual goals.
Pay: $90,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
