Sales Manager
Minor Hotels
Total years of experience :17 years, 0 months
• Headhunted to re map the hotel’s leisure sales strategy and eventually the introduction to various potential new markets versus the existing dependence on OTA’s and Chinese Tour Groups.
• Successfully signed barter agreements for participation and marketing in German and Russian Market with Key Players in the market.
• Arranged FAM Trips from EU, India, Iraq, Iran and West Africa to promote and market the hotel within these potential markets in the area.
• Revived 5 lost/dormant major accounts for the hotel in order to get the market share back from the competitors.
• Discussed and designed the future road map of the property with the Director of Sales in order to focus and plan the actions
in the coming months related to the most profitable Leisure Markets for the
Duties & Responsibilities
• Pre-Opening Team and Reporting to Director of Sales & Marketing
• Strong analytical skills to understand and respond to key business indicators and competitive trends
• Excellent selling capabilities and desire to coach selling techniques to the team
• Excellent organizational and planning skills
• Achieving growth and hitting sales targets by successfully managing the sales team
• Designing and implementing a strategic sales plan that expands company’s customer base and ensure its strong presence
Career Achievements
• Attended Regional Office Saudi Arabia & Kuwait Roadshow in November 2018 represented upcoming hotel & Kuwait
Roadshow in March 2019 making awareness of the product and maintaining the strong relationship with the clients.
• Attended India Roadshow of 6 cities with Turning Point Tourism in August 2019 to make the hotel awareness and build
rapport with the new clienteles.
• Attended Russia Roadshow of 4 cities for CIS market in November 2019 with Desert Adventures (TUI) to make the hotel
awareness and build rapport with the new clienteles.
Duties & Responsibilities
• Reporting to Director of Revenue
• Establish, maintain and use library of reference materials, periodicals, texts and sales leas: stay ahead of
market trends and hotel selling techniques
• Active outside face-to-face sales calling required (minimum 3 sales calls per day)
• Identifies and analyses competition and takes appropriate action steps
• Establishes quarterly action plans for the handled key prospect and key accounts. Handles a minimum of 250-300 accounts.
• Maintains efficient sales office procedures and ensures the maintenance of accurate and updated account files
• Designs new programs and sales campaigns, to develop additional sales from the respective market.
• Set up appropriate filing systems of existing and potential accounts, keeping up to date and properly categorized.
Career Achievements
• Represented the hotel and made awareness of the product in Germany by attending the ITB Berlin exhibition
-Reporting to Director of Contracting & Operations/General Manager
-In charge of handling German market with the biggest leading Tour Operators such as Dertour, Meiers, ITS, Jahn Reisen and Kuoni Swiss
-Monitoring if the rates are competitive in the market by checking daily on BISTRO (if promotions updated or received from the hotel side)
-Scheduling the meetings with the hotel sales to discuss further improvement in business by getting more numbers for production as well as to get aggressive rates.
-Preparing the brochure contribution by listing the existing hotels as well as new for the Tour Operator’s portfolio; maintaining the forms with the cost of each pages of content.
-Assisting reservations with the booking discrepancies by coordinating with the hotel sales.
-Reporting to Director of Sales & Marketing/General Manager
-Provide relevant data for competitive market benchmarks for economic and political information and to anticipate market trends
-Optimize visibility and bookings locally, keep record on former, existing, potential clients and a profile of each one of them
-Organize regular visits in accordance to a predetermined plan
-Activate potentials of companies without production by proper follow up/visits
-Boost sales activities with competition survey on segments, season, activity sectors and other relevant information
-Initiate activities to create brand loyalty recognition and guest satisfaction
-Convert inquiries from potential customers to booked business using superior selling/closing skills
-Manage daily, weekly sales organization with 5 sales calls/offers per day or average of 25 sales calls/ offers per week and 10 tele-sales/day
-Attended business trip in Muscat-Oman by doing sales blitzing and making awareness of the product existing.
-Reporting to General Manager; Joined as pre-opening team and set up the sales department.
-In charge of handling Leisure/Corporate segment in order to build healthy rapport and fruitful business collaboration
-Preparing the contracts based as per seasonal wise
-Maintaining and developing relationships with existing customers by meeting in person plus via telephone calls, emails
-Targeting new accounts through cold calls & sales blitzing
-Taking care of MICE in terms of groups inquires; contracts; preparing proforma invoices
-Manage every end of the month sales report with the sales plans and coming month activities
-Sharing valid points to collaborate in the owner’s every month report
-Attended business trip in India (Mumbai/Bangalore) for 2 weeks by meeting the top leading Tour Operators like Trailfinders; Thomas Cook; BCD Travel; Kuoni SOTC; Akbar Travels; FCM Solutions; TUI India; Clear Trip; Cox & Kings Mumbai and so on.
-Preparing Market Segment Report every morning to discuss the figures in briefing and also attending every Sunday revenue meeting
-Cold calling to arrange meetings with potential customers to prospect new business
-Responding incoming email and phone inquires
-Maintaining and developing relationships with existing customers by meeting in person plus via telephone calls, emails
-Visiting the existing clientele to discuss the improvement in business, gathering market & customer information
-Negotiating the terms of an agreement & closing sales
-Reviewing sales performance for the assigned accounts, aiming to meet or exceed targets
-Preparing sales reports by analyzing and summarizing information
-Joined as pioneered batch and implemented with the policy & procedures for the company
-Organized the whole set up of reservations & operations by including the input of the data in the system
-Arranging transfers, excursions & traffic for the guests by coordinating with the corresponding suppliers & ensuring the best available services for the guests
-Coordinating with the Tour Representatives regarding Excursions/Transfers and handling the collection of cash plus calculating their commissions accordingly
-Quality check for Transportation & Excursions
-Handling reservations & entering the guest’s details in the system & coordinating with the hotel
-Loading the hotel contracts, the data entry in the operating system, special offers & updating stop sale/free sale
-Managing Reservations Revenue Report on monthly basis
- Responsible for handling incoming calls to the reservations department in a professional, efficient, friendly manner. The primary tasks is to answer the phone within 3 rings utilizing the appropriate greeting and following the reservations script in handling the guest inquiry for hotel space.
- Giving answers to enquiries by the guest and advising them accordingly regarding bookings, reservations and making direct bookings, also dealing with the travel agencies and Tour Operators.
- Assisting customers who encounter problems in obtaining booking or operating self service equipment.
- Getting information about areas of interest in order to target more clients in particular seasons.
- Volunteered in checking No-Shows/Cancellations on daily basis.
- Handling groups, following up for payment and final rooming list, forecasting yearly/monthly group report for daily audit.
- Guest Service Center is a one-point contact for the guests where we attend to all guest requests in regards to Housekeeping, Minibar, In Room Dinning, Laundry & Front Desk Calls, Guest Complaints, Courtesy calls.
- Communicating with guest either by telephone or in person to provide further additional information regarding products or services.
- Following up with the guest to ensure that their issues are sufficiently resolved.
- Preparing reports providing the detailed information regarding personal customer information, unresolved matters, action taken, and any relevant comments or notes.
- Ensuring that the information regarding customer requests and complaints is provided accurately and efficiently.
- Making decisions as to the complaint’s genuineness, and determining possible reasons behind every complaint.
- Escorting esteemed guests & VIP to the room.
- Familiarizing the guests with various Restaurants, Shops, Room Amenities in the hotel on escort.
- Handling check-in/check-out for groups and walk-in guests.
- Being able to have a deep understanding of the guest interests.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with the guest by showing positive body language and gestures.