Hotel Café Royal is an iconic 5-star luxury hotel nestled in the heart of Central London. With a legacy that spans over 160 years, we are known for our unmatched elegance, timeless sophistication, and world-class service. Our hotel has been a destination for royalty, celebrities, and international leaders, offering an exceptional experience to our guests. As we continue to elevate our brand, we are seeking a Director of Sales - Leisure & Entertainment to promote and sell our hotel facilities and services to our domestic and international clientele.
The Role:
As our Director of Sales - Leisure & Entertainment you will have a passion to provide a personalised guest experience, strong selling skills, deep product knowledge combined with knowledge of the latest trends in the London hotel and travel scene are required trademarks for this position to successfully master the elegant delivery of our products and services.
Key Responsibilities:
Under the direction of the Director of Sales and Marketing review and agree the annual Sales & Marketing plan for Hotel Café Royal with a specific focus on leisure and entertainment segments in order to identify market trends and make recommendations to increase market share
Agree and develop strategies in conjunction with the Director of Sales and Marketing to target leisure and entertainment accounts operating within the luxury end of the market.
Establish contact and follow up leisure and entertainment segments account leads or suspect accounts generated from arrivals lists, database research, road shows, sales blitzes and general research.
Undertake weekly sales calls, client visits, site visits and familiarisation trips in order to develop new business accounts in line with the sales and marketing plan
Undertake sales trips, trade fairs & road shows to develop international and domestic markets in order to create awareness of the brand and the hotel
Undertake regular account management activities such as hosting events for key clients, arranging client visits and liaising with travel managers to ensure accounts produce and yield in line with business expectations
Direct and manage transient sales activities to maximize revenue potential
To have a thorough knowledge of the competitive markets corporate business, sales, pricing, and rate structures
Act as an ambassador by greeting, getting to know and understanding our guests and clients in order to deliver a truly world class event service
Working closely ondaily basis Sales Executive Leisure and Entertainment
Deal with all internal and external calls in a professional and efficient manner, taking into account call response times, handling and etiquette in order to embody our Voice with a smile philosophy and to deliver a truly world class service experience
Monitor overall service delivery, call quality and response times within the department in accordance with Sales Guest Journeys and ensure that all team members follow LQA standards and the order of service correctly within their respective role
Ensure that you and your team provide guests, agents and clients of Hotel Café Royal with accurate and relevant information on all Hotel Café Royal rates, packages, facilities and services in order to actively promote the hotel and convert enquiries effectively into bookings
Ensure you maintain an update knowledge of hotel facilities, services, our human library contacts and activities taking place in London or the Hotel order to provide accurate information to guests and devolve down to your team
Handle any guest requests, complaints or feedback from your accounts in a service orientated manner, escalating any situations that you are unable to resolve with the Director of Sales and Marketing.
Regularly review and monitor guest feedback reports, online forums such as Trip Advisor and LQA and Forbes mystery guest reports in order to identify any potential issues that have impacted your clients
Implement systems and procedures within the department to effectively profile guests and maintain 100% guest recognition of regular guests and VIPs, remembering guests preferences, special requests and amenity requirements in order to deliver a high level of luxury service.
Take personal ownership for identifying VIP bookings made by your accounts to ensure that these are flagged with the operations team so that special requests and arrangements can be made by the relevant persons
Take an active role and work closely with Director of Events on any events, parties, screenings, photo shoots, press junkets taking place within the hotel event spaces to your accounts or which have a Entertainment focus.
Your Profile:
Proven experience in a similar Director of Sales or Sales Manager role within leisure, entertainment and the luxury hotel industry.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a strong ability to convey the luxury brand's voice and narrative. Additional language skills would be beneficial.
Strong network of entertainment and media contacts within the luxury hospitality industry.
Flexibility to travel for trade shows and work events.
The Benefits:
Competitive salary package
Annual bonus earning potential
Complimentary meals on duty on our colleague restaurant
Complimentary laundering of work attire
Pro-rata allowance of 28 days holiday (inclusive of Bank holidays) rising to up to 33 days
Group Life Insurance scheme membership with MetLife
Management Pension Scheme with Scottish Widows
Private Medical Insurance with AXA
Extensive training & development opportunities, including workshops and e-learning
Discounts on shopping and dining in the Regent Street area
Regular subsidised wellbeing events, such as yoga, back therapy, chiropody, Theragun, fitness classes and bone-setting
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