Sales Manager (Catering)

• Manages sales efforts for the hotel including local corporate and social catering.

• Works collaboratively with off-property sales channels (e.g., Sales Office, Area Sales, EST) to ensure sales efforts are coordinated, complementary and not duplicative.

• Responds to incoming catering opportunities for the hotel.

• Identifies, qualifies and solicits new catering business to achieve personal and hotel revenue goals.

• Understands the overall market - competitors’ strengths and weaknesses, economic trends, supply and demand etc. and knows how to sell against them.

• Closes the best opportunities for the hotel based on market conditions and hotel needs.

• Uses negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business and negotiate contracts.

• Designs, develops and sells creative catered events.

• Maximizes revenue by up-selling packages and creative food and beverage.

• Manages catering sales revenue and operation budgets, and provides forecasting reports.

• Develops menus which drive sales.

• Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract, customer correspondence).

• Participates in and practices daily service basics of the brand.

• Monitors the effective resolution of guest issues that arise as a result of the sales process by creating mechanisms to channel issues to property leadership and/or other appropriate stakeholders.

• Ensures successful performance by increasing revenues, controlling expenses and providing a return on investment for the owner and the company.

Providing Exceptional Customer Service

• Interacts effectively with sales, kitchen, vendors, competitors, local community, catering associations and other hotel departments in order to ensure guest satisfaction.

• Executes and supports the company’s Customer Service Standards and hotel’s Brand Standards.

• Executes exemplary customer service to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by assisting the customer and ensuring their satisfaction before and during their program/event.

• Serves the customer by understanding their needs and recommending the appropriate features and services that best meet their needs and exceed their expectations, while building a relationship and loyalty to the company.

• Gains understanding of the hotel’s primary target customer and service expectations; serve the customer by understanding their business, business issues and concerns, to offer better business solution both prior to, and during the program/event.

• Develops a close working relationship with operations to ensure execution of strategies at the hotel level.

Additional Responsibilities

• Performs other duties, as assigned, to meet business needs.

• High school diploma or GED; 2 years experience in the sales and marketing, guest services, front desk, or related professional.

OR

• 2-year degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management, or related major; no work experience required.