In this role, I was responsible for the sales and marketing efforts of a portfolio of hotels consisting of Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, and IHG hotels, with annual sales revenues of over $100 million. Daily direction was provided in collaboration with the hotel general manager to lead, develop, and monitor the productivity of hotel sales teams. The financial aspects of budgeting, pace reporting, proposed expenditure, and return on investment (ROI) were analyzed, and recommendations were provided. In addition, areas of opportunity to improve overall hotel profitability were identified by forecasting with an accuracy of three percent maximum (+/-) variance. Properties were positioned against the competition for immediate short-term impact and long-term results by consistently exceeding corporate negotiated, group, catering, and beverage metrics. Field sales positions were held accountable for proactive sales efforts and revenue production by establishing measurable analytics and monitoring tools. In-person and virtual training programs were facilitated to model proper hotel sales techniques and reinforce brand standards to maintain excellent service scores. Top-performing sales staff were hired, and an 87% employee retention rate was achieved through superior relationship management, mentoring, coaching, and sales training.

As the Vice President of Sales & Marketing, I was responsible for overseeing 11 hotels with annual sales revenues of $50 million across multiple markets and segments. My duties included supervising annual strategy development, budgets, and yearly business plans. I was also tasked with designing, delivering, and coordinating dynamic presentations at conferences and employee events. I presented the sales and marketing plan review to property owners, the executive team, and at quarterly associate meetings. Additionally, I developed advertising consistent with brand image, including social media, landing pages, public relations, and community partnerships. Finally, I led the successful pre-opening effort of the Hampton Inn & Suites Keystone and Fairfield Inn & Suites Carmel, IN.

As the Regional Director of Sales, I successfully managed a portfolio consisting of multiple brands and markets, with annual sales revenues of over $40 million. My portfolio maintained a positive annual RevPAR growth for five consecutive years through revenue management strategies, strategic pricing, proactive direct sales efforts, referrals, and key account maintenance. I also piloted the pre-opening sales and marketing plan to promote the first-of-its-kind Courtyard by Marriott & Erskine Green Training Institute in Muncie, Indiana. My excellent communication skills were recognized through an outstanding 360-degree peer evaluation, ranking #1 in Communications Skills company-wide.

As the Account Manager, I delivered an immediate impact and consistently exceeded expectations. By accurately forecasting occupancy levels and implementing effective revenue strategies, my efforts resulted in an impressive 15% increase in overall revenue within the first full year. Thereafter, for eight consecutive years, I exceeded individual catering and room rental sales goals by over 10% each year.

Area Account Manager (Association & Government)Holiday Inn - WorthingtonColumbus, OH306 guest rooms/17,000 square feet of meeting spaceUniversity Plaza Hotel & Conference CenterColumbus, OH243 guest rooms/12,400 square feet of meeting spaceOhio University InnAthens, OH139 guest rooms/4,500 square feet of meeting space● Pioneered cross-selling of all three conference center hotels● Re-positioned Holiday Inn-Worthington in its maturity phase to capture association and government market segmentsGeneral ManagerHomewood Suites by Hilton - WorthingtonColumbus, OH147 guest rooms● Improved overall customer product and service scores by seven points within the first six months● Received two consecutive internal audit ratings of “Excellent” and two consecutive Life/Safety ratings of “Excellent”● Recognized as a top ten Homewood Suites with the greatest improvement in Extended Stay Percentage● Received Hilton General Manager Certification ● Promoted July 2003