Job Details

Position:
Director of Sales

Location:

Portland, OR

Job Id:
217

# of Openings:
0

HOTEL DIRECTOR OF SALES
Reports to: General Manager, position is exempt

WHO WE ARE
Hotels done differently. It's not just a slogan it is who we are in everything we do. We believe in the power of People, Place and Character; ensuring our properties are a place where individuals are valued and celebrated as a tribute to the neighborhoods and the people of the communities in which we operate; elevating our associates' pride in who they are, where they live and who we serve.

The hotel is managed by Aparium Hotel Group. Founded in 2011, Aparium is driven by the belief that all hospitality experiences should be fueled by the poetics of their surroundings. Aparium was born with an intense focus on unearthing the amazing moments unique to every city. Since its founding, Aparium has grown into a new kind of hotel, one that ventures off the beaten path, both geographically and philosophically. Recognized by Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards as a leading hotel brand, Aparium is known for its singular ability to combine the business acumen of large hospitality companies with the charm of boutique hotels, bringing the disparate forces together in bustling, smaller markets.

WHO YOU ARE
You are humble and understand the need to work side by side with others; and you take feedback to make things better seriously. It is quite natural for you to walk into a hotel and see the potential of the environment and how it could work for a variety of people, groups, events or meetings. The first thing you prefer to discover is the event space, thinking "how big is the ballroom and how many people does it hold?" or "I wonder what the rooms are like and how many suites do they have?". And for giggles, you are tempted to ask the front desk for a sales contact so you can take a fam tour.
Your career experience has been dynamic and is filled with numerous success stories of how you captured indecisive groups. You are adventurous in discovering the needs of your city and known to walk the Portland area to connect and drive business to fill those seasonal gaps, all without a central reservations system as your individual effort has been greater than a central reservation system could keep up with. For you to feel comfortable within our portfolio you will have familiarity with secondary markets and recognize that hospitality differs from city to city and even from neighborhood to neighborhood. You are comfortable with casual sophistication and realize the concept of luxury has evolved to be approachable and not cookie-cutter.
THE ROLE
The Heathman hotel is a historic hotel for the community of Portland, OR and the surrounding area. This leadership role requires the tenacity to build a team and network, it is not for the faint of heart. If you are known to have the grit that is associated with an entrepreneurial spirit, then we invite you to your next career opportunity. Overseeing the sales and catering functions of the Heathman you will lead and develop your team's capabilities to identify and respond to market needs with a brand-new product, unlike anything that exists within the local market today.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Reinforce the company's Art + Science ideologies to ensure the experiences of translocal hospitality, intuitive service, and collaboration are implemented and modeled by yourself and every leader of the hotel
• Actively participate in the interviewing, hiring, training, scheduling, coaching, and motivating associates to create an environment that nurtures ideas and develops future talent for succession planning
• Ensure a sense of belonging for associates by upholding the company's values and guidelines for a Respectful Workplace, Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive environment, behaviors outlined within the Manager Code of Conduct, and Work Rules outlined the Associate Handbook
• Role model the company's open-door policy and employee engagement practices, which makes the hotel a great place to work; demonstrate a positive work ethic and environment; consistently guide and monitor business ethics and good business practice; and perform other job-related duties as requested
• Build and maintain a trusting and transparent relationship with all stakeholders, specifically taking the time to develop rapport and respect with the individuals of your peer group, known as the Executive Committee
• Understand who the hotel is and what we aspire to be by following established practices and procedures; and project the appropriate brand voice and image of each hotel to achieve objectives, public recognition and acceptance
• Dive deep into Client needs, beyond F&B, to discover unstated needs, hidden objections or concerns, and the hotel is the best choice for the client's needs; spend time developing the relationship with the client that goes beyond rapport to genuinely understand their individual needs
• Lead and direct the sales catering teams in developing and executing the sales and marketing plan and refine their revenue forecasting; provide creative strategies to positively influence sales initiatives that drive revenue, helping teams achieve their goals
• Coach sales team through collaborative practices, helping them creatively solve problems when challenges arise; ensure the team receives the necessary learning and development to grow within their roles whether is functional training or soft skill development activities
• Maximize hotel revenue through effective pricing strategies for transient or group inventory, strong understanding of the local market
• Pivot short-term strategy to compensate for short-term needs, without compromising long-term goals, such as placing business on the books in the fourth quarter, without losing focus on the first quarter and gaining traction on long-term goals
• Establish regular and frequent communication with Aparium Headquarters to ensure initiatives are executed within the hotel marketing plan; champion the need for thorough and accurate reporting and forecasting to develop an informative database of business to identify needs, trends and gaps that will create better booking decisions
• Craft and establish the annual sales goals, ensuring they are fully understood and implemented in the hotel; collect and maintain proper documentation of incentive worksheets to document achievements, which is best in the market
• Direct the reporting of results against planned objectives; coordinates sales team activities; takes appropriate action to maximize sales
• Develop the annual budget and sales + marketing plan in collaboration with the General Manager, Director of Revenue Management and Controller, ensuring the department operates within cost constraints, achieves yield management goals; ensures proper market mix, group room rate, and average rate goals
• Evaluates, solicits, sells and confirms business in assigned market area to meet overall budgeted sales and profitability; control dates, availability, and rates on guest rooms and function space
• Additional tasks and responsibility as requested by SVP of Sales + Revenue, Corporate Director of Sales, and/or hotel General Manager in support of a successful operation.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of three (3) years as a Director of Sales within upscale, lifestyle or luxury hospitality companies
• Bachelor's degree in sales, marketing, communications, or hospitality is preferred though not required if you have the proven years of experience in a Director role
• Past experience of working within a boutique-lifestyle or independent hotel company is a plus
• Adaptable interpersonal skills to communicate and address all associate levels of the hotel
• Professional proficiency of the English language in reading, writing and verbal communication

LEADERSHIP ATTRIBUTES

• Highly analytical in thought and recommendations; although will never act like the smartest person in the room; and continually seek out the facts; can express a point of view without it be driven by an ego
• Engages others in general conversation tactics to build rapport quickly; and can lead and adapt communication and presentation tactics to engage audience; displays adaptable interpersonal skills for a wide range of audiences and stakeholders
• Passionate in driving results of their effort and others; can influence others to take direction to execute on strategy through tactical methods; and is comfortable in prioritizing their work and that of others
• Demonstrates business acumen and practices sound financial decisions by ensuring the actions and plans put into place support the achievement of sales goals and budgets
• Demonstrates the ability to identify strategic needs yet can be a "soldier" to ensure a strategic plan is implemented
• Approaches fact finding and discovery missions in a collaborative effort; values input and experiences of others that creates additional insight to uncover deeper issues that need to be addressed or removed as a barrier to implementation
• Values the importance of making decisions with integrity, maintaining confidentiality across internal work groups and knows how to use discretion when appropriate; understands the difference between transparency and confidentiality.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aparium Hospitality Services celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an equitable and inclusive environment for all employees to ensure they feel sense of belonging. We do not discriminate and believe every individual should be proud of who they are, where they come from and take pride in who we serve. Aparium is an E-Verify employer.

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