Director of Catering Sales

JOB SUMMARY

Functions as the business leader of the property’s Catering Sales Department
and manages the property's reactive and proactive catering sales efforts. Shares
responsibility for achieving revenue goals, guest and associate satisfaction
and the financial performance of the department. Implements the brand’s service
strategy and applicable brand initiatives in all aspects of the sales process.
Provides day to day leadership to a team of on-property catering sales
associates. Partners with key stakeholders within Area Sales to receive warms
leads for more in-depth qualification of the business for the property.

Partners with Event Management and hotel operations to sell products
and services that the hotel has the ability to successfully execute. Verifies
a seamless turnover from sales to operations and back to sales while
consistently delivering a high level of service. Maintains accountability
for verifying that the team maximizes revenue opportunities by up-selling
and accurately forecasting (e.g., catering and group rooms) for all events.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education
and Experience

Required:

• 2-year degree
from an accredited university in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel
and Restaurant Management, or related major; 4 years experience in the sales
and marketing or related professional area.

OR

• 4-year bachelor's
degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Hotel and Restaurant Management,
or related major; 2 years experience in the sales and marketing or related
professional area.

Preferred:

• 4 year
college degree.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Managing Sales Activities

• Manages the catering
sales efforts for the hotel including local and group/convention business.

• Solicits/books local catering business and develops group business.

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

• Works with the management team
to create and implement a catering sales/marketing plan addressing revenue,
customers and market.

• Develops menus that drive sales.

• Assists
with selling, implementation and follow-through of catering promotions.

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

• 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 (e.g.,, Marriott Hotels & Resorts (MHR) Spirit to Serve Daily
Basics, Renaissance Hotels and Resorts (RHR) Savvy Service Basics, Courtyard,
SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn Basics of the Day, Residence Inn Daily Huddle,
or TownePlace Suites Morning Meeting).

• Coordinates and deploys catering
sales resources on-property to establish pull-through and sustainment
of catering sales strategies and selling solutions. Develops a close working
relationship with operations to execute strategies at the hotel level.

•
Verifies that the property implements a seamless turnover from sales
to operations and back to sales while consistently delivering high level
of service.

• 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.

•
Maintains successful performance by increasing revenues, controlling expenses
and providing a return on investment for the owner and Marriott
International.

• Implements the brand’s service strategy and applicable
brand initiatives in all aspects of the sales process.

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

Building
Successful Relationships

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

• Executes exemplary customer service to drive customer
satisfaction and loyalty by assisting the customer and monitoring 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 Marriott.

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

• Partners with key stakeholders within Area Sales
to receive warms leads for more in-depth qualification of the business for
the property.

• Partners with Event Management and hotel operations
to sell products and services that the hotel has the ability to successfully
execute.

Leadership

• Manages
and directs the on-property catering sales managers to achieve hotel revenue
goals by proactively targeting current and new high value accounts in the market
and implementing effective catering sales deployment strategies to grow market
share.

• Partners with Human Resources (HR) to attract, develop
and retain the right people in order to support the strategic priorities of
the market.

• Creates effective structures, processes, jobs
and performance management systems are in place.

• Sets goals
and expectations for direct reports using the Leadership Performance Process
(LPP), align performance and rewards, addresses performance issues and holds
staff accountable for successful results.

• Forecasts talent needs
and manages talent acquisition strategy with HR to minimize lost time due
to turnover.

• Keeps an active list of the competition’s best sales
people and executes a recruitment and acquisition plan with HR.

•
Supports tools and training resources to educate sales associates on winning
catering solutions.

• Champions leadership development and workforce
planning priorities by assessing, selecting, retaining and developing diverse,
high-caliber talent that can lead the organization today and strengthen
the leadership bench for the future; continues to upgrade the sales &
marketing talent; works with HR to anticipate future talent needs based
on business growth plans.

• Identifies, trains and mentors catering sales
associates.

• Transfers functional knowledge and develop catering sales
skills of other discipline managers.

• Shares responsibility
for achieving revenue goals, guest and associate satisfaction and the financial
performance of the department.

• Provides day to day leadership to a team
of on-property catering sales associates.