Sales Manager - Middle East Specialist, Full Time
Contract Type - Permanent, 39 hours per week
Our Support Office is a modern office located close to Old Street and Barbican in central London. This friendly open plan office houses several of the key support functions including Sales, Human Resources, Marketing, and Central Revenue. Conveniently located with great transport links, the office is the London base for the back office functions of Guoman and Thistle.
The Role
The Middle East market currently represents a large percentage of our travel trade business within The Cumberland and Thistle Marble Arch. Therefore, the role of the Sales Manager will provide dedicated support to nurture future business from this market and to provide a dedicated and unrivalled guest relations service to our high-value clients who require the personal touch. With 15 hotels and over 5000 bedrooms in London, the role will also be responsible for identifying opportunities across the whole group of hotels.
Key aspects of the role:
* The role will require proactive sales experience within the GCC countries; previous experience in hotels would be an advantage.
* Deliver the strategic business plan across each assigned segment of the business to achieve target revenue individually and across the team, including leisure, corporate, M&E, and group business.
* Consistently deliver on agreed weekly activity targets for leads, calls, and appointments, demonstrating results from the activity.
* Work closely with hotels within the cluster to align rate plans and pricing.
* Attend trade shows and client office visits as required, with a set of clear objectives and targets.
* Work within the central travel trade contracting guidelines, with a clear understanding of client structures and booking processes.
* Target intra-GCC markets and conduct strategic reviews of the GCC spread of business (Kuwaiti/Emirati/Qatari/Saudi/Bahraini and further afield in Egypt, Israel, and Turkey).
* Assist Key Account Directors (Travel Trade) with the development, implementation, and execution of business development strategies within the GCC markets.
* Monitor and analyze key performance metrics, industry data, and market trends while regularly reporting to key stakeholders.
* Proactively outreach to develop the MICE and Business Group market and to target key agents.
* Act as the key point of contact for GCC operators, providing a 'Guest Relations' role to support this important segment.
* Personally handle high-end booking opportunities and build relationships with the specialist desks of major Middle East operators.
* Understand competitors’ business through site visits and Hotelligence reporting.
* Completely understand the brand(s) you are working within and feel confident presenting to internal and external customers.
* Utilize salesforce.com to enrich client-specific data to build a deep understanding of the accounts and the opportunities that exist, sharing key information with the hotels.
* Work with operational teams to understand the requirements of this specialist market to build a relevant product.
* Create an environment of upselling opportunities across hotel teams with cross-selling into other clusters where relevant.
* Be passionate about learning and developing your own skills and understanding of the industry.
What we look for
* Excellent at building new and existing client relationships.
* Minimum of 2 years experience in the hospitality arena.
* Arabic speaker would be an advantage.
* Highly commercial.
* Ability to work collaboratively across hotels and central teams.
* Adaptable to different markets and segments.
What's in it for you?
* Discounted rates on hotel rooms, food, and drink across the Clermont Hotel Group.
* Interest-free season ticket loans (conditions apply).
* Access to a 24/7 Employee Assistance Program.
* Pension and Healthcare Schemes.
* Wagestream - get access to earned salary before payday.
* Generous recommend-a-friend scheme.
* Apprenticeships and accredited qualifications up to Level 7 (Master's Degree equivalent).
* Access to discounts and cashback through a huge range of retailers and service providers via our online benefits portal.
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