Sales Manager, EMEA - Corporate, Entertainment & MICE

The Position

Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is seeking a highly-motivated individual as part of the global sales team with the development and implementation of global sales strategies focusing on corporate-, entertainment and MICE travel in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The sales department is the driving force to increase revenue via the SLH channels: web, voice, GDS, VIP Desk and sales offices.

The brand enjoys an excellent position in the global luxury travel market and this role requires a good understanding of all main corporate and MICE markets in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA). The ideal candidate will have a strong sales and marketing background, property-level or regional sales experience (min. 3 years), and excellent communication and presentation skills.

Key Responsibilities

Increase production for designated corporate accounts by servicing existing business relationships through: visiting on-sites; conducting sales blitzes independently and with member hotels; marketing promotions and recommending member properties in new destinations/areas of market need
Develop and grow new accounts within the corporate market segment by creating brand awareness, building relationships with key contacts, and through recommending SLH member properties
Drive qualified, quantifiable revenue via the SLH channels: web, voice, GDS, VIP Desk and worldwide sales offices
Manage the centralized corporate RFP programme alongside Snr. Director of Corporate Sales and Corporate Sales Manager based in New York, utilizing Lanyon and other third-party RFP tools
Work closely with the global corporate sales team with regards to regional corporate accounts, and SLH Account Managers to support hotels within the corporate negotiated segment
Work alongside the Snr. Director of Corporates Sales, Corporate Sales Manager and SLH Distribution Managers to manage rate loading process
Manage the Groups & Meetings Programme (MICE) (hotel sign-ups and procedures) and all relationship related matters with our Meetings & Events (MICE) agencies as well as assist with all MICE tailored events (road shows, showcases)
Develop and grow new accounts within the MICE segment by creating brand awareness, building relationships with key contacts and recommending SLH member properties. This can include business meetings but also incentives, events, exclusive use and weddings as well as leisure groups.
Develop and grow new global accounts within the Entertainment segment by creating brand awareness, building relationships with key contacts and recommending SLH member properties with the aim of converting as much incremental business with these preferred partners as possible.
Maintain constant communication with other members of the SLH sales team in APAC and Americas to ensure total account coverage for member hotels and help other regions grow their presence within EMEA and perform regional cross-sell making use of own SLH programmes: Net Rate, withIN (SLH preferred partnership) and Meetings & Events (MICE)Attend professional- and industry meetings, tradeshows, and events within the EMEA region to elevate brand awareness and identify potential new accounts
Establish a strong working relationship with American Express Business Global Travel (GBT) and other preferred, corporate partners and participate in any relevant workshops/business related events in the region
Build, maintain, and nurture relationships with existing and new member hotels, providing training and assistance as required
Establish and maintain a consistent corporate image throughout all product lines, promotional materials and events
Ensure a high level of customer service to internal (SLH property) and external (Corporate, MICE, Entertainment) clients

Reporting Lines

Vice President of Sales, EMEA (London) with a dotted line to the Snr. Director of Corporate Sales (NYC)

Will work closely with Directors of Sales in Europe, APAC and The Americas

Principal Accountabilities

Room Night/Revenue Generation: Directly responsible for reservation and revenue volume increases from the corporate, consortia, entertainment and MICE travel market which includes the following sources: travel managers, corporate on-sites, corporate travel agencies for negotiated accounts.
Presentation: Effectively present the SLH brand to key corporate travel managers, corporate consortia, Entertainment TMCs and MICE companies during various market events and sales activities.
Leadership: To provide clear direction, training, and assistance to SLH member hotels, as required.
Strategy and Planning: Key contributor to the long-term strategy of SLH within the EMEA region.
Analysis: Fully monitor and evaluate all activities to assess areas of market need, re-evaluate poorly performing programmes, and make recommendations for the future as well as to right-fit SLH properties.
Administration and Database Management: Ensure all activity is run efficiently and effectively, and within budget.
Policies and Procedures: Ensure adherence to SLH policies and procedures worldwide.

Desired Skills and Experiences

Experienced sales professional, with minimum of three years either on- property or regional hotel sales experience within the corporate, entertainment and MICE sectors Excellent presentation and negotiation skills
Fluent in English, preferably with fluency in 1-2 additional languages (Spanish, French, Italian, German…..)
Ability to perform assigned duties with attention to detail, speed, accuracy, follow-through courtesy, cooperativeness and work with a minimum of supervision
Excellent communication skills (both verbal and written) and should be comfortable liaising with hotel owners, general managers and high-end clients
Good knowledge of Lanyon, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and, preferably, Salesforce and Sabre/SynXis
Creative and enthusiastic with a willingness to share new ideas
Flexible with working hours to ensure completion of projects
Based in Victoria, London (partly hybrid)
Some international travel (sometimes including Sat/Sun)

Suitable Applicants

Should email a CV and a paragraph telling us why you’re the person for the job to: Vice President of Sales, EMEA : Carsten.Lima@slh.com. with a statement in support of application that includes:

Why you are applying for the post
Why you believe your qualifications and experience equip you for this post
What attributes you would contribute
How you meet the requirements of the job description and person specification.

Effective Date

As soon as possible.

Small Luxury Hotels of the World™ is an unrivalled portfolio of some of the world's finest small, independent hotels. Comprising over 520 hotels in more than 80 countries, the diversity of the individual hotels, and the experiences they offer, is exceptional.

From cutting-edge design hotels to palatial 17th century mansions, city centre sanctuaries to remote private islands, historic country houses to idyllic resorts - the breadth and depth of the brand is far reaching. Visit: www.slh.com