Sales & Marketing

Roles of Sales & Marketing

Sales

Marketing

Activities related directly to servicing consumer

demand & booking clients
Activities designed to increase consumer awareness
& demand by promoting & advertising hotel
Roles of Director of Sales & Marketing

Identify and cultivate clients

Manage hotels marketing efforts
Set rates to maximize RevPar
Negotiate sales contracts on behalf of hotel
Serve as a leader to hotels sales & marketing team
The Front Office

Roles of Sales & Marketing: In the Hotel

Front office

Sales & Marketing

Influence

Influence

Transient rooms

Group sale

Tasks of Sales & Marketing staff with their group sales focus
Planning hotels sales and marketing strategy
Preparing and issuing sales contracts in timely manner
Maintaining accurate sales records, forecast and histories
Coordinating and communicating special client requests
with affected hotel departments
Hosting clients during their stay
Conducting site tours

Roles of Sales & Marketing: In the Community

Two sales opportunities

Promotion
opportunities

When DOSM and Sales team are active members

of the business community (e.g., local Chamber of
Commerce), disseminating info about hotels
products and services is allowed.

Networking
opportunities

Development of personal relationships for

business-related purposes will result in increased
numbers of sales calls.
- Convention and Visitors Bureau

Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.

Segmentation based on:
By product(s)
sold

product designations becoming

sales specialty areas

By market
(market segment)

type of guests (clients) who buy

the product

By distribution
network

how the hotels sales (products)

are made (distributed)

Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.

Catered event
Group guest
rooms

Conferences
By
product sold
Meetings

Conventions
Weddings and
special events

Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.

Corporate
Business travelers (who
pay highest room rates)

Leisure
Vacations, weddings, visits
by friends and family, or
non-work related reasons
Heavy reliance on travel
By market agents advice
(market
segmentation) SMERF & Others

Long-term stay
Guaranteed occupancy,
ease of cleaning their
rooms, relatively
uncomplicated billing
Rooms often sold at very
low daily rates

Social, military,
educational, religious, or
fraternal organizations

Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.

Meeting planners

Travel agents

Representative of corporations,
groups and organizations
Using comparison-shopping
techniques
Influence on hotels
reputation

Consortia

By
distribution
networking

Largest customers of many

hotels
Negotiated rate / blackout
dates / pick-up

Retailers, wholesalers or both

Using Global Distribution
System
Receiving commission
(5 20 %) from hotel

Internet
Fastest growing distribution
channel
Creating homepages and
linking them to other sites

Drop-ins
Potential guest who arrives at hotel
without an appointment

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

Sales & marketing
committee

Trace
systems

Harmonizes efforts across

department lines

Maintain record (e.g.,

demographic data) of
hotels past, current and
prospective clients

Engages in long-term
planning
Ensures cooperation of all
in sales and marketing
process

Help department maintain

its sales records, meet
deadlines, and plan future
activities

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

The sales cycle
Pre-sale phase

Invite client to a site tour

Submit a bid

Sales phase

Complete Request for Proposal and submit on time

Establish room rates
Prepare group contract (attrition and cancellation policy)
Forward Direct Bill application to Group
Establish group block
Detail clients contracted requirements
Monitor clients block
Attend pre-event sales meeting of hotel staff

Post sale phase

Write thank you note to each group

Review the final bill
Include that group in the hotels preferred client database
File all written reports

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

Sales lead effective DOSM should discuss the followings:
New leads uncovered since last meeting
Realistic sales potential of these leads
Who in the department is following up on leads
How leads will be pursued
What, if anything, G.M. can do to help cultivate prospect
Any sales resulting from leads discussed previously
Reserve adequate time for cold calling!
Make a sales visit / presentation to potential client without
having previously set an appointment to do so
Visit / call quality prospective clients for hotels rooms / services

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

Client appreciation activities
Goals
Solidify business relationship
with current clients (allow
hotel to express gratitude to
clients for current business)
Communicate to potential
clients the seriousness with
which the hotel views the
hotel / client relationship

Examples
Gala client appreciation
event
Golfing, sporting events,
concerts, theater tickets
Gift giving

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

Marketing plan development: format of marketing plan
A review of market competition
Occupancy trends /ADR trends / performance of own hotel
Competitive analysis of your competitor
Strengths / weaknesses / price structure
Competitive analysis of your own hotel
Strengths / weaknesses / price structure
Forecast of future market conditions
Estimated market growth or contraction / performance goals and objectives for
own hotel / timeline for achieving these goals and objectives
Determination of specific marketing strategies & activities
Advertising / public relations / promotions
Preparation of a marketing budget
Development of measurement & evaluation tools

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

Advertising
Types of advertising
Exterior signage
In-hotel and in-room signage and
materials
Radio or television commercials
Direct mailing
Internet banners
E-mail message
Yellow pages
Franchiser-supplied advertising
vehicles (directories, co-ops, etc.)
Billboards
Personal contact

Effective advertising
Eye or ear catching
Memorable
Sell the hotels features
Cost effective
Does not become quickly outdated
Reflect positively on hotels image
Can be easily directed to the hotels
core client groups

Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts

Promotion

Publicity

Public
Relations
(PR)

Special packaging of products or services

Promoted and disseminated by advertising and
publicity
Information about hotel, media-distributed free of
charge
Costs the hotel nothing
May be either good or bad
Activities ensuring hotel has a positive public image
(good citizen of the community)
Hosting charity events, contributing cash or in-kind
services, donation of hotel staff time for worthy cause

Internet Sales & Marketing

Online reservation system
Teaming of GDS with Internet
Impact

Travel agents: check availability, compare prices and

book hotel on-line

Online booking sites are fastest growing source of

reservations in hotel industry

Sales & Marketing Activities: Websites

Effective hotel websites should:
be easy to navigate.
have some level of interactivity.
be linked to appropriate companion sites (demand generator).
allow for online booking.
balance guest privacy needs with hotels desire to build a
customer base.
update and revise room rates easily on the website.
include a virtual tour of the property.
complement other marketing efforts.
be in language(s) of potential clients.
have website address easy to remember.

Internet Sales & Marketing : E-mail Systems

Traditional
communication methods

Direct mailing, telephone, fax

Emerging
communication methods

E-mail system, Social Media

Advantages of e-mail system and social media

Inexpensive to send to many current and potential clients.
Has attachment feature function to move documents quickly.
Automatically updates user database
Can disseminate special rate, promotion, new hotel feature to
its client list
The Front Office

Evaluating Sales & Marketing Department:

Operating
comparison criteria

Goals

Occupancy, ADR, RevPar, market share,

historical trends, to-date performance,
country or region
Assess performance of Sales &
Marketing department as well as the
entire property
Know the strength of hotel and Sales and
Marketing staffs sales results, in
comparison with selected competitors.