Director, Sales & Marketing, Fairmont New Orleans

Accor Group - New Orleans, LA

Full-time - Director

New Orleans, LA

10,001+ employees

Accommodation

About the position

As Director of Sales & Marketing, you will play a pivotal role in the pre-opening stages of the brand-new Fairmont New Orleans. This position requires you to assemble a team of Sales, Marketing, and Events professionals, guiding them from the initial setup through to the ramp-up of hotel sales. Your responsibilities will encompass the oversight of the Sales, Marketing, and Events Budget/P&L, expense and revenue forecasting, advertising, marketing, and the development and writing of business plans, as well as managing ownership relationships. You will be tasked with overseeing the commercial strategies for the new hotel, ensuring that business processes are designed to impact all revenue streams, with a particular focus on Rooms, Catering, Food & Beverage, and Spa. Your goal will be to connect strategy and business processes to effectively manage the asset. You will lead the development and implementation of both short-term and long-term strategies across all sales, events, and marketing channels to achieve the hotel's revenue goals and enhance target market share performance. This includes producing the hotel's Annual Multi-Year Commercial Strategy Plan in partnership with on-property leaders and regional support. You will also connect the performance needs for the hotel with solutions designed by the Fairmont brand enterprise in each key segment served by the hotel. Collaboration with Commercial Leadership will be essential to ensure that pre-opening and Group Pricing & Rate Quotation Strategies are in place to maximize all pricing components of sales and catering opportunities, ultimately achieving positive market share. You will work closely with Brand e-Commerce teams to establish hotel B2B marketing, digital marketing, social media, public relations, and communications channels, guiding these teams to ensure that online hotel content is accurate and effective. Additionally, you will establish optimal business mix, review and validate revenue forecasts to improve accuracy, and develop strategies for different demand periods. You will also be responsible for developing and executing the departmental expense budget and forecasts, training and monitoring the group, transient and events contractual, legal, and risk agreement practices, and establishing booking guidelines and pricing expectations. A thorough knowledge of sales and events booking platforms and adherence to all company policies and procedures associated with managing these systems will be crucial. You will maintain a detailed and real-time knowledge of all competitor and market activity, execute the Fairmont Sales Incentive Program, and oversee the recruitment and retention of all sales and marketing roles. Leading, engaging, and developing team members will be a key focus, including ongoing performance development and Career Development Plans. Building strong relationships with the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), community groups/influencers, and third-party travel partners will also be part of your responsibilities, along with supporting sales managers' travel into feeder markets.

Responsibilities

• Assemble a team of Sales, Marketing, and Events professionals during the pre-opening stages.
• Oversee Sales, Marketing, and Events Budget/P&L, expense and revenue forecasting.
• Develop and write business plans and manage ownership relationships.
• Oversee commercial strategies for the new hotel, impacting all revenue streams.
• Lead the development and implementation of short-term and long-term strategies in sales, events, and marketing channels.
• Produce the hotel's Annual Multi-Year Commercial Strategy Plan in partnership with on-property leaders and regional support.
• Connect performance needs with solutions designed by the Fairmont brand enterprise.
• Work with Commercial Leadership to ensure pre-opening and Group Pricing & Rate Quotation Strategies are in place.
• Collaborate with Brand e-Commerce teams to establish hotel B2B marketing and digital marketing channels.
• Review and validate revenue forecasts and develop strategies for different demand periods.
• Develop and execute departmental expense budget and forecasts.
• Train and monitor group, transient, and events contractual, legal, and risk agreement practices.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of competitor and market activity.
• Execute the Fairmont Sales Incentive Program.
• Recruit and retain all sales and marketing roles.
• Lead, engage, and develop team members, including performance development and Career Development Plans.
• Build relationships with CVB, community groups/influencers, and third-party travel partners.

Requirements

• Minimum of five (5) years of Hotel Sales, Catering, or Marketing Experience.
• Management Experience as a Director.
• Four-year college degree preferred.
• Minimum of four (4) years of Leadership Experience in a Full-Service Hotel (4 star plus).
• Pre-Opening/Rebranding Experience required.
• Ability to travel on short notice and adapt to schedule changes.
• Highly professional presentations and communication skills (oral and written).
• Proficiency with standard Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to perform critical analysis.

Nice-to-haves

• Additional/advanced degree coursework in business administration, marketing, and communications.
• Adaptable experience with business strategy, business planning, and business plan development.
• Experience in large matrix organizations.
• Knowledge of Opera Sales & Catering Software or comparable products.