DIRECTOR, SALES & MARKETING, FAIRMONT NEW ORLEANS

Accor Group - San Francisco, CA

Full-time - Director

San Francisco, CA

10,001+ employees

Accommodation

About the position

As the Director of Sales & Marketing for the new Fairmont New Orleans, you will play a pivotal role in the pre-opening stages of this luxury hotel. Your primary responsibility will be to assemble a talented team of Sales, Marketing, and Events professionals, guiding them from the initial setup through to the ramp-up of hotel sales. This position requires a strategic mindset as you will oversee the Sales, Marketing, and Events Budget/P&L, manage expense and revenue forecasting, and develop comprehensive business plans that align with ownership relationships. You will be tasked with creating and implementing commercial strategies that impact all revenue streams, including Rooms, Catering, Food & Beverage, and Spa services. Your leadership will be crucial in developing both short-term and long-term strategies across all sales, events, and marketing channels to achieve the hotel's revenue goals and enhance market share performance. You will collaborate with on-property leaders and regional support to produce the hotel's Annual Multi-Year Commercial Strategy Plan, ensuring that the performance needs of the hotel are met with effective solutions designed by the Fairmont brand enterprise. Additionally, you will work closely with Commercial Leadership to establish pricing strategies that maximize sales and catering opportunities, ensuring a positive market share. In this role, you will also guide the Brand e-Commerce teams in building and establishing hotel B2B marketing, digital marketing, social media, public relations, and communications channels. Your responsibilities will include developing and executing departmental expense budgets and forecasts, training the team on contractual practices, and maintaining a comprehensive understanding of competitor and market activity. You will be responsible for the execution of the Fairmont Sales Incentive Program and will play a key role in recruiting and retaining sales and marketing talent. Building strong relationships with community groups, influencers, and third-party travel partners will be essential, as will supporting sales managers in their travel to 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, including expense and revenue forecasting.
• Develop and write business plans and manage ownership relationships.
• Implement commercial strategies for the hotel to impact all revenue streams.
• Lead the development 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 establish pricing strategies for sales and catering opportunities.
• Guide Brand e-Commerce teams in hotel B2B marketing and digital marketing efforts.
• Develop and execute departmental expense budgets and forecasts.
• Train and monitor group, transient, and events contractual practices and booking guidelines.
• Maintain detailed knowledge of competitor and market activity.
• Execute the Fairmont Sales Incentive Program.
• Recruit and retain sales and marketing roles, leading team development and performance management.
• Build relationships with CVB, community groups, and third-party travel partners.

Requirements

• Minimum of five (5) years of Hotel Sales, Catering, or Marketing experience.
• Management experience at the Director level.
• Four-year college degree preferred.
• Minimum of four (4) years of leadership experience in a full-service hotel (4-star plus).
• Pre-opening or rebranding experience required.
• Ability to travel on short notice and adapt to schedule changes.
• Highly professional presentation 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.
• Experience in large matrix organizations.
• Knowledge of Opera Sales & Catering Software or comparable products.

Benefits

• Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• A supportive and inclusive work environment.
• Access to a diverse range of career paths within the company.