Operations in Sales &
Marketing Department
Roles of Sales & Marketing
Activities related directly to servicing consumer
Sales
demand & booking clients
Activities designed to increase consumer awareness
Marketing & demand by promoting & advertising hotel
Roles of Director of Sales & Marketing
Identify and cultivate clients
Manage hotel’s marketing efforts
Set rates to maximize RevPar
Negotiate sales contracts on behalf of hotel
Serve as a leader to hotel’s sales & marketing team
The Front Office
Roles of Sales & Marketing: In the Hotel
Front office Influence Transient rooms
Influence Group sale
Sales & Marketing
Tasks of Sales & Marketing staff with their group sales focus
Planning hotel’s 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
When DOSM and Sales team are active members
Promotion of the business community (e.g., local Chamber of
opportunities Commerce), disseminating info about hotel’s
products and services is allowed.
Development of personal relationships for
Networking business-related purposes will result in increased
opportunities numbers of sales calls.
- Convention and Visitors Bureau
Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.
Segmentation based on:
By product(s) product designations becoming
sold sales specialty areas
By market type of guests (clients) who buy
(market segment) the product
By distribution “how” the hotel’s sales (products)
network are made (distributed)
Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.
Catered event
Group guest
rooms Conferences
By
product sold
Conventions Meetings
Weddings and
special events
Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.
Corporate Leisure
Business travelers (who Vacations, weddings, visits
pay highest room rates) by friends and family, or
non-work related reasons
Heavy reliance on travel
By market agents’ advice
(market
Long-term stay segmentation) SMERF & Others
Guaranteed occupancy,
ease of cleaning their Social, military,
rooms, relatively educational, religious, or
uncomplicated billing fraternal organizations
Rooms often sold at very
low daily rates
Segmentation of the Sales & Marketing Dept.
Meeting planners Travel agents
Representative of corporations, Retailers, wholesalers or both
groups and organizations Using Global Distribution
Using comparison-shopping System
techniques Receiving commission
Influence on hotel’s By (5 – 20 %) from hotel
reputation distribution
networking
Consortia Internet
Largest customers of many Fastest growing distribution
hotels channel
Negotiated rate / blackout Creating homepages and
dates / pick-up linking them to other sites
Drop-ins
Potential guest who arrives at hotel
without an appointment
Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts
Sales & marketing Trace
committee systems
Harmonizes efforts across Maintain record (e.g.,
department lines demographic data) of
Engages in long-term hotel’s past, current and
planning prospective clients
Help department maintain
Ensures cooperation of all
its sales records, meet
in sales and marketing
deadlines, and plan future
process
activities
Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts
The sales cycle
Invite client to a site tour
Pre-sale phase
Submit a bid
Complete “Request for Proposal” and submit on
time
Establish room rates
Prepare group contract (attrition and cancellation policy)
Sales phase Forward Direct Bill application to Group
Establish group block
Detail client’s contracted requirements
Monitor client’s block
Attend pre-event sales meeting of hotel staff
Write thank you note to each group
Review the final bill
Post sale phase Include that group in the hotel’s 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 hotel’s rooms / services
Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts
Client appreciation activities
Goals Examples
Solidify business relationship Gala client appreciation
with current clients (allow event
hotel to express gratitude to Golfing, sporting events,
clients for current business) concerts, theater tickets
Communicate to potential
Gift giving
clients the seriousness with
which the hotel views the
hotel / client relationship
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 Effective advertising
Exterior signage Eye or ear catching
In-hotel and in-room signage and Memorable
materials Sell the hotel’s features
Radio or television commercials Cost effective
Direct mailing Does not become quickly outdated
Internet banners Reflect positively on hotel’s image
E-mail message Can be easily directed to the hotel’s
Yellow pages core client groups
Franchiser-supplied advertising
vehicles (directories, co-ops, etc.)
Billboards
Personal contact
Sales & Marketing Activities: Sales Efforts
“Special” packaging of products or services
Promotion
Promoted and disseminated by advertising and
publicity
Information about hotel, media-distributed free of
charge
Publicity
Costs the hotel nothing
May be either good or bad
Activities ensuring hotel has a positive public image
Public (good citizen of the community)
Relations Hosting charity events, contributing cash or in-kind
(PR) 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 hotel’s 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 Direct mailing, telephone, fax
communication methods
Emerging E-mail system
communication methods
Advantages of e-mail systems
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
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