Director of Sales

Aikens Group is seeking an energetic and motivated Director of Sales for the Hilton Garden Inn in Winchester, VA. The successful candidate will coordinate the sales efforts for a 102 room Hilton Garden Inn with 1800 square feet of meeting space.

Aikens Group is a family business and has been in existence since 1931. With 8 hotels, 500 apartments, over 2 million square feet of commercial real estate and a full-service construction company is well positioned to continue to grow along the Interstate 81 and 66 corridors from Martinsburg, WV to Woodstock, VA. Our headquarters is centrally located in Winchester, VA and we believe in Building Strong Relationships with our partners by delivering quality products and exceptional service with integrity. We strive to maintain a quality of life and work balance to our team members, who are the cornerstone of our success.

Aikens Group knows its team members are the strength of its company’s foundation. Our founder believed in the Merit Shop philosophy where the “real net worth of a company is its employees: the efficiency, ambitions, attitudes, health, and stability.”

Aikens Group feels that an employee/employer connection is a relationship. It is both parties’ responsibility to watch out for what is best for each other to make the bond stronger and more successful. Every employee has the opportunity for continued education, development, and advancement within the company. It is important every employee feels engaged and are trained for their position. Internal promotions and transfers are a common practice for those interested in growing professionally and personally with the organization.

Learn more about Aikens Group at https://aikensgroup.com/mission-culture-community/.

Job Description

The Director of Sales is responsible for conducting outside sales calls, obtaining new business accounts, conducting site tours, networking within the local business community and driving sales. The position is responsible for sales forecasting, pace on the books and maintaining constant communication with the General Manager to include weekly revenue meetings, action plans, and sales activity logs. The Director of Sales is a “hands-on” manager, actively involved on a daily basis in securing, qualifying and following up on leads to book specific business.

Job Requirements

• Previous experience as a Director of Sales or Sales Manager in the hotel industry.
• Highly motivated individual with strong initiative and desire for achievement.
• Excellent computer skills required.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Must be an effective salesperson and leader, and able to drive revenue by executing a proactive Sales proces

Essential Job Functions

Profit Management

• Meets or exceeds budgeted REVPAR for the hotel.
• Forecasts occupancy fluctuations and directs selling activities to maximize revenues.
• Understands the hotel’s demand segments, sources of business, and balances market segments according to supply and demand.
• Is familiar with all “business” in the market, where that “business” stays and why; takes advantage of the hotel’s strengths against each competitor.

Guest Services

• Supports guest service as the hotel’s driving philosophy.
• Personally, demonstrates a commitment to guest service by responding to guests’ needs.

Marketing and Sales Management

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key representatives in the local community in order to produce group and/or convention business for the property.
• Documents all sales calls and other sales activities using the sales database system.
• Direct the scheduling of conventions and group activities at the hotel and coordinates with other hotel-level departments to facilitate services agreed upon by the sales office and prospective clients.
• Identifies and maintains constant communications with the hotel’s key accounts.
• Actively sells room nights through outside sales calls, telemarketing, tours, etc.
• Actively sells to in-house guests (greeting meeting planners and groups, talking with guests at breakfast to surface additional leads, etc.).
• Assists in the development and deploys the hotel’s marketing and sales plan.
• Execute hotel-level tactical sales and marketing plans based on the hotel’s position and strengths within each market segment.
• Uses the resources available in the Brand manual to surface, call on, and track potential business.

Human Resources Management

• Ensures hotel employees are familiar with key accounts and “specifics” (special rates, special requirements, etc.) relating to business booked in the hotel.
• Helps to develop management talent by acting as a mentor for direct reports.