Overview About the Opportunity
Join the pre-opening team at Virginia Guest House Hotel and Conference Center, a newly built, 214-room property featuring 25,000 square feet of event space, a full-service restaurant, Grab & Go Café, and a stunning rooftop bar. This role presents an exciting opportunity to contribute to the launch and success of a high-profile hotel and conference center in Charlottesville, VA.
We are seeking a dynamic and results-driven Sales Manager to help drive group and conference sales while supporting the Director of Sales & Marketing in achieving revenue goals and strategic business development.
Your Role & Responsibilities
- Generate group, conference, and event sales revenue for the hotel, focusing on both local and national markets.
- Develop and execute sales strategies to maximize revenue across rooms, F&B, and conference services.
- Support the Director of Sales & Marketing in implementing sales and marketing initiatives to position the hotel as a premier destination for university events, conferences, reunions, and game-day experiences.
- Actively prospect, qualify, and secure new business while growing existing accounts through relationship building and targeted outreach.
- Stay ahead of industry trends and identify opportunities to capitalize on University-related demand drivers such as game days, reunions, and parents weekends.
- Partner with the conference planning team to ensure seamless event execution and guest satisfaction.
- Prepare creative sales presentations and proposals tailored to client needs.
- Conduct site inspections and organize familiarization trips to showcase the propertys offerings.
- Develop and maintain relationships with corporate, university, association, and social groups to establish the hotel as their preferred venue.
- Utilize Delphi (or other CRM systems) to manage client interactions, account tracking, and repeat business.
- Represent the hotel at trade shows, networking events, and industry conferences to drive brand awareness.
- Participate in community engagement and actively promote the hotel within the Charlottesville and University of Virginia communities.
- Assist in preparing the annual sales strategy plan and provide data-driven insights on market trends and business opportunities.
- Lead the sales office when the Director of Sales & Marketing is unavailable.
- Perform general office duties, support other departments, and work on special projects as assigned by the DOSM.
Responsibilities - Minimum 2 years of experience as a Sales Manager in hospitality, conference centers, or related industry.
- Strong understanding of hotel sales and revenue management principles, with a focus on group and conference sales.
- Experience in Government, Education, and Healthcare markets is a plus.
- Self-motivated and proactive, with excellent relationship-building skills.
- Strong negotiation skills with the ability to close deals and exceed revenue targets.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to analyze market trends and customer needs to develop strategic sales plans.
- Tech-savvy, proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint); experience with Delphi/Salesforce CRM preferred.
- Willingness to travel (up to 10%) and flexibility to accommodate client schedules, including evenings and weekends when necessary.
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