Director of Sales and Marketing - Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Director of Sales and Marketing

Job Number:

Waldorf Astoria Chicago, 11 East Walton, Chicago, 60611

Step into the realm of unparalleled luxury and innovation as the Director of Sales and Marketing at Waldorf Astoria Chicago, where you'll orchestrate captivating experiences and shape the future of hospitality at our iconic property nestled in the heart of Chicago's prestigious Gold Coast.

As the Director of Sales and Marketing, you will be responsible for overseeing commercial strategies for your hotel. Your goal is to improve the performance of the asset by connecting strategy and business processes.

Hilton’s Commercial Services organization comprises team members driving our sales, revenue, marketing, catering, and events management, call centers, and analytics functions. These functions are the core of Hilton’s "commercial engine" and are essential to Hilton’s ability to drive profitable growth.

The primary responsibilities of this position are to design, develop, and deploy business strategies that are creative, dynamic, and impactful for the Americas and lead the Hotel Sales and Marketing process. Key deliverables for this role are to move the business analytics, processes, including cadence of activities to a "predictive and prescriptive" approach to drive performance. This includes but is not limited to, development and communication of commercial strategies and standards through a structured cadence and analysis of company revenue performance against established goals.

In this role, you will facilitate the delivery of the Americas Commercial Operating Model and should possess strong leadership, communication, and networking skills.

• Produce your hotel’s Annual Multi-Year Commercial Strategy Plan, in partnership with on-property leaders and regional support
• Connect the performance needs for the hotel with the solutions designed by the Hilton enterprise, in each key segment your hotel serves
• Direct accountability for setting the strategy and delivery of your hotels revenues including group rooms, banquets, catering, business transient and leisure transient
• Work with Commercial Leadership to ensure that Business Review Guidelines (current to + 5 years) and Group Pricing & Rate Quotation Strategies are in place to maximize all pricing components of sales and catering opportunities and achieve positive group market share
• Support hotel B2B marketing, digital marketing, social media, public relations and communications activities. Guide the e-Commerce teams to ensure online hotel content is accurate and effective
• Work with Commercial Leaders to establish optimal business mix, review and validate revenue forecasts to improve accuracy while developing strategies for different demand periods, and review and approve retail and group pricing strategies
• Work with fellow Executive Committee members to ensure profits are maximized in line with GOP and EBITDA targets
• Develop and execute departmental expense budget and forecasts
• Develop and maintain detailed and real-time knowledge of all competitor and market activity
• Responsible for the execution of the Sales and Catering Sales annual SIP (Sales Incentive Program)

• Lead weekly, monthly, and quarterly Sales & Marketing Optimization Process for hotel. Convert the outcome of the optimization process into actionable business strategies and articulate those strategies
• Contribute to annual Commercial Cadence communication regarding current realities of performance and performance drivers on a monthly, quarterly, and semi-annual basis
• Consistently conform to Hilton brand standards and corporate identity and utilize all communication tools
• Responsible for recruiting and retention of all sales and marketing roles
• Lead, engage, and develop team members, including ongoing performance development and Career Development Plans
• Conduct performance review for all direct reports and provide feedback for dotted line reports, including but not limited to:
  • Business Transient Sales
  • Marketing
• Facilitate and lead in a culture that is aligned with Hilton’s DEI and ESG enterprise goals

• Own performance…