Director of Catering

The Director of Catering is accountable for the overall revenue, profitability, and strategic performance of the hotel's catering business. This position provides leadership and direction for all catering sales and event-related activities, while partnering closely with Sales, Culinary, Banquets, Food & Beverage, Finance, and other hotel departments to maximize revenue, profitability, guest satisfaction, and long-term business growth.

The Director of Catering is responsible for developing and executing the hotel's catering strategy, establishing and achieving revenue and profitability goals, accurately forecasting future business, optimizing pricing and menu strategies, and ensuring the successful conversion and execution of catering opportunities.

As the leader of the catering business, this position is expected to understand and influence the full financial impact of each event, including food and beverage revenue, meeting space, guestrooms, ancillary revenue, labor, food costs, and other operating expenses. The Director works collaboratively with hotel leadership to identify opportunities, manage business mix, improve margins, and maximize the overall contribution of catering to the hotel's financial performance.

• Establish clear sales objectives, performance expectations, accountabilities, and action plans for the catering discipline.
• Execute the inquiry, qualification, proposal, negotiation, contracting, and closing process for catering business.
• Drive all catering revenue and ensure annual, quarterly, and monthly sales goals are achieved or exceeded through proactive sales efforts and strategic planning
• Lead BEO meetings, pre-conference meetings, operational meetings, and post-event reviews.
• Own the catering revenue forecast and provide accurate weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual projections.
• Analyze pace, pickup, historical trends, need dates, tentative business, definite business, and market conditions to identify potential revenue opportunities and risks
• Monitor conversion, average check, pace, booking patterns, and business mix to identify opportunities to increase revenue and profitability.
• Analyze competitive properties and market trends to identify opportunities for the hotel.
• Ensure all departments receive timely and accurate communication regarding event requirements, changes, special requests, timelines, guarantees, and client expectations
• Personally manage key accounts, high-value opportunities, complex events, and strategically important customers.
• Prospect for new catering business through outside sales calls, community involvement, networking, referrals, trade shows, industry events, digital prospecting, and strategic partnerships.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with corporate, social, wedding, association, civic, and community accounts to generate repeat and referral business.
• Upsells food, beverage, meeting space, enhancements, and other ancillary revenue opportunities.
• Foster a collaborative, service-oriented culture between Catering Sales, Banquets, Culinary, and all supporting hotel departments.
• Analyze overall hotel catering performance by revenue segment, event type, day of week, season, customer mix, average check, food and beverage spend, and profitability to identify opportunities for growth.
• Monitor catering revenue and profitability against budget, forecast, prior year, and market performance, taking corrective action when results are below expectations.
• Ensure adherence to hotel credit procedures, deposit requirements, billing procedures, and internal audit guidelines.
• Develop customized menus and food and beverage experiences based on client preferences, event objectives, budget, seasonality, and culinary…