Commercial Director, Franchised Hotel (Pre-opening)

Location  Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium

Start Your Journey With Us

Your Journey Starts Here

Thank you for your interest in this position.
We value your interest and time taken to consider this position.

Please apply directly through our Job Opportunities Webform

Job Summary

Summary

The Commercial Director is responsible for developing a commercial strategy covering all segments and channels to maximize total revenue and profit performance as well as market share penetration of the hotel.

The Commercial Director will be charged of establishing a commercial strategy reaching all segments and channels to ensure maximum market penetration and peak profit performance.
 
Additional Information: The hotel is owned and operated by an independent franchisee who controls all aspects of the hotel’s employment policies and practices, including the selection and hiring process.

What will you be doing?

Commercial Director Role and Responsibilities

The Commercial Director is responsible for developing a commercial strategy covering all segments and channels to maximize total revenue and profit performance as well as market share penetration of the hotel.

This role will drive the planning and execution of the commercial strategy and activity through supporting the Revenue management team, Sales, Catering and Events, Marketing, eCommerce and Public Relations teams, through working effectively with area support teams. F&B commercial activities will be shared responsibilities with the F&B Manager, Director of Operations and GM.

The Commercial Director is a role model for the commercial community and develops teams and individuals in these functions whilst being a Key business partner to the Hotel General Manager. The Commercial Director’s role is key to seize new opportunities through strong customer relations and works as an Ambassador for the company with our Key Stakeholders.

The role ensures that commercial management strategies are set for all revenue streams and that all systems are used to their full potential to yield the highest possible amount of revenue from all available space, whether in Rooms, Meeting Space, outlets or other revenue departments.

The Hotel is seeking a dynamic Commercial Director to lead the Commercial Team in this property.

The Commercial Director will be charged of establishing a commercial strategy reaching all segments and channels to ensure maximum market penetration and peak profit performance.

This role involves continuous communication with the Sales, Revenue Management, Events, Marketing, eCommerce and Public Relations Departments in order to effectively align the planning and execution of the commercial strategy. F&B related responsibilities will be shared with the GM, Director of Operations and F&B Manager.

Acting as key support for the GM, the Commercial Director is expected to proactively lead the teams he/she coordinates and to be an active advocate of our company values. He/she will be in a favourable position to prospect opportunities through effective customer relations as well as involve and positively influence key stakeholders.

The Commercial Director is accountable for proactively soliciting and handling sales opportunities. He/she ensures business is turned over in a timely fashion for adequate service delivery. The Commercial Director will also assist in leading all proactive day-to-day sales activities, with a focus on building long-term, value-based customer relationships that enable achievement of sales objectives.

Core Work Activities

Work Duties and Activities

A Commercial Director will be lead, coach, develop, recruit and retain future talents. He/she will manage performance, develop and evaluate the commercial team members on the agreed KPI’s.  Specifically, a Commercial Director will perform the following tasks to the highest standards:

• Directly accountable for driving the Top line Budget and Forecast by implementing a commercial strategy and business plan through to execution using the company’s process and all available business tools and intelligence available. Deliver as a minimum the budgeted revenues across all revenue streams, To include but not limited; All Rooms, GC&E, F&B, Leisure and Spa with a control on cost of sale, route to market, channel shift and marketing / Ecommerce opportunities.
• Work with the GM, Finance and Operations Director to ensure profits are maximized in line with TGOP and EBITDA targets set.
• Ensure Business Review Guidelines (current to + 5 years) all Pricing & Rate Quotation Strategies are in place in order to maximize all pricing components of sales and catering opportunities and achieve positive group market share.
• Support marketing team in coordinating hotel level marketing, sales and public relations activities. Liaise with company teams to provide maximum benefit to hotel performance.
• Support the Revenue Manager to establish an optimal mix, review and validate forecasts, develop strategies for different demand periods, and review and approve retail and group pricing strategies.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, owners, hotel teams, support teams to ensure commercial benefits of the hotel.
• Liaise with VP of Operations, presents commercial strategies to key stakeholders.
• Replace with “Consistently conforms to the company’s brand standards and corporate identity and utilizes all communication tools.
• Keeps in touch with Market trends and review/amend strategies accordingly in line with the evolving market conditions.
• Participate in the leadership activity of the Hotel and Region.

The Commercial Director duties are related to the recruitment, training, engagement and guidance of the commercial team whose performance will be measured against pre-defined KPIs. The Commercial Director will be expected to perform with outstanding efficiency the following tasks:

• Drive Top Line Budget and Forecast through a Commercial Strategic Plan that makes use of all business tools and intelligence resourcefully. Reach and exceed budget across all revenue streams,
• Collaborate with key hotel players (GM, Finance and Operations Director) to ensure profit maximization in line with EBITDA and GOP targets,
• Achieve Positive Group Market Share by optimising Sales and Catering pricing through effective Pricing & Rate Quotation Strategies,
• Support hotel-level marketing by working closely with Director of Sales and Area Marketing teams.
• Ensure maximum exposure benefits for the hotel by aligning objectives with Regional Support,
• Support Revenue Manager by producing an Optimal Market Mix and reviewing forecasts to create strategies for diverse demand periods,
• Generate commercial benefits for the hotel through the engagement of hotel teams and stakeholders,
• Comply with franchise brand standards, communication tools and requirements to preserve identity,
• Ensure commercial strategies are fine-tuned for recent market trends and conditions,
• Be a proactive leader in hotel top-management.

The Commercial Director will also Build Successful Relationships that Generate Sales Opportunities by:

• Working collaboratively with off-property sales channels to ensure sale efforts are coordinated, complementary and not duplicative.
• Building and strengthening relationships with existing and new customers to enable future bookings. Sale activities include sales calls, entertainment, FAM trips, trade shows, etc.
• Developing relationships within the community to strengthen and expand customer base for sales opportunities.
• Managing and developing relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.
• Providing Event Management with accurate, complete and effective turnover.
• Developing and introduce strategy-based action plans.
• Creating a plan for the pre-opening, opening and positioning of the hotel.

The Commercial Director will use Knowledge of Market Trends and Target Customer Information to Maximize Revenue by:

• Understanding the overall market – competitors’ strengths & weaknesses, economic trends, supply & demand, etc. and knows how to sell against them.
• Closing the best opportunities for the location based on market conditions and location needs.
• Gaining understanding of the location’s primary target customer and service expectations
• Anticipating customer needs by understanding their business model, issues, concerns in order to offer better business solution.

REQUIREMENTS

Requirements

The ideal Commercial Director candidate is always working on behalf of our Guests and working with other Team Members. To successfully fill this role, you should maintain the attitude, behaviours, skills, and values that follow:

• Minimum of 3+ year’s hospitality/travel industry experience in a revenue generating or commercial services role.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience presenting sales plans, presentations, etc. to senior level executives and constituent groups
• 3+ experience working in a collaborative/matrixed environment
• 3+ years working with departmental financial data to make strategic/tactical decisions
• 3+ years of experience evaluating and identifying business opportunities for a business
• At least 3 years of experience managing a sales or commercial team
• Fluent in English

It would be advantageous in this position for you to demonstrate the following capabilities and distinctions:

• 3+ years working in a multi-complex hotel/travel industry environment.
• Experience in multiple disciplines with knowledge of Marketing, E-commerce, and Finance.
• Local language, strong attribute to have.

The ideal candidate will be a proactive client-oriented leader that inspires through action and communication. To successfully fulfill this description, the candidate should have acquired adequate experience, as follows:

• 4+ years of experience evaluating and identifying commercial opportunities for a business,
• 4+ years of experience presenting sales plans, presentations, etc. to senior level executives and constituent groups,
• 4+ year’s hospitality/travel industry experience in Revenue Generating or Commercial Services roles,
• 4+ experience working in a collaborative/matrixed environment,
• 4+ years working with departmental financial data for strategic/tactical decisions,
• At least 3 years of experience managing a Sales or Commercial team,
• Fluent in both English and French.

The following skills would be appreciated and recognized as beneficial in the recruitment process:

• 4+ years working in a multi-complex hotel/travel industry environment.
• Multidisciplinary knowledge and experience in Marketing, E-commerce and Finance.
• Knowledge of local language (Dutch) – desired.
• An outgoing personality that exhibits personal drive and a determination to be successful
• Experience within a branded environment
• A desire to be affiliated with a company and property committed to the success of guests and associates.