What does a hotel sales manager do?
Hotel Sales Managers are responsible for making the hotel money through generating new business from travel agents, corporates, or individuals. Their duties include setting business strategy with the marketing and sales team, tracking key performance metrics, building relationships with online travel agencies, and assisting with proposal requests from individuals and corporate businesses. Hotel Sales Managers are also responsible for managing room reservations, bill processing, and updates through their point of sale system (POS) and updating lead and account information through the hotel's customer relationship management (CRM).
Hotel sales manager responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real hotel sales manager resumes:
- Manage the front office, including guest registrations, booking reservations and concierge requests.
- Leverage other sales office resources and administrative/support staff to achieve personal and team relate revenue goals.
- Prepare reservations for blocks of rooms, to coordinating efforts with banquet staff to kitchen staff.
- Travel domestically and internationally to meet with customers, representatives and distributors as well as run customer evaluations at their facility.
- Generate sales utilizing sales database (Delphi) lead generation, direct phone calls and online prospecting.
- Create marketing content for pages and promotional initiatives, newsletter design and implementation, create designed and produce PowerPoint presentations.
Hotel sales manager skills and personality traits
We calculated that 24% of Hotel Sales Managers are proficient in Booking, Hotel Sales, and Trade Shows. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Customer-service skills.
We break down the percentage of Hotel Sales Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Booking, 24%
Prepare correspondence to customers, internal booking reports and filemaintenance.
- Hotel Sales, 13%
Led marketing team on development of a sales brochure designed to drive hotel sales.
- Trade Shows, 6%
Prepared promotional materials for clients and distribute them among the community via trade shows and other networking events.
- Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Provided excellent customer service and resolved any issues to ensure guest satisfaction.
- Reservations, 4%
Prepared reservations for blocks of rooms, to coordinating efforts with banquet staff to kitchen staff.
- Revenue Management, 4%
Attend revenue management, pick-up, weekly manager meetings, and budgeting meetings with GM and other department heads.
Common skills that a hotel sales manager uses to do their job include "booking," "hotel sales," and "trade shows." You can find details on the most important hotel sales manager responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for a hotel sales manager to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "sales managers must collect and interpret complex data to target the most promising geographic areas and demographic groups, and determine the most effective sales strategies." Additionally, a hotel sales manager resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "analyzed and responded to rfp's with proposals maximizing profitability while fulfilling customers' needs. "
Communication skills. Another essential skill to perform hotel sales manager duties is communication skills. Hotel sales managers responsibilities require that "sales managers need to work with colleagues and customers, so they must be able to communicate clearly." Hotel sales managers also use communication skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "maximize revenue by selling all facets of the hotel within assigned smerf market segments, usingeffective written and oral communication. "
Customer-service skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of hotel sales managers is customer-service skills. This skill is critical to many everyday hotel sales manager duties, as "when helping to make a sale, sales managers must listen and respond to the customer’s needs." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "handle group customer complaints and comments; follow up with appropriate department response back to guest. "
Leadership skills. hotel sales manager responsibilities often require "leadership skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "sales managers must be able to evaluate how their sales staff performs and must develop strategies for meeting sales goals." This resume example shows what hotel sales managers do with leadership skills on a typical day: "challenged to rebuild and revitalize corporate sales division, and to provide leadership and direction to a sales team of four. "
The three companies that hire the most hotel sales managers are:
- Goodwin Recruiting9 hotel sales managers jobs
- MGM Resorts International8 hotel sales managers jobs
- Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants6 hotel sales managers jobs
Compare different hotel sales managers
Hotel sales manager vs. Sales manager/sales trainer
A sales trainer or manager provides training for the sales staff. The target of the training is to improve the sales figures and meet target sales. Sales trainers collect data that allows them to understand the effectiveness of the existing sales strategies. They also set clear goals and priorities, get rid of demands that do not drive revenue, and allow their teams to focus on activities aligned with the significant goals. It is also their responsibility to research and develop marketing opportunities.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between hotel sales managers and sales manager/sales trainer. For instance, hotel sales manager responsibilities require skills such as "booking," "hotel sales," "guest satisfaction," and "reservations." Whereas a sales manager/sales trainer is skilled in "product knowledge," "powerpoint," "project management," and "training materials." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Sales managers/sales trainer tend to make the most money working in the pharmaceutical industry, where they earn an average salary of $116,149. In contrast, hotel sales managers make the biggest average salary, $48,486, in the hospitality industry.On average, sales managers/sales trainer reach similar levels of education than hotel sales managers. Sales managers/sales trainer are 3.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Hotel sales manager vs. Business to business sales manager
A business to business sales manager is responsible for monitoring the company's business transactions and ensuring that the team meets sales goals and targets. Business to business sales managers review business accounts and perform adjustments to sales plans as needed to adhere to clients' requests and customer demands. They also conduct data and statistical analysis through the evaluation of market trends to identify opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the business and increase the brand's image in the market.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real hotel sales manager resumes. While hotel sales manager responsibilities can utilize skills like "booking," "hotel sales," "guest satisfaction," and "revenue management," business to business sales managers use skills like "business sales," "business development," "market trends," and "sales professionals."
Business to business sales managers earn a higher average salary than hotel sales managers. But business to business sales managers earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $83,440. Additionally, hotel sales managers earn the highest salaries in the hospitality with average pay of $48,486 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Business to business sales managers tend to reach similar levels of education than hotel sales managers. In fact, they're 2.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for hotel sales managers in the next 3-5 years?
Bill Thorne
Executive Director of the NRF Foundation and Senior Vice President of Communication and Public Affairs of NRF, National Retail Federation
Hotel sales manager vs. Sales and event manager
A sales and event manager is responsible for overseeing event planning and preparations intended for marketing and sales purposes. Sales and event managers handle the contracts with suppliers and third-party vendors for equipment and materials to be used during the event. They also finalize the guests' list, as well as managing digital promotional content and announcements for public awareness. A sales and event manager works with the public relations team for press releases and media communications, attracting potential clients, and identifying opportunities to increase revenues.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from hotel sales manager resumes include skills like "hotel sales," "reservations," "revenue management," and "group business," whereas a sales and event manager is more likely to list skills in "event management," "wine," "audio visual," and "social events. "
Sales and event managers earn the highest salary when working in the technology industry, where they receive an average salary of $49,461. Comparatively, hotel sales managers have the highest earning potential in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $48,486.sales and event managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to hotel sales managers. Specifically, they're 1.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Hotel sales manager vs. Sales account manager
The account sales manager is in charge of the retention of their customer relationship. They have to supervise the portfolio of existing clients, develop new business with them, and seek new sales opportunities. Account sales managers act as liaisons between the company and customer as well as build strong, long-lasting relationships by providing an improved customer experience. It is their responsibility to negotiate contracts and close deals to maximize sales profits. Also, they forecast track sales results and prepare reports on account status.
Types of hotel sales manager
Updated January 8, 2025
