Regional Sales Director- Hotel Sales

First-of-its-kind, Apartment-Style Hotel Brand

stayAPT Suites entered the long-term lodging market with an announcement of its new Apartment-Style Hotel concept in January 2020. The new brand, which will have approximately 25 hotels open by the end of 2024, with an additional 40+ in development, offers guests an experience not yet seen in its category. The room layout for each 500+ square-foot suite was intentionally designed to feel residential, with a dedicated living room, a full kitchen, and a separate bedroom. stayAPT Suites is purpose built for broad appeal to traveling professionals, project-based workers seeing greater mobility, and transitional housing customers. The brand provides a superior experience within the mid-scale extended-stay competitive set, while providing a unique opportunity to cross-sell in the corporate housing and short-term apartment markets. With strong corporate financial backing and an experienced executive team in place, the Matthews, North Carolina-based chain is committed to building a portfolio of 100 corporate-owned hotels, in addition to franchising.

DESCRIPTION OF THE POSITION

stayAPT Suites is engaged in an ambitious hotel brand launch and expansion effort. The company plans to grow an existing portfolio of 28 hotels (owned & franchised) into an over 300 location chain across the US over the next 5+ years. To accomplish this historic initiative, the Director of Sales plays a key role in driving brand awareness and supporting new hotel expansion for this exciting new franchise hotel concept. This newly created position is charged with leading all facets of sales for existing and new hotels. This candidate can live anywhere in the Atlanta Metro Area as they will be responsible for recruiting, and screening quality businesses. This Regional Director of Sales will oversee the Atlanta Metro Area.

More specifically, these responsibilities will include:

• Reviews (STR) report, bid clerk, local market publications and other resources to maintain an awareness of the hotel’s market position.
• Evaluate and understand the hotel’s primary target customer; serves the customer by understanding their business needs.
• Conduct market specific SWOT analysis to identify direct competition and target customer base.
• Promote community awareness of the hotel and market share.
• Maintain a sales database capturing leads, pricing scales and activity.
• Lead and coach General managers to acquire new business and close leads.
• Organize and Plan Sales Blitzes including mapping out areas, setting up personnel, document and prioritize follow up, develop action plans to secure business.
• Negotiate corporate rates with new and existing corporate clients.
• Solicit and negotiate business with new and existing clients through sales calls and daily prospecting for business referrals and networking.
• Assist in planning, managing, and attending guest events.
• Utilizing market analysis and demographic research to maximize the brand’s growth.
• Initiating active engagement with new business prospects and maintaining close “hands-on” interaction throughout the development with sales team.
• Working cross-functionally to provide the operations team to support throughout all new GM hires for their onboarding process to ensure excellence.
• Collaborate and support the planning and development phases of new franchise asset development while ensuring timely openings to meet plan.
• Continuously refining and enhancing brand partner support systems and process initiatives.
• Being the “face of the company” across industry conferences, functions, and trade shows.
• Continuously networking with industry specialists (hotel consultants, hotel brokers, general contractors) to generate new sales leads.
• Identifying, evaluating, negotiating, and strategic partnerships.
• Coaching, mentoring and inspiring continued growth of the development with operations staff and business partners.
• Enhancing the brand proposition within the marketplace by staying abreast of industry trends, understanding the competitive analysis and marketing to the brand advantages.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

• A minimum of 8 years of proven success leading sales for a growth in the extended-stay space in regional or national hotel chain with similar complexity and scale potential.

• Successful track record driving new hotel development across multiple domestic

markets that consistently meets the company’s growth objectives.

• Superior intellect with a high capacity for managing complexity.

• A management style that balances the strategic aspects of the position with the need to act as an engaged “hands-on” leader and coach through all phases of the franchise sales process.

• The ability to execute with a sense of urgency, work well under pressure and respond to change by finding innovative ways to consistently achieve business objectives.

• High energy and driven self-starter that possesses excellent communication, presentation, and organizational skills.

• Strong “operations” mindset and the special ability to quickly gain credibility and trust throughout the franchise brand partner community.

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

The Regional Director of Sales must exemplify the highest standards of honesty, integrity, and discretion. This chosen leader will possess outstanding communications skills along with the capability and confidence to build a unified sense of alignment for the company’s future development strategy. They must be a dynamic and engaging professional that is a self-driven leader. This individual will be an analytical thinker that sizes up situations and responds quickly as a collaborative problem solver. The chosen candidate must also be a detail-oriented person who can creatively tackle complex assignments with timely follow-up skills. They will need to be a selfless and humble team player with excellent interpersonal skills.

COMPENSATION

Base salary and incentives will be commensurate with experience and will include a base salary and bonus incentive program.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The employee is frequently required to sit, stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, and to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and peripheral vision. The noise level is usually moderate and travel up to 50% depending on business needs.

COMPENSATION PACKAGE

• Medical, Dental, and Vision including 401K retirement plan with company matching up to 5% contribution.
• Salary range determined by experience.
• Short and Long-Term Disability Income (Short term is provide, Long Term is voluntary)
• Term Life and AD&D Insurance
• Vacation PTO & Holiday /Sick PTO
• Competitive bonus program based on performance.