The Pedigree of Hotel Salespeople: The Soft Skills

The Pedigree of Hotel Salespeople: The Soft Skills

After positive feedback on the last article, I have decided to write a follow-up, highlighting the intangible or soft skills that hotel salespeople have. These skills and attributes are just as important, and I felt the need to bring attention to them.  

Hotel salespeople often enter the industry with little previous experience. So, we are forced to learn quickly, making mistakes, and adjusting course as needed. This learning is made even more intense when guests point out the shortcomings or the missed opportunities at customer service. As a result, we have become humble in how we approach our customers, knowing that no two people are alike. That is not to say that we do not see ourselves as superstars; we are superstars. Rather what I am trying to say is that hotel salespeople do not let ego drive their interactions with customers. We use passion and compassion to get the job done. I have seen this time and time again in many of my sales colleagues. Having this passion has driven us to succeed, and it is what keeps us going through recessions, and now a pandemic.

HOSPITALITY IS IN OUR BLOOD

Some of my fondest memories from working on property, are the after-work activities and team-building opportunities. As I mentioned, hotels are a 24/7 business, so we spend a lot of time together. Being on property meant a lot of interaction between all members of the hotel staff. Many friendships were formed and in some cases for me, my friendships at work were stronger than those from my childhood. By extension, this camaraderie is passed along when we interact with our customers.  Hotels are special places where the real world seems to hold off and people can interact and be human. Hotel salespeople carry this hospitality to everything we do: with our colleagues, guests, customers, and outside of work with friends and family.

WE ARE GLOBALLY MINDED

We live in a global age and hotel salespeople get to work with customers from all over the world. Many of us speak multiple languages and have a great understanding of many different cultures. These skills are drawn upon all the time because hotel salespeople strive to always meet the needs and objectives of the customer. Our goal is to make the guest feel at home as much as possible while they are away from their home. Hotel companies have made important strides in tailoring the hotel experience to their customer's needs and interests. Cultural sensitivity and the celebration of diversity are what hotel salespeople and hotels try to do for each guest. This also ensures many of us have an international mindset evaluating how changes around the world will impact our guest traffic.

ADAPTABLE, FLEXIBLE, RESOURCEFUL

Hotel salespeople work on the fly and can change direction and pace on a dime. I recall a day where I was extremely busy and a planner from Red Bull dropped in unexpectedly for a site tour at the Hotel Indigo in Ottawa which turned out to be the biggest opportunity for our hotel. Now, site tours are a regular part of the job; however, they are usually planned and prepared for. Taking potential customers through our hotel and creating a vision on how their guests will perceive the hotel requires some finessing and a strategy. But on this occasion, my strategy was being finalized as I walked the customer through the hotel! I was adapting to the situation and going with the flow. To help, I made sure my focus was on the customer and their needs.

As mentioned, it was a busy day for me, and tasks still needed to get done. So, I had to be resourceful and pull on my colleagues to fill in for me while I was doing the site tour. Hotel salespeople wish there were enough hours in a day to do everything and get everything done ourselves but this is not the case. Hotel salespeople are master problem solvers when faced with a challenge or shifting priorities or surprise hotel site tours! We always know who we can rely on to support us. And because we have invested in our relationships with our colleagues, we know we have a network that can assist in creating a solution to any challenge.  

Turnover in the industry is high with hotel salespeople staying with a hotel for an average of 2-3 years. As mentioned in my previous article, hotel salespeople are hungry for the next challenge and this requires adaptability to new situations, new hotels, and new ways of doing things. As a result, we have the skills to seamlessly embed ourselves into a new culture. This level of flexibility or “go with the flow” attitude is an important attribute for a long career in hospitality.

Finally, hotel salespeople typically start their careers at smaller hotels, working their way up to larger properties. It is how I got started and learned the ropes. We quickly adopt new skills as we climb the ranks within the hotel to a Director position often taking on more responsibilities other than direct sales. The learning curve can be steep with many of us thrust into positions with a ton of responsibility early on in our careers. Our flexibility and resourcefulness mean we look for the things that will make us succeed.  

WE ARE LISTENERS

Competition is fierce, so we are driven to work hard to capture a sale.  To secure a sale, listening to the customer and understanding what their needs are is a key skill hotel salespeople have. It is a skill that comes with practice and with experience, but it is one that I think sets us apart as salespeople. Losing a sale to a competitor because I failed to listen is a tough pill to swallow but one that needed to happen. When I listen and ask the right questions, I can figure out ways for our customers to hold a successful event at our hotel. Sometimes, hotel salespeople need to listen in between the lines; customers may not always know what they want until we present them with a solution. Ensuring customers feel heard is an important aspect of a hotel salesperson's approach.

MASTERS OF DISCRETION

Discretion and guest confidentiality is instilled in us from the first day we join the hotel industry. Guests expect discretion and confidentiality because hotels serve as venues for business transactions and an escape from the everyday. All hotel staff from the front desk, reservations, to housekeeping work to ensure that guests have an anonymous stay. It is drilled into us that guest information is confidential. We cannot discuss who is staying with us or where. We take it very seriously that we are charged with protecting the guest’s privacy. This same level of confidentiality applies to the customers we work with in sales. We always keep all parts of our conversations and negotiations confidential and never share account information with other customers. This type of ethic is important in most fields, but especially in sales. Assuring confidentiality in a sale is important for a customer to trust a salesperson. This trust can then translate into a long-lasting relationship. I realize that this may not be unique to hotel salespeople's traits or attributes, but what I will say is that it is an ingrained trait.

The pandemic has thrown a wrench into hotel sales and the hospitality industry. Without customers putting on events or travelling to new destinations, our hotels sit below capacity. I have heard how many hotel staff have pivoted and taken on new jobs or tasks to help fill the gaps and keep the hotels running. Hotel salespeople will be running the front desk or servicing a hotel room. I hope that this second part of my ode to hotel salespeople offers an even more complete picture of the skills, talents, and attributes.



Catlin Pilon, DES

Conference Specialist at The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

3y

Another well written article. Ironically, while I finessed many of these skills in the hotel world, I draw on these skills daily in my world as an event planner. 

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Melanie Corbin

Corporate Travel Program Lead at Kinaxis | Finance * Views held are my own*

3y

Great article Brendan! You made some great points that ring true for us in hotel sales.

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Denise Breau

🌟 Customer-Centric Director of Sales & Marketing | Delivering Excellence in Hotels 🏨 | Passionate about Enhancing Customer Experiences and Driving Success 🚀

3y

So true Brendan St. Jacques! I would add that we are Creative Thinkers and a No Matter What Mindset.

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