Account Director, Global Luxury & Lifestyle Sales, India

Role Purpose

Manages and develops new business from an account portfolio of luxury-focused accounts valued at $30M+ and located within assigned sales territory, in order to deliver revenue to hotels globally, maximizing revenues and market share for all brands with focus on Luxury & Lifestyle. The account portfolio is comprised of luxury agency, network/consortia and tour operator accounts having high complexity given their size and global reach.  Keys to success in this role are: 

1) Identifying, soliciting, influencing and converting highly valuable revenue opportunities. 

2) Developing and maximizing relationships with contacts at all levels within the assigned account portfolio.

3) Developing and executing innovative plans for each account, in order to grow revenue and share.

Key Accountabilities

• Leads and directs company resources across a portfolio of accounts that focus on higher-rated, premium business, including major travel management companies and agencies., luxury consortia & networks, and luxury tour operators.  
• Formulates the strategy to optimize account performance and strategic opportunities across company functions, regions, and luxury & lifestyle market segments.  
• Owns the account relationship for the company, with focus on Luxury & Lifestyle brands, engaging the account and company business functions in all interactions (at all levels) related to our mutual business together, representing a 360 view of our account relationship.  
• Leads and engages company resources which include global sales teams, regional sales leadership, hotel operations, global and regional functional groups (such as technology, multi-brand/brand, marketing, loyalty & partnerships, procurement) and senior management.  Responsible for all facets of strategic account management, including the development, evolution and execution of strategic account plans, account progress updates for internal and external stakeholders,, RFP’s, communicating brand differentiation through brand programs, agency events, roadshows, tradeshows, next-gen initiatives, B2B marketing and other sales activity. 
• Listens to understand each account’s needs and expectations, and delivers tailored solutions to the account which maximize returns to the client and our business, intentionally differentiating our offerings vs. competitors.  
• Drives and maximizes revenue and market share growth from each account, resulting in achievement of individual and team sales targets which contributes to the outperformance of our brands and fuels growth for the company, with focus on Luxury & Lifestyle brands.
• Be the expert and key advocate for assigned accounts across the company. 
• Collaborate with colleagues, both off- and on-property to share account trends, and influence conversion of revenue and share growth opportunities.
• Collaborate with hotel-based colleagues to maximize revenue and share growth opportunity from each assigned account.

Key Skills & Experiences

Education –

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Marketing, Management, Business, Hospitality or a relevant field of work, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.

Experience –

5 or more years of progressive work-related experience in the service industry with at least 3 years in multi-unit or corporate roles, as well as demonstrated mastery of technical and business knowledge and understanding of multiple disciplines/processes related to the position.  Extensive sales experience is required, as well as client management experience among large, complex luxury accounts.

Technical skills and Knowledge –

• Create compelling proposals and presentations to showcase the value of IHG Luxury & Lifestyle Brands, providing an overall solutions approach.
• Conduct regular business reviews and provide ongoing support to develop client loyalty.
• Stay updated on luxury & lifestyle travel market trends, consumer behavior, and competitors' strengths and weaknesses.
• Understand the needs and preferences of high-net-worth travelers. 
• Thinks beyond traditional ways of doing things by using the principles of strategic account management, as well as gaining insight that is the platform for the development of creative and innovative client solutions.  Possesses sufficient business acumen (financial and commercial knowledge) to assess the impact of non-traditional approaches to gaining market share. 
• Knowledge and expertise, both deep and broad, of our luxury & lifestyle brands, along with competitive brands. 
• Experience in working in global markets, deep understanding of managing across diverse, multi-cultural teams and customer organizations.
• Sales management experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale sales segment plans from conception through implementation and assessment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills for providing information to clients, vendors, senior management and staff.  
• Works effectively at board level in client companies, possess strong relationship management skills, and well-developed probing, listening, negotiating and persuading abilities.
• Knowledge of hotel sales & marketing, business planning, etc., along with strong sales ability, sales management, problem solving and analytical skills.  
• Knowledge of macro-economic and industry trends, competitive landscape and other factors which influence account strategies, positions and initiatives. 
• Strong commercial acumen and an ability to influence across an owned, managed and franchised environment   
• Experience with franchise organization or ownership constituencies is preferable. International experience or handling accounts with international scope is required.
• Computer skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, social media, and using sales-related software.