In the hotel industry, everyone wants to stand out and make their guests feel special. Most of all, they want their guests to return. And I’m sure you do too!
Presenting your potential customers with last-minute offers or a welcome drink upon their arrival will only get you so far. To be successful in such a competitive industry, you must guarantee the best professionals are on your team. Although this strategy applies to all departments, hiring a talented hotel marketing manager is halfway to success!
Key responsibilities of a hotel marketing manager
Simply put, a hotel marketing manager is responsible for developing a marketing strategy and promoting the hotel business. Their central goal is to increase hotel revenue and profitability.
To do so, your marketing manager must know your hotel business inside out. Moreover, they must build an effective strategy that matches your hotel’s vision and brand tone. You want to keep your potential guests close, not push them away!
To help you find your rock-star marketing manager, I’ll let you know about their key responsibilities:
- Build hotel marketing plans to promote and develop the hotel brand;
- Use customer satisfaction surveys to improve customer relationships;
- Create a customer loyalty program;
- Develop strategies to encourage customer reviews;
- Define budgets for advertising;
- Comply with the marketing budget goals;
- Achieve revenue goals;
- Build solid partnerships with advertising agencies and third-party channels;
- Monitor competition;
- Supervise the marketing team;
- Present creative strategies to bring in more direct guests.
Since digital marketing is the cornerstone of hospitality marketing nowadays, you might want to hire a professional with a deep understanding of these strategies. It’ll save you time and money!
What profile should you be looking for?
Now, you’re getting to the fun part: finding the ideal candidate! But first, you must know what features your candidates must have. I’ll give you a few hints!
Qualifications
A degree in marketing or business management is a must-have for a marketing manager position. It’ll provide the candidate with the essential knowledge only a college degree provides.
Work experience
Ideally, look for someone with experience in sales or demonstrable experience as a marketing supervisor. Additionally, try to find a candidate who worked in hotel customer service teams, such as receptionists or concierges. This way, you’ll have a professional who knows hotel operation and business management.
Skills
Although most of the marketing manager’s daily tasks take place inside an office, sometimes they also represent the hotel in hospitality events. Thus, to act as the hotel’s spokesperson, there are a few traits your candidate must have:
- Exceptional communication and negotiation skills;
- Strong analytical expertise;
- Striking decision-making experience;
- Use creativity to develop new strategies;
Nevertheless, always consider your hotel’s needs when hiring a marketing manager. Every hotel has its own peculiarities. As a result, what works for your competitors, might not work for you!
Salary range
According to Salary.com, the annual salary range of a hospitality marketing manager is 92,000$ to 130,000$, while the average salary is 110,000$/year in the United States. However, the salary range might vary according to the hotel location, candidate experience, and hotel budget.