Cluster Commercial Director

Description

We are seeking a dynamic and experienced commercial leader in Sri Lanka as the Cluster Commercial Director – Sri Lanka to drive performance. The role is responsible for developing a commercial strategy covering all segments and channels to maximize total revenue, leadership which supports a performance-focused culture, a passion for delivering market share premiums and effective stakeholder management of Hilton hotels in the Sri Lanka Cluster (Hilton Colombo, Hilton Colombo Residences and DoubleTree by Hilton Weerawila)

What will I be doing?

This role will drive the planning and execution of the commercial strategy and activity through the support of the Revenue Management Team, Multi-Property Sales Team, Catering and Events, National Marketing Team and working effectively with area support teams. F&B commercial activities will be shared with the operational leadership.

The Cluster Commercial Director drives the performance culture across all property functions within the owned and managed portfolio in Sri Lanka to grow market share. Successful stakeholder management skills are essential in bringing clarity and understanding of the commercial plan to hotel leadership, owners and above-property Hilton commercial teams.

Specializing in the management of distribution channels and source markets with a focus on driving demand and optimizing results through the high-quality direction of our sales, marketing, revenue and distribution teams. Build and deliver a crisp commercial plan for the business that supports all revenue channels within the business which is agile, performance driven and customer centric. The role will have a passion for driving growth in market share relentlessly.

A Cluster Commercial Director will lead, coach, develop, recruit and retain future Commercial talent. The role will manage performance and evaluate the commercial team members on the agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), whilst working effectively as part of each leadership team to grow our existing talent.

A Cluster Commercial Director will perform the following tasks:

• Country Commercial Performance - Driving the Top line Budget and Forecast by implementing a commercial strategy and business plan through to execution using the available commercial insights and levers. Deliver at a minimum the budgeted revenues across all revenue streams, including but not limited to All Rooms, GM&E, F&B, Leisure and Spa through the effective direction of sales, marketing, revenue and distribution teams.  
• Market Share - Monitor and analyze market trends, competitor activities, and customer behavior to identify opportunities for revenue growth. Keeps in touch with Market trends and review/amend strategies accordingly in line with the evolving market conditions.
• Ensure Business Review Guidelines all Pricing & Rate Quotation Strategies are in place in order to maximize all pricing components of sales and catering opportunities and achieve positive group market share.
• Profitability - Work with the GMs, Finance and Operations Directors to ensure profits are maximized in line with TGOP and EBITDA targets set through effective financial planning and budgeting processes.
• Stakeholders Management - Develop and maintain strong relationships with all stakeholders, owners, hotel teams, Hilton matrix support teams to ensure commercial benefits of the hotel. Liaise with VP of Operations, presents commercial strategies to Regional Team and key stakeholders.
• Leadership and Team Management - Lead and mentor the commercial team to achieve business objectives. Foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment with continuous recognition and learning for the team. Participate in the leadership activity of the Hotel and Region.
• Commercial Activations – Support On Property, RDOS’s, and Area Marketing teams in coordinating hotel-level marketing, sales and public relations activities. Liaise with regional support and brand teams to provide maximum benefit to hotel performance.
• Revenue Support - the Cluster Revenue Managers/On Property Revenue Manager and RMCC to establish an optimal mix, review and validate forecasts, develop strategies for different demand periods, and review and approve retail and group pricing strategies.
• Communications – Ability to analyze data to build consumable presentations with key commercial insights to effectively communicate to owners and stakeholders’ commercial performance
• Consistently conforms to Hilton brand standards and corporate identity and utilizes all communication tools (under the guidance of regional marketing and BPS).

Requirements

What are we looking for? 

A Cluster Commercial Director serving Hilton brands is always working on behalf of our Guests and working with other Team Members. To successfully fill this role, you should maintain the behaviors, skills, and values that follow:

• Minimum of 5 year’s hospitality/travel industry experience in a revenue-generating or commercial services role.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience of executive presentations to owners, senior level executives and constituent groups
• 5 experience working in a collaborative/matrixed environment.
• 5 years working with departmental financial data to make strategic/tactical decisions.
• 5 years of experience evaluating and identifying business opportunities for a business.
• At least 5 years of experience managing a sales or commercial team
• Fluent in English

It would be advantageous in this position for you to demonstrate the following capabilities and distinctions:

• 5 years working in a multi-complex hotel/travel industry environment.
• Experience in multiple disciplines with knowledge of Marketing, E-commerce, and Finance
• Proficiency in data insights and storytelling with data
• Proficiency in the local language is a valuable asset

What will it be like to work for Hilton?

Hilton is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For nearly a century, Hilton has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. Hilton is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Our vision “to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality” unites us as a team to create remarkable hospitality experiences around the world every day. And, our amazing Team Members are at the heart of it all!