WORK EXPERIENCE: sales & marketing
LEARN ABOUT THE business of sales & marketing
You may notice the army of staff looking after guests ‘front of house’ in a hotel but what you don’t see is the huge team working diligently behind the scenes who help to make the business a success.
Sales and marketing is one of the most exciting departments in the hotel, with a busy team dedicated to promoting and selling the hotel in new and existing markets. The Sales Manager targets corporate and group bookings, represents the hotel at international travel fairs and other events, and works closely with clients to attract bookings for the hotel.
The Marketing Manager works hand-in-hand with the sales department, creating marketing campaigns and collateral to promote the hotel. This is a highly creative role that spans a variety of media, including print, digital, and broadcast platforms.
What are the opportunities for progression?
Many tourism and hotel management courses include sales and marketing modules which is a great way to learn about marketing a business. You can start as a Sales or Marketing Assistant and work your way through the department as you gain experience in all aspects of sales and marketing. In big hotels a Sales & Marketing Director often manages a large team of managers, supervisors and assistants who work on the various aspects of the hotel’s sales and promotion, including advertising, social media, email marketing, brochures, and more. From the director position, you can move into general management or higher up within a hotel group’s sales and marketing division.
What can you expect during your work experience?
You will gain a good understanding of how hotels are promoted through a variety of channels, including print and digital media, and you will also learn about the sales function of the hotel and how the Sales Manager works with the Revenue Manager to develop sales opportunities and set rates across the property.
If you are a creative person with an interest in marketing or if you are good with people and think you will enjoy the buzz of sales, then why not try some work experience? Email the HR team in a participating hotel to find out if they are offering experience in this department.
read about working in a sales & marketing team:
Lorna Healion shares her story here.