Director of Marketing Candidate Pack – May 2017
The Peninsula New York Director of Marketing Candidate Pack – May 2017
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Peninsula is a living legend, the name synonymous with luxurious comfort and impeccable service. Established in 1928, and operated by the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, The Peninsula Hotels now own and operate prestigious, luxury properties in ten major cities with further properties under development. For over 25 years The Peninsula New York has been a landmark on New York’s Fifth Avenue, operating as Peninsula’s flagship property in the US. The hotel has received a number of accolades, including but not limited to U.S. News & World Report – Number 2 Best Hotel in New York City and Condé Nast Traveler, The Reader’s Choice Awards 2013 – Number 1 Hotel in New York City. The Peninsula New York is now searching for an experienced Director of Marketing to join their management team. The successful individual will lead the Sales, PR and Communications, and Marketing capabilities; both strategically and in terms of operations. For further information, please contact James Lea on +1 (917) 882-9827 or at james.lea@societysearch.com.
THE PENINSULA HOTELS
The Peninsula Hotels group has a unique identity among the world’s leading hotels. Established in 1928, they now own and operate prestigious luxury properties in ten major cities. These include the flagship in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo, Beijing, New York, Chicago, Beverly Hills, Bangkok, Manila, and Paris with London and Myanmar under development. Each Peninsula Hotel is designed uniquely from ground up, with the objective of applying the traditional Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels' grace and elegance to the location concerned in order to embrace the relevant local culture, style and history. It is important that a stay in any Peninsula Hotel forms an important part of the guest’s experience of visiting that particular country, and that is achieved through references to local architecture, artwork and ambience. THE PENINSULA NEW YORK
For over 25 years The Peninsula New York has been a landmark on New York’s Fifth Avenue. The US Peninsula flagship hotel has been in operation since 1988 and is housed in a 1905 Beaux-Arts Landmark building. The Peninsula New York strives to follow in the footsteps of the hotel group’s Grande Dame, The Peninsula Hong Kong, by providing luxurious comfort combined with exceptional, personalised service. Boasting 235 beautiful rooms, the hotel hosts a number of facilities including the Peninsula Spa, the Sun Terrace, and the Swimming Pool, to name a few. The Peninsula New York also features five function rooms and three food and beverage outlets – the Clement Restaurant and Bar, the Gotham Lounge, and Salon de Ning, a rooftop bar and terrace.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
Reporting to the General Manager, The Director of Marketing acts as the Director of Marketing for The Peninsula New York and also as the Director of Marketing representing East Coast North America for The Peninsula Group. The Director of Marketing leads The Peninsula New York’s sales and marketing effort; overseeing the Sales, Public Relations and Brand Communication teams. This person will be responsible for planning marketing schedules and strategies for all aspects of hotel sales. The Director of Marketing is responsible for managing the sales, marketing, promotion, and business development in the respective regions for all Peninsula Hotels. The position shares the responsibility of achieving revenue goals, guest, and employee satisfaction as well as the financial performance of the department. The role will also take ownership of implementing the brand’s service strategy and applicable brand initiatives in all aspects of the sales process. In addition, the Director of Marketing will lead on-property sales functions to build long-term, value-based customer relationships that enable achievement of property sales objectives. Specific responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
Formulating the marketing and brand strategies of the entire hotel; Developing sales goals and strategies and ensuring alignment with the marketing and brand strategies; Coaching leaders of revenue generating departments in developing effective marketing strategies and setting aggressive goals that will drive the property's financial performance; Suggesting innovative marketing ideas and proactively developing deployment strategies to continue to grow market share; Determining and developing marketing and communication activities in conjunction with Corporate Marketing Communications; Providing customer intelligence in evaluating the market and economic trends that may lead to changes in the marketing and sales strategies in order to meet or exceed customer expectations; Reviewing the STR report, BI report, competitive shopping reports and other resources to maintain an awareness of the property’s market position; Conducting research on competitors’ marketing/sales strategies to identify ways to grow occupancy, RevPAR and increase market share; Attending sales strategy meetings to provide input on the weekly and the overall sales strategy.
Maximizing Revenue and Managing Profitability:
Monitoring and evaluating sales performance in accordance with the annual marketing plan; Ensuring the revenue generating departments and sales team understands the latest marketing information and intelligence and managing their clienteles in a more effective and efficient manner; Deploying the best resources and better controls cost in line with marketing and sales strategies to accomplish the business results.
Managing Public Relations, Brand Communications and E-Commerce:
Developing strong community and public relations by ensuring property participation in local, regional and national tradeshows and client events; Identifying public relations opportunities and coordinates activities to augment the overall marketing communication strategy;
Evaluating the effectiveness of PR and brand communications activities in line with the business performance; Evaluating and provifing a clear understanding of E-commerce related email campaigns, the use of Social Media as a brand communications tool, and digital strategies in driving revenue.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following skills, capabilities and experience:
Minimum of 10 years in sales and or marketing, hotel experience is preferred; Demonstrated experience in marketing to both domestic and international agents and corporations; Proven ability and experience managing and leading high-performance sales and marketing teams; Proven ability to work as part of a senior management team working to develop and implement sales and marketing strategies for the company in line with the overall strategic goals of the organization; Leadership experience in marketing and sales management with a thorough knowledge of marketing principles, product or service management, sales and business development, along with a demonstrated track record of success and performance; The ability to understand changing market dynamics, translating them into actionable strategies and implementing the strategy to achieve pre-set objectives; Demonstrated strong business acumen and skills to build new channels to market either directly or through strategic partnerships; A deep understanding of the strategic marketing and selling processes; Proficient knowledge of current digital trends within the industry; Experience managing budgets effectively, financial reporting, setting up effective metrics and business processes; Proficient in the English language.
APPOINTMENT DETAILS AND HOW TO APPLY
The Peninsula Hotel, New York is being assisted in this appointment process by the executive search firm Society. Applications should consist of a CV addressing the criteria in the Person Specification. These documents can be uploaded via Society’s website: www.society-search.com or to be sent to Thomas Devlin at: thomas.devlin@society-search.com The deadline for receipt of applications is midday on Monday 22nd May 2015. An appointment will be made subject to receipt of satisfactory references. The appointed candidate will be offered a salary that is commensurate with their experience and the seniority of their new role.