Wedding Specialist - Fenway Hotel

Location: Dunedin, FL

Reports to: Director of Sales

Status: Non-Exempt

Job Summary:

Responsible for sales and service of short-term/smaller weddings at the historic Fenway Hotel. Contracts, closes small weddings and short-term social catering business. Achieves catering revenue goals by actively up selling each business opportunity to maximize revenue. Implements the brand's service strategy and applicable brand initiatives in all aspects of the sales process and drives customer loyalty by delivering service excellence throughout each customer experience. Works closely with marketing to produce Fenway Weddings Instragram page.

Essential Functions

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Maximizing Revenue & Managing Profitability

• Establishes billing for definite function and ensures deposits are collected
• Identifies and implements process improvements and best practices.
• Identifies, qualifies and solicits new catering business to achieve personal and hotel revenue goals
• Maximizes revenue by up-selling packages and creative food and beverage offerings.
• Ensures successful performance by increasing revenues, controlling expenses and providing a return on investment for the owner and the business.
• Understands group and catering forecasting, hotel revenue strategy, meeting room set-up types and capabilities, and sleeping room configurations and types. Knowledge in event technology (A/V) products, sales and services as well as F&B to assist client with menu planning and room set-up while working within the client budget.
• Understands the overall market - competitors' strengths and weaknesses, economic trends, supply and demand etc. and knows how to sell against them.

Managing Sales Activities

• Participates in and practice daily service basics of the brand.
• Responds to incoming catering opportunities for the hotel.
• Manages the sales efforts for the hotel related to short term weddings and small social catering.
• Works closely with marketing team on content creation for Fenway Weddings Instagram.
• Closes the best opportunities for the hotel based on market conditions and hotel needs.
• Designs, develops, and sells creative catered events.
• Executes and supports Customer Service Standards and hotel's Brand Standards.
• Identifies and assists with selling, implementing and following-through on catering promotions.
• Executes and supports the operational aspects of business booked (e.g., generating proposal, writing contract, customer correspondence).
• Uses negotiating skills and creative selling abilities to close on business and negotiate contracts.

Managing Event Activities

• Responsible for preparing all event documentation and coordinates with sales, property departments and clients to ensure consistent, high-level service throughout pre-event, event and post-event phases of property events.
• Conducts on-site tastings and planning meetings.
• Create, review and revise rooming lists, VIP lists and process Marriott Rewarding Events Points.
• Details weddings as assigned.
• Generate resumes, addendums, menus, Event Orders (EOs), sleeping room blocks as necessary.
• Ensures each function set-up meets with client expectations through effective follow-up meetings and communications with appropriate staff members.
• Serves as liaison between the hotel and client throughout the event process.

Building Successful Relationships

• Interacts effectively with vendors, competitors, local community, catering associations and other hotel departments (including Sales, Kitchen and Events) in order to ensure guest satisfaction.
• Works with the property's Food and Beverage team to develop menus that drive sales.
• Works collaboratively with property Sales and Marketing colleagues as well as other hotel departments to ensure sales efforts are coordinated, complementary and not duplicative.
• Ability to assist the banquet and events team on special events when needed.
• Ensures that the property implements a seamless turnover from sales to operations and back to sales while consistently delivering high level of service.
• Works with the management team to create and implement a catering sales plan addressing revenue, customers and market.
• Develops a close working relationship with operations to ensure execution of strategies at the hotel level.

Providing Exceptional Customer Service

• Monitors the effective resolution of guest issues that arise as a result of the sales process by creating mechanisms to channel issues to property leadership and/or other appropriate stakeholders.
• Serves the customer by understanding their business, business issues and concerns, to offer better business solution both prior to, and during the program/event, while building a relationship.
• Works weekends as needed to ensure Catering Sales Sites are available during peak need and to be onsite as needed for catering programs.
• Executes exemplary customer service to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by assisting the customer and ensuring their satisfaction before and during their program/event.

Additional Responsibilities

• Flexible work week including weekends
• Performs other duties, as assigned, to meet business needs.

Qualification Standards

Education & Experience

• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
• Ability to effectively present information to individuals or groups
• Proficient with Microsoft Office programs, Marriott systems, SFAweb and CI/TY
• Excellent customer service skills
• Comfortable with social media content creation
• 4-year Bachelor’s degree preferred
• Catering sales and or convention services experience preferred
• Familiarization of the local markets preferred

Physical Demands

• Long hours sometimes required
• Ability to travel, domestically and internationally
• Ability to sit or stand for extended periods of time
• Ability to communicate clearly
• Ability to drive/transport self and others
• Corrected vision to normal range

Mental Demands

• Maintain the highest degree of confidentiality
• Work on multiple tasks, making appropriate progress towards deadlines
• Make sound judgments quickly
• Able to work independently, take direction and provide direction to others
• Ability to effectively handle challenges in the workplace, including anticipating, preventing, identifying and solving problems as necessary
• Manage differing personalities within the office, the hotel and the community
• Ability to work effectively in stressful, high pressure situations

We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer committed to attracting, retaining, and maximizing the performance of a diverse and inclusive workforce. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, national origin, marital or domestic/civil partnership status, genetic information, citizenship status, uniformed service member or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal state and/or local law.

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