HSMAI Hosts Hotel Sales Leaders for CSO Roundtable

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. December 21, 2011

December 20, 2011 - A cadre of some of the brightest sales and marketing minds in the hotel industry recently gathered in Washington D.C. for a Chief Sales Officer (CSO) roundtable organized and hosted by the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International and the HSMAI Foundation.

With representatives from some of the top hospitality brands including Best Western International, Choice Hotels International, Hilton Worldwide, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, roundtable conversation touched on a variety of industry topics including finding profitable revenue, sales productivity and managing channels.

“HSMAI was honored to play host to this distinct group of innovative sales leaders from all around the hotel industry,” said Robert A. Gilbert, CHME, CAE, president and CEO of HSMAI. “An instant synergy took place among the group and everyone was pleased with the meeting's productivity and idea sharing.”

With a room full of sales leaders, it is no surprise a portion of the day was spent predicting changes within the hotel sales process over the next three years. Forecasted changes and questions facing sales over the next three years include:

• The Impact of Sales Force Automation
• Making Sales More Strategic
• The Future Value of Trade Shows and Their Impact on Convention Hotels
• The Role of Global Sales
• The Role of Intermediation in the Hotel Sales Process

Roundtable participant Jack Horne, senior vice president of sales for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, commented on the sales outlook saying, “Sales productivity from my level down requires more attention. Today we are spending lots of time on Internet-generated RFPs, which doesn't leave as much time for productivity.”

Additionally, the Chief Sales Officers participated in sessions with topics including managing the instability of hotel demand, the role of sales in social media and deploying an emerging market sales strategy. The roundtable was facility by Dr. Lalia Rach of New York University, and sponsored by Newmarket International, StarCite, and Signature Worldwide.

HSMAI and the HSMAI Foundation will be repeating the CSO Roundtable in 2012, along with other invitation-only roundtables in the Senior Executive series, including Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Revenue Officer, and Management Company Sales and Marketing Executive sessions.