Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Hospitality Territory Sales Manager

🎯 Role Definition

The Hospitality Territory Sales Manager is responsible for driving revenue growth and market share across an assigned geographic territory by developing and executing targeted B2B and group sales strategies for hotels, resorts, and hospitality portfolios. This role combines strategic territory planning, active pipeline management, relationship cultivation with corporate and group accounts, and cross-functional collaboration with revenue management, marketing, and operations to achieve occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR targets. Key focus areas include new account acquisition, client retention, contract negotiation, and consistent pipeline development using CRM tools.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Coordinator / Sales Support (Hospitality)
Account Executive / Business Development Representative (B2B)
Catering & Events Manager or Group Sales Specialist

Advancement To:

Regional Sales Director
Director of Sales & Marketing (Hotel/Portfolio)
VP of Sales (Hospitality/Leisure)

Lateral Moves:

Corporate Sales Manager (National Accounts)
Group Sales Manager or Meeting & Events Director
Revenue Management or Commercial Strategy roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement, and manage a territory sales plan that targets corporate accounts, national and regional meeting planners, travel management companies, and key group bookers to achieve quarterly and annual revenue and RevPAR goals.
Build and maintain a robust sales pipeline by proactive prospecting, cold calling, digital outreach, and attending networking events, trade shows, and industry conferences to generate qualified leads and measurable sales opportunities.
Manage the full sales cycle for new business and renewals, including lead qualification, proposal development, pricing strategy, RFP responses, contract negotiation, and closing with a focus on margin preservation and account profitability.
Maintain and update CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) with accurate opportunity stages, forecasted revenue, activity logs, and account plans to ensure reliable territory forecasting and executive visibility.
Own and hit individual revenue and room night targets; provide weekly and monthly sales forecasts, variance explanations, and action plans to leadership to close gaps and accelerate performance.
Develop customized client presentations, proposals, and site visit experiences that highlight property features, catering options, meeting spaces, and revenue-driving packages tailored to client needs and budgets.
Cultivate long-term relationships with corporate travel managers, procurement teams, TMCs, event planners, and association contacts to drive repeat business and increase share of wallet across the territory.
Coordinate and execute client site inspections, FAM tours, and property showcases, collaborating with operations and food & beverage teams to ensure outstanding client experiences and increased conversion rates.
Identify and secure corporate negotiated rates, preferred partner contracts, and multi-property agreements while ensuring compliance with brand standards and legal contract terms.
Analyze market trends, competitor activities, group pick-up patterns, and booking windows to adjust pricing strategies, promotional offers, and outreach timing for improved conversion and yield management.
Partner with revenue management to align on rate strategy and room block optimization for transient and group segments, ensuring maximum ADR lift and occupancy balance.
Execute strategic account plans for top-tier clients, including tailored outreach cadences, escalation paths, executive sponsorship, and quarterly business reviews to grow revenue and strengthen relationships.
Collaborate with digital marketing and ecommerce teams to develop targeted promotions, email campaigns, and content for lead nurturing and remarketing to past bookers and inquiry lists.
Track RFPs and leads from corporate channels, industry sourcing platforms, and online travel agents; prioritize opportunities based on conversion probability, profitability, and strategic fit.
Provide competitive intelligence reporting and share actionable insights about competitors’ contract terms, amenities, and pricing to inform property positioning and sales pitches.
Lead negotiation of complex group contracts, including attrition clauses, cancellation policies, and concessions, while protecting hotel revenue and minimizing financial exposure.
Train and mentor junior sales staff and on-property teams on prospecting techniques, CRM best practices, and group conversion strategies to raise overall sales effectiveness.
Develop and manage a schedule of targeted client events, webinars, and relationship-building dinners to deepen customer engagement and accelerate closing cycles.
Monitor KPIs such as pick-up, pace, conversion rate, average daily rate (ADR), RevPAR, and revenue per available room to continuously optimize territory activities and report results to stakeholders.
Facilitate cross-functional problem resolution (operations, catering, billing) for high-value clients to ensure repeat business and high Net Promoter Scores (NPS).
Implement account segmentation and prioritization frameworks to allocate time and resources effectively across high-potential corporate, group, and transient segments.
Prepare and deliver monthly pipeline reviews, win/loss analyses, and territory performance summaries for the Director of Sales with recommended tactical adjustments.
Manage expense budgets for client events, travel, and local marketing initiatives while maximizing ROI and ensuring corporate expense policy compliance.
Execute targeted outreach to leisure and affinity group partners when appropriate, converting segmented demand into shoulder-night business and weekend revenue lifts.
Act as the on-the-ground commercial ambassador for the property portfolio, representing the brand with professionalism and ensuring all sales activities reflect corporate values and standards.

Secondary Functions

Provide market feedback to the revenue management team to inform pricing optimization, length-of-stay strategies, and seasonal packaging.
Support marketing with content ideas, guest testimonials, and case studies from closed business to improve digital lead conversion and search visibility.
Participate in local tourism boards, chambers of commerce, and corporate partner councils to raise brand profile and create referral pipelines.
Assist in developing and reviewing sales collateral, case studies, and promotional materials for conferences or RFP responses.
Participate in cross-property initiatives for multi-property accounts, coordinating inventory and rate parity across a portfolio to ensure seamless guest experience.
Contribute to post-event debriefs to identify operational learnings and commercial follow-up opportunities for future upsell.
Support ad-hoc competitive set analyses and short-term pricing strategies during special events, festivals, or surge demand periods.
Mentor and provide constructive feedback to internal stakeholders (front desk, catering, event operations) on upselling techniques that improve incremental revenue capture.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

CRM proficiency (Salesforce strongly preferred; HubSpot, Amadeus/Cendyn familiarity beneficial) — ability to manage pipeline, generate forecasts, and report on activity metrics.
Strong RFP and contract writing skills, including commercial terms, attrition/cancellation language, and master service agreements.
Proven track record in group sales, corporate account management, or territory sales within hospitality, meetings & events, or travel management.
Sales forecasting and territory planning — ability to build realistic 30/60/90 day plans and long-term account penetration strategies.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, basic modeling) for analyzing pick-up, pace, and revenue scenarios.
Familiarity with revenue management concepts (ADR, RevPAR, occupancy, displacement analysis) and ability to align selling strategies with RM input.
Experience with lead generation tools and platforms (LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Cvent, Lanyon, leading event sourcing portals).
Presentation design and delivery skills; experience creating polished slides and proposals that convert.
Contract negotiation and pricing strategy expertise with a focus on margin protection and long-term account value.
Reporting and analytics skills — ability to interpret sales KPIs and produce actionable insights for leadership.

Soft Skills

Exceptional relationship-building and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence decision makers at all levels.
Consultative selling mindset: listens to client needs and designs tailored, value-driven proposals.
Strong verbal and written communication; persuasive presenter comfortable with virtual and in-person client meetings.
Self-motivated, goal-oriented, and highly organized with strong time management and territory prioritization abilities.
Resilient under pressure and able to manage multiple high-value negotiations simultaneously.
Collaborative team player who partners effectively with marketing, operations, and revenue management.
Problem-solving orientation: anticipates challenges during events or stays and proactively develops contingency plans.
Adaptability to shifting market conditions, seasonal demand, and changing client priorities.
High ethical standards and attention to detail in contract review and revenue protection.
Cultural sensitivity and professionalism when working with corporate clients and international accounts.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree preferred; equivalent combination of education and hospitality sales experience may be accepted.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Sales & Marketing, or related field.
Certifications such as Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP) or Certified Meetings Professional (CMP) are a plus.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Hospitality Management
Business Administration / Sales & Marketing
Tourism & Event Management
Communications / Public Relations

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years in hospitality sales, territory management, group sales, or corporate account management.

Preferred:

5+ years of progressive hotel or hospitality sales experience with documented quota attainment.
Demonstrated success managing a geographically dispersed territory, closing multi-year corporate agreements, and delivering measurable RevPAR/ADR improvements.
Experience selling to corporate travel managers, meeting planners, TMCs, and national accounts.