Signature Aviation

Signature Aviation is the world’s largest network of private aviation terminals. As one of the world's preeminent aviation companies, we deliver exceptional experiences and essential support to business and private aviation customers.

Signature provides world-class service at more than 200 locations in 27 countries across 5 continents.

My key areas of focus are clients based in IL, IN, MI, MN, IA and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Québec.

Regional Account Manager

Sonesta Hotels

● (2022 - 2023) Oversee the corporate travel sales efforts for the Royal Sonesta Hotels of Chicago, which includes 3 full-service properties in downtown Chicago.
● (2020 - 2022) Manage a portfolio of 4 full-service hotels in Chicago and St. Louis with an annual business travel budget of $6M.
● Create and implement strategies for target customer pipelines while fostering existing customer relationships.
● Provide sales forecasting and analysis, pricing, and key account management, ensuring accurate data is captured and documented. 
● Foster the growth of current accounts through personalized training and quarterly performance evaluations with Travel Managers in the local market, empowering employees to achieve their targeted goals.
● Lead end-to-end BT responsibilities, including rate and system maintenance, VIP coordination, and B2B customer service, resulting in increased revenue and market share. 
● Leverage tools for RFP solicitation and negotiations, adapting strategies based on real-time market conditions.
● Collaborate effectively with leadership, revenue management, and regional and global sales teams to align initiatives and strategies. 
● Orchestrate successful on-site inspections, outside sales calls, and industry events, establishing strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
● Achieve and exceed annual revenue goals by implementing proactive sales plans, analyzing sales statistics, and identifying growth opportunities, including exceeding the 2022 budget by 143%, providing an increase of $6M in budget.
● Serve as the trusted advisor to corporate travel decision-makers, embodying the Voice of the Customer to inform corporate strategy.

Regional Account Director (Business Travel) of the Royals of Chicago

● Assisted the Director of Sales in reaching the business travel revenue goals by targeting and soliciting national accounts.
● Leveraged market insights and competitor analysis to identify new opportunities, resulting in the acquisition of high-value corporate accounts and a substantial boost in market share.
● Collaborated seamlessly with cross-functional teams, including revenue management, marketing, and operations, to align business travel offerings with customer needs. 
● Cultivated strategic partnerships with corporate clients and travel agencies, ensuring a seamless end-to-end travel experience and generating repeat business.
● Mentored and guided a high-performing team of Business Travel Managers to consistently surpass sales targets by implementing tailored coaching programs and workshops.

Director of Business Travel Royal Sonesta Chicago Riverfront

Hyatt House

● Collaborated with General Manager to ensure successful strategies are in place to deliver the budget.
● Created and delivered appropriate marketing strategies for the new hotel's successful sales, marketing launch, and revenue ramp.
● Led the sales and marketing team for the hotel to ensure the revenue and marketing strategies were in place before pre-opening and delivered effectively through launch and ramp into successful operation.
● Managed the sales recruitment process supported by the General Manager and McKibbon Hospitality.
● Provided guidance, training, coaching, and leadership for the sales and event managers to ensure productivity.
● Crafted strategic vision for revenue growth, assessed program effectiveness, and utilized market intelligence for innovation, leading to sales generation and revenue growth.
● Forged relationships and built rapport with stakeholders to cultivate, enhance, and leverage external and internal relationships to elevate hotel and market share awareness and drive business.
● Partnered with General Manager, Regional Teams, and Revenue Manager to collaborate on rates and revenue maximization.
● Solicited and Secured RFPs for key demand drivers in the market during pre-opening and for the 2020 RFP season.
● Achieved consistent revenue growth by exceeding budgeted group revenue expectations: Act/Fct Group - 35% increase in 2019, Fct Group - 16% increase in 2020, and 59% increase over negotiated budget.

Opening Director of Sales

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

● Sourced and secured group accounts, skillfully targeting 10 or more rooms on a peak across diverse markets, including Corporate, Association, Government, Entertainment, and SMERF segments.
● Spearheaded participation in weekly revenue meetings, driving collaborative strategies to optimize revenues and RevPAR performance.
● Forged impactful partnerships with Wyndham Global Sales Organization, leveraging strong industry relationships to enhance third-party and end-user connections, thereby augmenting hotel business.
● Exhibited comprehensive event planning prowess by leading client meetings from proposal to billing stages, expertly handling food/beverage selection and AV requisites.
● Employed advanced prospecting tools, including Knowland Group, Topline Profit, CoStar, and Delphi Reports, to identify potential group opportunities, highlighting proficiency in data-driven decision-making.

Group Sales Manager

●	Strengthened corporate transient and consortia markets for a 334-room, recently rebranded property through strategic initiatives.
●	Negotiated the 2017 RFP season with national and local corporate accounts, delivering an impressive 5 - 9% YoY increase in ADR.
●	Employed data-driven insights from Hotelligence reports and CoStar analysis to identify lucrative opportunities, successfully securing new business amounting to $500,000 in revenue.
●	Fostered robust corporate relationships by employing a holistic approach, which included face-to-face meetings, persuasive client presentations, and proactive cold calling.
●	Orchestrated monthly sales blitzes within the local market to cultivate valuable transient, group, and catering partnerships.
●	Represented the property at industry events to effectively promote it to corporate travel buyers, solidifying its presence and appeal.
●	Actively engaged in quarterly Chicago Business Travel Association (BTA) meetings, contributing to industry discourse and network expansion.
●	Demonstrated strong negotiation skills by securing lucrative airline contracts worth an annual value of $275,000.
●	Created business traveler incentives to drive awareness and build brand loyalty.
●	Recognized as Manager of the Quarter (Q3, 2015) and consistently drove substantial revenue growth across TMC/Global/Local/Government segments: Achieved a $1,411,020 YoY increase in 2015 vs. 2014, a $250,000 YoY increase in 2015 vs. 2016, and surpassed 2017 budget by 103% in assigned segments.

Sr. Business Travel Sales Manager

Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles Westside

● Developed marketing strategies for a 566-room property that increased the overall market segment in revenue, ADR, and room nights in the corporate, consortia, and government sectors.  Also managed airline/cruise contracts, FIT individual and FIT group business.
● Increased national and local corporate account base by 60% with accounts generating 100+ rooms or more
● Conducted research on client room nights and revenue performance, prepared account performance reports quarterly and annually, and conducted semi-annual account review meetings.
● Developed and implemented specific account marketing plan accounts. Monitored production compliance.
● Active participation in LABTA and Chicago BTA networking functions, business travel trade shows, and travel agent presentations.
● Utilized market research tools such as Hotelligence 360, Hoovers, Knowlandgroup resources to identify new business opportunities.
● Ability to make key decisions, multitask, solve problems effectively under pressure, and make significant contributions as a team player.
● Achieved 129% over the $960,000 budget in 2011. Increased corporate transient revenue by $423k year over year (2011 vs. 2010).
● Achieved 115% over $1.47M budget in 2012. Increased corporate transient revenue by $426k year over year (2012 vs. 2011).
● Achieved 107% over the $2M budget in 2013. Solicited and secured multi-year cruise line contracts worth $650,000 annually.

Associate Director of Business Travel Sales

Club Quarters

● Developed the client base of individuals, organizations, associations, and social business for group opportunities.
● Maintained client files and updated information daily in accordance with established departmental policies and procedures.
● Utilized the sales CRM (iVvy / Salesforce) to log the sales journey from receipt of lead to materialization of group.
● Assisted in the preparation and delivery of group proposals and contracts.
● Responded to group leads through online RFPs.
● Worked closely with the revenue management and guest services team in the coordination of rate quotations, space availability, inventory management and rooming lists.
● Worked closely with accounts receivable team in securing deposits and payments.
● Prepared group resumes and turnover of definite groups to the hotel operations team.
● Maintained effective written communication to the hotel operations team regarding onsite groups and events.
● Followed up with clients regularly during and after departure to ensure satisfaction and secure future bookings.
● Prepared special events, hotel tours, and off-site presentations for potential clients.
● Cultivated collaborative, mutually supportive relationships with and among customers, as well as the CQ community, membership team, and hotel staff.
● Promoted teamwork and quality service through daily communication and coordination with other departments.

Membership Manager

● Quickly grasped the dynamic and competitive LAX corporate market by analyzing Hotelligence 360 to solicit and secure major room night generators for the 2011 travel season. 
● Managed the RFP process in Lanyon, Uversa, Sabre Hotel RFP during the 2011 RFP season to capture solicited and unsolicited corporate business. Negotiated all local rate agreements.
● Developed sales and marketing campaigns that generated an additional 25% of incremental revenue in the consortia market.
● Created and launched the Corporate Account of the Month program to increase locally negotiated accounts by an average of 35% over the same time last year.

Independent Sales Contractor

Hard Rock Hotel Chicago

● Negotiated national and local corporate accounts to secure annualized room night commitment.
● Managed an effective sales pipeline by identifying new opportunities and increasing penetration within existing customers locally and nationally.
● Researched and analyzed market reports to identify new business opportunities within the Hotel’s competitive set. Develop strategies to move and capture marketshare. 
● Developed and presented sales presentations and proposals based on the unique business requirements of each client. 
● Created account growth plans. Implement short and long-term strategies to fulfill revenue and room night projections.
● Attended travel industry association functions, travel trade shows, and other events important to generating account prospects
● Met monthly, quarterly, and annual targets for sales calls, account acquisition, and room nights and revenue growth.
● Increased room nights by 20% year-over-year.  Growth is accredited to account penetration, frequent guest program creation, and new account acquisition. Utilization of Hotelligence, Knowland Group database, and end-user solicitation was crucial to the room night growth.
● Developed Business Travel Account Executive position to exclusively grow the local account base and manage accounts generating up to 75 room nights annually.
● Achieved 115% of a $1.9 Million Goal in 2009.

Business Travel Sales Manager

K Hotels

● Planned and executed integrated marketing and sales strategies to maximize the profitability of corporate volume accounts and group bookings for 50 properties in the US, Caribbean, Central/South America, and Europe.
 ● Developed consultative relationships with decision-makers, including CEO's, CFO's, Directors of Procurement, Corporate Travel Managers. 
● Provided consultative sales approach when meeting with top-level executives and key decision-makers to educate them on each hotel's differentiating benefits, features, and unique brand qualities. 
● Analyzed and prospected market reports to make consumer-focused business decisions that drive revenue to K Hotels and its members.
● Identified and implemented best practices into operational processes; leveraged best practices to innovate and improve the way things got done.
● Increased consortia sales by 53% year over year. 
● Increased Midwest sales by 29% year over year.

Director of Consortia Sales

Intagio Media Services

● Planned and executed media buying and planning solutions for the hospitality industry
● Developed strategic marketing plans and strategies, including selecting media (print, broadcast, out-of-home, or online) vehicles, and determining the timing and placement of materials while maintaining budgetary parameters.
● Managed hospitality client relationships and delivered presentations and pitches to potential clients. 
● Planned and executed advertising campaigns. Conferred with clients to assess advertising needs, determine goals, and establish annual budgets. 
● Ensured implementation of campaign strategies on time and within budget.

Account Director

Experienced and strategic sales and marketing leader with 20-year background in the hospitality industry and a track record of executing revenue growth plans and elevating market shares. Expert in fostering sales relationships, contract negotiations, data analysis, and collaboration with cross-functional teams. Proven expertise in contract negotiations, relationship building, and market analysis. Well-versed in shaping business strategies based on industry knowledge and market trends. Accomplished in strategic planning and execution and recognized for surpassing venue goals by up to 59%.

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