Area Account Director - Leisure Sales

Compensation Type

Yearly

Highgate Hotels

Highgate is a leading real estate investment and hospitality management company with over $15 billion of assets under management and a global portfolio of more than 400 hotels spanning North America, Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. With a 30-year track record as an innovator in the hospitality industry, this forward-thinking company provides expert guidance through all stages of the property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition. Highgate continues to demonstrate success in developing a diverse portfolio of bespoke lifestyle hotel brands, legacy brands, and independent hotels and resorts, featuring contemporary programming and digital acumen. The company utilizes industry-leading revenue management tools that efficiently identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive outperformance and maximize asset value. With an executive team of seasoned hospitality leaders and corporate offices worldwide, Highgate is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. www.highgate.com

Location

Overview

The Area Account Director – Leisure Sales is responsible for developing, managing, and growing strategic leisure business across the Highgate Hawaii portfolio of hotels. This position serves as a key relationship leader for assigned wholesale, consortia, and retail travel advisor accounts, with a primary focus on strengthening partnerships, increasing market share, and driving profitable room night and revenue production to participating Highgate Hawaii hotels.

The Area Account Director will take ownership of an assigned portfolio of accounts and develop a clear, customized strategy for each account and each applicable hotel, recognizing that every property has unique positioning, business needs, competitive considerations, and revenue objectives.

A critical component of the role is building meaningful, long-term relationships with key account partners, including account leadership, product teams, travel advisors, marketing teams, and other decision-makers who influence Hawaii business.

The Area Account Director will work closely with hotel Revenue Management, Sales, Marketing, and property leadership to identify opportunities, develop promotions and tactical initiatives, improve hotel positioning, educate partners, and grow incremental business.

Success in this position requires a proactive sales approach, strong account ownership, strategic thinking, consistent follow-through, and the ability to effectively represent multiple hotels while maintaining an individualized strategy for each property.

Responsibilities

Account Management & Relationship Development

• Serve as the primary sales relationship manager for assigned wholesale, consortia, and retail travel advisor accounts on behalf of the Highgate Hawaii portfolio.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key account contacts, decision-makers, product teams, travel advisors, marketing teams, and other stakeholders who influence Hawaii business.
• Establish a regular cadence of communication and sales engagement with assigned accounts to ensure Highgate Hawaii hotels remain visible, relevant, and top of mind.
• Develop a thorough understanding of each partner's business model, customer demographics, distribution channels, booking patterns, marketing opportunities, and competitive landscape.
• Proactively identify opportunities to strengthen partnerships and increase production across the portfolio.
• Represent Highgate Hawaii and its individual hotels professionally and effectively during account meetings, sales calls, presentations, trade shows, conferences, familiarization trips, site inspections, and industry events.

Account Strategy & Business Development

• Develop and maintain a strategic account plan for each assigned account, outlining opportunities, challenges, production goals, marketing initiatives, sales activities, and strategies for growing business.
• Develop an individualized strategy for each Highgate Hawaii hotel within an account rather than applying a single portfolio-wide approach.
• Understand the positioning, target customer, competitive set, rate strategy, need periods, and business objectives of each hotel represented.
• Identify opportunities to increase room nights, revenue, market share, length of stay, and overall account contribution.
• Prospect for new leisure accounts and business opportunities that align with the needs and positioning of the Highgate Hawaii portfolio.
• Develop tactical sales initiatives in partnership with Revenue Management and hotel leadership to address need periods and capitalize on market opportunities.
• Continuously evaluate account performance and adjust strategies based on production, market conditions, airlift, competitive activity, booking trends, and hotel priorities.
• Meet or exceed established room night, revenue, account production, and sales activity goals.

Wholesale & Distribution Partnerships

• Manage assigned wholesale and tour operator relationships with a focus on increasing production and improving the positioning of Highgate Hawaii hotels.
• Work collaboratively with Revenue Management to evaluate and develop promotions, tactical offers, value-adds, and other opportunities that support each hotel's revenue strategy.
• Ensure partners have accurate and current information regarding hotel products, promotions, renovations, amenities, policies, and selling features.
• Identify opportunities for enhanced placement, preferred positioning, packaging, marketing participation, and other initiatives that can generate incremental business.
• Monitor competitive activity within wholesale channels and communicate relevant market intelligence to hotel leadership.

Travel Advisor & Consortia Development

• Build and maintain relationships with key travel advisors, agency owners, consortia partners, and leisure travel networks.
• Conduct travel advisor training, webinars, sales presentations, destination education, and hotel product updates to increase advisor knowledge and confidence in selling Highgate Hawaii hotels.
• Develop strategies to increase travel advisor engagement and generate incremental bookings.
• Support familiarization trips, site inspections, advisor events, trade shows, sales missions, and other opportunities that provide meaningful exposure for the hotels.
• Serve as a knowledgeable resource for travel advisors seeking guidance on selecting and positioning Highgate Hawaii hotels for their clients.

Marketing & Partner Engagement

• Identify and evaluate account-specific marketing opportunities that can increase visibility and generate measurable production.
• Collaborate with internal Marketing, Revenue Management, and hotel leadership to develop and execute partner campaigns.
• Evaluate marketing opportunities based on audience, reach, timing, hotel need periods, investment, and anticipated return.
• Ensure participating hotels receive appropriate exposure and that marketing commitments are executed as agreed.
• Track results and provide post-campaign analysis when applicable.

Production, Reporting & Market Intelligence

• Monitor production for assigned accounts and individual hotels, including room nights, revenue, booking pace, trends, and year-over-year performance.
• Analyze account performance to identify growth opportunities, areas of concern, and changes in booking behavior.
• Maintain accurate account records, sales activities, contacts, and production information within required company systems and reporting tools.
• Complete monthly, quarterly, and annual account reporting accurately and within established deadlines.
• Provide hotel leadership with meaningful account and market intelligence rather than reporting production alone.
• Monitor Hawaii leisure market conditions, competitive hotel activity, airlift, destination trends, pricing, promotions, and other factors that may impact account production.
• Communicate relevant market feedback and recommendations to leadership and participating hotels.

Portfolio & Hotel Knowledge

• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of all Highgate Hawaii hotels represented, including accommodations, amenities, dining, resort experiences, location, renovations, selling features, target customers, and competitive positioning.
• Understand the individual business objectives and revenue strategies of each participating hotel.
• Maintain awareness of current rates, offers, promotions, policies, and need periods.
• Effectively articulate the unique selling proposition of each hotel and recommend the appropriate property based on the partner, advisor, and customer opportunity.
• Conduct professional and engaging hotel presentations and site inspections that highlight each property's key selling features and competitive advantages.

Internal Collaboration

• Develop strong working relationships with hotel Revenue Management, Sales, Marketing, General Managers, and other property leadership.
• Communicate account opportunities, challenges, partner feedback, competitive intelligence, and production trends in a timely manner.
• Partner with Revenue Management to ensure sales initiatives support each hotel's overall revenue strategy.
• Maintain clear communication regarding deadlines, promotions, partner requests, marketing opportunities, and account deliverables.
• Ensure commitments made to partners and hotels are documented, communicated, and followed through to completion.

Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 2 years of progressive hotel, hospitality, or leisure sales experience, preferably with experience in wholesale, leisure travel, consortia, travel advisor, or multi-property sales.
• Four-year college degree and at least 3 years of related experience; or two-year college degree and at least 5 years of related experience; equivalent hospitality sales experience may also be considered.
• Hawaii hotel, destination, wholesale, or leisure travel sales experience strongly preferred.
• Multi-property or area sales experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience developing and managing strategic accounts and achieving measurable revenue or production goals.
• Strong understanding of hotel revenue strategy, distribution, wholesale partnerships, travel advisor channels, and leisure travel sales.
• Must possess a valid driver's license as required for the position.

SKILLS & COMPETENCIES

• Strong relationship-building and account management skills.
• Strategic and analytical approach to account development.
• Proven ability to develop account-specific sales strategies and translate them into measurable action plans.
• Strong sales, presentation, negotiation, and communication skills.
• Ability to represent multiple hotels while maintaining distinct strategies and priorities for each property.
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple accounts, properties, projects, and deadlines simultaneously.
• Self-motivated and proactive with a strong sense of account ownership and accountability.
• Ability to analyze production data and translate findings into actionable sales strategies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and consistent follow-through.
• Ability to work collaboratively across Sales, Revenue Management, Marketing, Operations, and hotel leadership.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and company-approved sales and reporting systems.
• Ability and willingness to travel as required for account meetings, trade shows, sales missions, conferences, familiarization trips, and hotel visits.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

• Consistently represent Highgate and the Highgate Hawaii portfolio in a professional, polished, and hospitality-focused manner.
• Build trusted relationships with internal and external partners through responsiveness, credibility, follow-through, and a solutions-oriented approach.
• Effectively prioritize responsibilities and meet established deadlines.
• Demonstrate sound business judgment and the ability to anticipate challenges, identify opportunities, and recommend solutions.
• Maintain confidentiality of company, hotel, partner, and financial information.
• Maintain regular attendance and flexibility based on business and travel requirements.
• Comply with Highgate standards, policies, procedures, and applicable regulations.
• Maximize productivity and proactively identify opportunities to improve processes and account performance.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by management.

MEASURES OF SUCCESS

Success in the Area Account Director – Leisure Sales role will be measured by the individual's ability to:

• Build and strengthen strategic relationships with assigned accounts and key industry partners.
• Grow profitable room night and revenue production for Highgate Hawaii hotels.
• Develop and execute a clear strategy for each assigned account and participating hotel.
• Identify new opportunities and proactively address areas of underperformance.
• Increase awareness, education, and engagement among wholesale partners and travel advisors.
• Deliver meaningful market intelligence and recommendations to hotel leadership.
• Consistently meet established sales goals, reporting requirements, deadlines, and account commitments.
• Demonstrate strong ownership, accountability, communication, and follow-through across the assigned portfolio.

Benefits

We are pleased to offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support your health, well-being, and financial future.

• Medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, short-term and long-term disability insurance401(k) Retirement Plan with employer matching contributions
• Paid holidays
• Paid vacation
• Paid sick leave (provided in accordance with applicable law)
• Employee assistance program (EAP)
• Educational opportunities / Tuition reimbursement
• Paid jury duty leave, personal leave, medical leave, and military leave in accordance with applicable law

For Employees Based in Washington:

• 8 paid holidays per year
• Up to 20 days of paid vacation per year, based on classification and length of service
• Paid Sick & Safe Time accrues at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, with up to 72 hours of unused time carried over from one anniversary year to the next.

For Employees Based in Colorado:

• 8 paid holidays per year; employees working in the City of Denver receive 64 hours of designated holiday time per calendar year
• Up to 20 days of paid vacation per year, based on classification and length of service
• 6 days or 48 hours of Paid Sick Leave per year, accrued at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked.

For Employees Based in California:

• 8 paid holidays per year
• Up to 20 days of paid vacation per year, based on classification and length of service, capped at 1.5x annual accrual rate; non-supervisory employees working in the City of Los Angeles accrue up to 22 days of Compensated Time Off, based on length of service capped at 192 hours of combined PST and CTO.
• Paid Sick Time accrues at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, unused time is carried over from one anniversary year to the next up to a maximum of 80 hours; employees working in the City of Los Angeles are provided 40 hours of Paid Sick Time annually on their anniversary, unused time is not carried over from one anniversary year to the next.

Please note that certain benefits described above for associates in Washington, Colorado, and California may vary for associates covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”). For such associates, eligibility for and the terms and conditions of benefits are governed by the applicable CBA and any applicable plan documents, and may differ from the benefits described above. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency, the terms of the applicable CBA and governing plan documents will control, as applicable.

Posting Date

This job opening was posted on [insert date] and will remain open for at least 75 days.

Compensation: 98000 to 125000 (USD)