01 · COMMERCIAL FOUNDATION
Begin with a clear reason to choose the hotel.
Define the property’s most valuable guest problems, distinctive experiences and proof points. Translate them into a positioning statement that sales, digital content, distribution and hotel operations can all deliver consistently.
Commercial strategy
- Market and competitor set
- Target segments and need periods
- Value proposition by segment
- Rate and channel principles
- Annual revenue and profit goals
Operating alignment
- Product and room readiness
- Service promises sales may make
- Capacity and event constraints
- Lead and booking handovers
- Guest feedback returned to commercial teams
02 · SEGMENTATION
Choose demand by value, behaviour and timing.
| Segment | Commercial focus | Core measures |
|---|---|---|
| Transient leisure | Direct packages, seasonal experiences, paid and organic search, metasearch and selected OTA reach. | Net ADR, conversion, acquisition cost, length of stay |
| Corporate negotiated | Account production, weekday need dates, last-room availability, rate qualification and traveller experience. | Room nights, realised ADR, account share, displacement |
| Groups & MICE | Lead speed, qualified proposals, space optimisation, rooms-to-catering value and operational handover. | Conversion, total event contribution, lead time, space yield |
| Wholesale & leisure groups | Market reach, allotment control, release periods, stop-sell discipline and net-rate contribution. | Pickup, wash, net ADR, allotment utilisation |
| Loyalty & repeat guests | Recognition, personalised offers, direct rebooking and lifetime value. | Repeat rate, direct share, retention, ancillary spend |
03 · SALES PROCESS
Make every lead visible, owned and time-bound.
- Capture every lead in the CRM with source and time received.
- Qualify dates, budget, decision process, space and total value.
- Check inventory, displacement and operational feasibility.
- Build a tailored proposal with clear inclusions and validity.
- Record follow-up dates and next action before closing the task.
- Negotiate within approved authority and document concessions.
- Contract, collect deposits and confirm credit requirements.
- Complete a structured handover to operations and billing.
04 · MARKETING ENGINE
Build demand through a planned customer journey.
Brand & content
Use consistent photography, proof, tone and offers across the website, social media, partner listings and sales materials. Content must answer who the hotel is for, why it is different and why to book now.
Direct demand
Strengthen search visibility, landing pages, booking-engine usability, rate clarity, remarketing and email journeys. Track the path from impression to profitable booking.
Campaign planning
Every campaign needs a segment, objective, need period, offer, channel, budget, landing page, tracking code and post-campaign review.
CRM & retention
Capture consent and preferences, segment the database, automate pre-arrival and post-stay messages, and create relevant reasons to return directly.
05 · DISTRIBUTION
Judge channels by net contribution.
Channel decisions should account for commission, transaction cost, loyalty cost, cancellation behaviour, payment terms, visibility value and displacement. Keep content, room types, policies and availability accurate across all channels.
Compare like-for-like bookings and include cancellation and payment risk.
Direct channel controls
- Mobile booking journey and speed
- Clear inclusions and cancellation terms
- Rate confidence and member value
- Accurate analytics and conversion tracking
Third-party controls
- Rate and inventory accuracy
- Content and image quality
- Commission and promotional cost
- Market reach and incremental demand
06 · REVENUE ALIGNMENT
Sales, marketing and revenue need one forecast.
Run a regular commercial meeting with a shared view of pickup, pace, forecast, need dates, group pipeline, campaigns, channel production and competitor activity. Record decisions, owners and expected impact.
| Cadence | Discussion | Decision output |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | Pickup, arrivals, sell-out risk, restrictions and major leads. | Inventory, price and follow-up actions |
| Weekly | 90-day forecast, segments, channels, groups, events and campaigns. | Need-date plan and account priorities |
| Monthly | Results, budget variance, market share, acquisition cost and contribution. | Reforecast, budget shifts and strategy changes |
07 · KPI SCORECARD
Measure volume, value, cost and conversion.
Revenue performance
Occupancy, ADR, RevPAR, total revenue, TRevPAR, segment mix, room-type mix and market penetration.
Sales productivity
Qualified pipeline, response time, proposal conversion, account production, sales activity quality and lost-business reasons.
Marketing efficiency
Website conversion, cost per acquisition, return on ad spend, direct revenue, email revenue, engagement and assisted conversion.
Distribution health
Direct share, channel cost, net ADR, parity accuracy, cancellation, lead time and booking-window mix.
Conversion rate = confirmed business ÷ qualified opportunities
ROAS = tracked campaign revenue ÷ advertising spend
08 · 90-DAY PLAYBOOK
Move from diagnosis to disciplined execution.
Days 1–30 · Diagnose
- Audit positioning, channels and content
- Clean CRM pipeline and account records
- Review segment profitability and need dates
- Confirm KPIs and reporting ownership
Days 31–60 · Activate
- Launch targeted account and campaign plans
- Improve high-intent landing pages
- Set weekly commercial rhythm
- Retrain lead handling and proposal standards
Days 61–90 · Optimise
- Shift budget toward profitable sources
- Close content and parity gaps
- Review conversion and lost business
- Build the next rolling 90-day plan
Owner / GM view
Report the commercial story in plain language: what changed, why it changed, the profit impact, the next decision and the accountable owner.