REPORTING TO: Director, Lodging Partnerships
POSITION TYPE: VIRTUAL- Hybird—NYC/NJ, CT or Philadelphia region
JOB PURPOSE:
As a Lodging Partnerships Manager, we are looking for you to join and contribute to building, maintaining, and developing our relationships with Lodging supply partners, which is pivotal to our success. Using your natural curiosity and desire to tell stories with data and observations, you get to solve business problems, optimize relationships to grow mutual businesses with partners, and work on a team that functions as the “business owner” of improving traveller expectations for lodging needs. Your past experience in the hospitality industry will lend itself to your success as you build strong relationships and progressively expand a portfolio of suppliers, with an ability to excel in a fast-paced, ambiguous space. Make no mistake – you are joining an extremely fast paced and dynamic culture where change is the only constant, where we’re passionate about what we do, and where we believe we can do just about anything. Buckle up, it’s going to be a lot of fun!
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Develop and maintain strong relationships on behalf of Navan Group with a portfolio of individual hotels to solicit for Navan Lodging Collection to maximize partnerships by using relevant data insights and revenue management skills to identify and execute on growth opportunities.
- Upsell and secure strategic partnerships. Actively engage with strategic suppliers you identify to create a customized agreement that maximizes revenue capture. Utilize value driven proposition and provide insights into how we can work together to achieve a successful outcome and mutual growth.
- Act as subject matter expert for the Reed & Mackay lodging business in NORAM, working both internally and externally on Reed & Mackay initiatives both internally with Lodging Partnerships Managers, Customer Success Managers and Operations as well as externally with hotel partners.
- Create and serve as lead on Reed & Mackay marketing plan for NORAM.
- Collaborate internally with cross-functional teams to identify opportunities to streamline and improve business processes.
- Develop a keen understanding of the market and competitive landscape by keeping abreast of market trends and identifying opportunities for growth.
- Achieve or exceed supplier portfolio revenue and yield budgets, contributing to revenue and yield targets.
SKILL & KNOWLEDGE REQUIREMENTS:
- 5+ years working experience in travel, specifically working in the hotel sector, TMC or OTA.
- Bachelor’s or master’s in business administration or related field; or equivalent related professional experience.
- Extensive experience in managing relationships with strategic suppliers, including hotel chains and independent properties, to negotiate and secure relevant content to increase supplier revenue.
- Proven experience in managing both high touch and low touch business travel, with an excellent understanding of hotel rate structures across content providers, for luxury, midscale and budget properties.
- Background in luxury travel, including managing relationships with high end suppliers, negotiating effective agreements, and understanding the expectations of VIP and high touch travellers.
- Ability to use data to identify trends, find opportunities, and address challenges, to achieve growth and successful partnerships.
- Experience with ensuring that suppliers meet payment terms, including prompt payment of commissions and fees, with a proactive approach to resolving discrepancies.
- A track record of building and maintaining strong partnerships and always seeking the win/win with partnerships.
- Must be a fast-paced self-starter, with a growth mindset and comfortable working in a sometimes ambiguous environment.
- Ability to lead with curiosity and collaborating internally to identify opportunities and implement solutions.
- Multilingual skills preferred but not essential, with fluency in Spanish, French, Japanese, or German being an advantage.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present key facts, figures, and value propositions concisely.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and solid financial acumen.
- Ability to travel only when required to manage supplier relationships.
Our ideal candidate will be based in the NYC/NJ, CT or Philadelphia region, though we will consider strong applicants from other locations as we are prioritising the right skills and experience.
Reed & Mackay is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We welcome applicants regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, citizenship, veteran status, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, genetics, and any other federal, state, or local protected class