Hospitality Services Sales Manager

Overview

The Hospitality Sales Manager is responsible for driving sales and managing client relationships for campus catering services and the fine dining restaurant. This role combines proactive business development, event planning support, and a strong focus on delivering exceptional hospitality experiences. The manager will partner with clients, campus departments, and external organizations to maximize revenue while maintaining the highest standards of service and guest satisfaction.

The Hospitality Sales Manager ensures confidentiality is upheld and that guest expectations are consistently met or exceeded in alignment with the USD Way. Responsibilities include preparing sales proposals and contracts, processing event billings in Caterease, and scheduling events in La Gran Terraza through EMS. The manager oversees all event orders and updates Caterease daily, working with a high degree of autonomy.

Other duties may be assigned as needed.

• Identify and solicit target accounts and nurture existing accounts to increase sales in USD Catering and La Gran Terraza. Must be able to identify client’s primary buying criteria and personal goals quickly and accurately; then be able to sell to those needs.
• Creatively approach clients, creating proposals, planning and conducting “wow” site inspections.
• Strategically develop and execute events to accomplish the goals of Hospitality (ie awards/holiday banquets, charity events, etc.)
• Responsible for assisting the Hospitality Services Director in attainment of revenue expectations, sales goals, and profitability.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders, alumni, community partners, and prospective clients.
• Negotiate contracts and pricing agreements while ensuring compliance with institutional policies.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activities to identify new sales opportunities.
• Actively solicits new business opportunities through prospecting target client lists.
• Maintain an active list of target accounts to ensure continuous relationship development.
• Seek methods to penetrate key business activities within the market and find profitable ways to increase business
• As an ambassador of USD Hospitality, partner with departments and student groups across campus to educate community members about USD Hospitality.
• Work in collaboration with Director of Operations for Catering on the execution of events
• Create Catering Sales proposals, contracts and event sheets for each event, ensuring data reflected is accurate to client specifications
• Determine appropriate response to RFPs and create proposals.
• Manage and follow-up on USD Catering guest satisfaction surveys ensuring guest concerns are resolved.
• Attend mandatory meetings (ie, departmental, staff, Banquet Event Order, (BEO), pre/post conference, etc.)
• Chair the BEO meeting. Reviewing event sheets and making sure the kitchen and banquet operations have correct up-to-date information.
• In the absence of the Director of Catering Operations, Chair the Campus wide Catering meeting with all campus schedulers held once a week to ensure all campus events are accounted for.
• As a part of the Hospitality Services team, achieve department sales goals
• Manage existing accounts to uncover potential new business opportunities.
• Collaborate with chef de cuisine and banquet sous chef to ensure menus are current and competitive
• Effectively resolve guest issues that arise as a result of the sales process. Bring issues to the attention of the Director of Hospitality Services appropriate.
• Actively participates in industry-related organizations. Attend trade shows, community events, and industry meetings to develop business.

• Acts as the first point of contact for client information and questions, verifying and completing final work order forms for standard catering events for both internal and external customers.
• Reviews all orders for accuracy and follows up on discrepancies with clients.
• Maintain confidentiality of customer requests and needs as appropriate
• Updates Catering event book and on a daily basis and monitors the three month calendar for excessive production dates.
• Create and distribute event sheets in a timely manner. Revise as necessary; recording changes in the Catering change log.
• Insures daily communication with appropriate staff to adjust production according to changes in guarantees, menu and location
• Ensures that catering policies and procedures are communicated to campus and adhered to by customers
• Supervises part time office personnel and casual workers direct office work flow.
• In collaboration with other Hospitality Services managers, develops strategies and goals for the department
• Attend meetings as needed to represent USD Catering
• Compiles data for weekly and monthly sales reports and submits data to the Director of Hospitality Services in a timely manner.
• Responsible for updating current vendor invoice pricing on monthly inventory reports.
• Verifies the accuracy of Caterease…