Catering Sales Manager - Embassy Suites by Hilton South Bend at Notre Dame

The Embassy Suites by Hilton South Bend at Notre Dame is a premier hotel located in the vibrant Eddy Street Commons, directly across from the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. South Bend is a dynamic college town that perfectly blends the energy and excitement of a university community with the charm and character of a midsize city. Residents and visitors alike enjoy a thriving yet laid-back lifestyle, enriched by diverse neighborhoods, friendly people, and the beauty of four distinct seasons. This unique setting creates an attractive backdrop for both leisure and business travelers. The hotel itself is part of the globally renowned Hilton portfolio, known for delivering exceptional guest experiences through outstanding service, quality accommodations, and a variety of amenities that cater to the needs of every visitor. Embassy Suites by Hilton South Bend at Notre Dame stands out for its welcoming atmosphere and prime location, making it an ideal choice for events, social gatherings, and business functions. In this exciting context, the Sales team at Embassy Suites is seeking a Catering Sales Manager with a passion for orchestrating memorable social events. This role focuses on selling and servicing an array of social events, including weddings, birthday parties, receptions, cocktail hours, and more. The Catering Sales Manager acts as the hotel’s key representative in creating and delivering exceptional event experiences, ensuring each celebration is unforgettable for the guests. The role is designed for someone with a proactive sales mindset and a commitment to outstanding customer service. Responsibilities include targeting and soliciting new catering business through lead generation, face-to-face prospecting, and cultivating relationships via referrals. The Catering Sales Manager is tasked with designing, developing, and selling creative catered events, while uncovering additional revenue opportunities by growing existing business. This position requires maximizing revenue by upselling packages and inventive food and beverage offerings. In addition to responding promptly to incoming catering opportunities, the role involves performing scheduled and on-demand site visits to showcase the hotel's facilities. The Catering Sales Manager also assists with forecasting revenue across all catering categories and supports the development and implementation of a specialized wedding website to enhance promotional efforts. Handling customer compliments and complaints effectively and keeping abreast of industry trends to inform recommendations for sales and catering teams are other important aspects of the position. Collaboration is key in this role, requiring close work with the Event Manager to ensure all event details are accurately communicated and executed. The Catering Sales Manager will also travel primarily outside the hotel to initiate new sales, solicit leads, hold conferences, and make sales proposals and presentations. Negotiating contracts and determining competitive rates round out the core responsibilities. Candidates should bring at least one year of sales management experience within the hospitality industry, a positive attitude, strong communication skills, and a commitment to delivering exceptional customer service. Being a self-starter with a team-oriented mindset and a genuine passion for targeting and securing social business are essential qualities. Preferred qualifications include experience in hotel sales, specifically in catering sales management with a focus on weddings, familiarity with Delphi.fdc, a passion for sales coupled with a drive to meet targets, a degree-level qualification in a relevant field, and proven negotiation skills. Joining Hilton means becoming part of a world-leading global hospitality company dedicated to exceptional guest experiences and offering a supportive and inclusive workplace culture. The benefits of working here include competitive compensation, career growth, and a comprehensive range of wellness and lifestyle programs designed to help team members thrive both personally and professionally. Hilton's award-winning culture and dedication to employee well-being make it an employer of choice in the hospitality industry.

• 1 year of sales management experience within the hospitality industry
• Positive attitude and strong communication skills
• Commitment to delivering exceptional customer service
• Team-oriented mindset while also being a self-starter
• Genuine passion for proactively targeting and securing social business