Walking into your prized hotel on a daily basis comes with great responsibility, especially when in Sales. It's rarely discussed, but the perception of the Sales Department is wildly incorrect and a majority of the time this can be fixed! If you appear unapproachable in the mornings when walking through the property, some may assume the hotel is struggling. Then again if you engage everyone in sight with a smile (and include more than a nod) all of a sudden now your sales team is thriving to new heights! The correct approach to improving the hotel's perception is to exemplify you have nothing to hide and that you're proud of the people you work with.

In Sales you must never forget to make and maintain connections with everyone in your hotel. This includes making connections with the guests, operations team, housemen, maids, valet, accounting, human resources, revenue, the pool boy, bartenders, engineer(s), the General Manager and of course the people I failed to mention (cant forget them). The goal should be making efforts to include yourself as part of the entire team.

As my respected colleagues have told me in the past, "Sometimes reality is outweighed by perception. People may perceive you as quiet or lacking energy, and all of a sudden their reality tells them that you are not holding your weight in your department." I believe this to be true, so how can this misconception be avoided?

5 Insider Tips to a Healthy Working Environment from Sales to Sales:

  1. Communicate with anyone willing to talk to you in your hotel: You'd be surprised how much valuable information you can uncover and how little others talk to them about work-related subjects.
  2. Help instill confidence within each department: Let co-workers know they're doing a good job or even that you respectfully see areas of improvement; your honesty should decrease their levels of stress and improve trust. 
  3. Keep your staff updated with what you're working on and your recent successes: Keeping your now allies in the loop will help paint a better picture of how the hotel is doing. They can even include such information with incoming guests, ultimately improving guest relations.
  4. Have lunch with someone outside of your department: A lot can be covered during lunch, such as key concerns that few care to listen to. Connecting with other departments will improve overall communication within the hotel.
  5. Ask your co-workers what stresses them about their job and try to give calming advice: Taking the time to listen to your co-workers can help them regain any lost focus. Many times your co-workers are so worked up about something that happened to them before they came into work; imagine if they voice their frustrations to the guests and not you!

I guarantee these 5 tips have been neglected at times in your workplace. With awareness and execution, these opportunities will improve morale and overall hotel culture...perhaps forever!

Ryan Lasner
Sales Manager - Hersha Hospitality Management
(305) 929 5182
Hersha Hospitality Management (HHM)