Praveen Sharma

Key Result Areas:

-Responsible for complete hotel operations and reporting to the Managing Director

-Leading a team of 9 direct reports from different disciplines/verticals in the hotel to achieve business targets and objectives

-To plan & execute strategies to increase the guest satisfaction and overall hotel experience

-Upkeep of the Palace in a cost effective and innovative way

-To roll out the best global hospitality practices/processes in the hotel

-To set the SMART goals for the team and work with them to achieve

-Managing all stakeholders including owners, guests and the associates

Highlights:

-Worked with the team to achieve the GOP of 40-45% on monthly basis since joining by controlling expenses and pushing the team to increase the top line in the period of Covid-19 Pandemic

-Increase in the guest satisfaction by proactive engagement, flawless services and creating experiences

-Initiation and completion of Swimming pool renovation and power saving project after identifying the right vendors

-Creating the environment of positivity and performance

-Hired and trained new employees, demonstrating best methods for serving clients and guests.

-Handled guest complaints and offered service recovery to maintain high guest satisfaction rates.

-Streamlined processes, budgets, and procurement strategies, leading to bottom-line improvement.

-Established internal databases and record management systems to enhance accuracy and integrity of all documentation and data.

-Participated in financial activities such as setting room rates, establishing budgets and allocating funds to departments.

Key Result Areas:

-Leading a team of 5 Regional Sales Managers across 3 Sales Offices in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru along with 3 Unit Sales Heads in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Jaipur to achieve business targets and objectives

-Formulating hospitality sales & marketing strategies and roadmap for hotel expansion, developing business, augmenting revenue and re-structuring business processes in line with the defined policy

-Supporting the overall process of management and corporate decision-making and impacting hotels profitability through effective strategic and tactical management decisions and new business development

-Expanding hotel business in the assigned portfolio by devising GTM/RTM strategies and consistently improving profitability of the hotel; identifying new streams for long-term revenue growth

-Developing & ensuring excellent relationship with clients and decision makers across industries such as IT, PSU, FMCG, Construction, Pharma, Travel Agents, Wholesalers, EMCs, Airlines, Automobile and so on

Highlights:

-Boosted annual revenue for Howard Johnson, Kolkata from INR 6.5 Cr. to INR 9.5 Cr. within a span of two years in an unfavorable market with low brand awareness

-Increased Brand Awareness by identifying & working with the right Digital Technology Partners which led to organic growth of Unique User Traffic to more than 76% and 59% MoM for Howard Johnson, Bengaluru and Kolkata respectively

-Formulated unique promotional strategies in coordination with the GMs, Sales Team and promoted hotels through digital channels and generated direct bookings on an average of 15 high quality monthly leads for rooms, F&B and Banquets

-Introduced & drove initiatives such as Balanced Score Card, CRM Implementation to boost sales, pipeline, and operational efficiency

-Played a key role in rebranding the parent company (UMIL Hotels) in collaboration with agency partners to establish Brand Identity, Persona, and the Corporate Website

-Successfully migrated Inbound Tour Operators and special Project from Cognizant for Howard Johnson, Kolkata

-Augmented group turnover worth INR 20 Cr. by opening new hotels which are operative for 7-10 months in year

-Established Regional Sales Offices and hired suitable resources for the units in order to streamline and stabilized the sales organization; pioneered 3 new hotels Vihas Hotel Tirupati, Souvenir Premier Jaipur and Hotel Kandla International Gandhidham which were later converted to Renest Brand

-Developed effective business plans to align strategic decisions with long-term objectives.

-Assessed reports to evaluate performance, develop targeted improvements and implement changes.

-Developed and maintained relationships with customers through account development.

-Set, enforced and optimized internal policies to maintain efficiency and responsiveness to demands.

-Developed value-added solutions and approaches by leveraging trends in customer marketplaces and industries.

-Maximized efficiency by coaching and mentoring personnel on management principles, industry practices, company procedures and technology systems.

-Managed budget implementations, employee reviews, training, schedules and contract negotiations.

Highlights:

-Led a Sales Team of 7 including Executives and Managers and generated Highest Room Revenue worth INR 40 Cr.+, ADR & Occupancy since opening; revived & reclaimed lost share in catering business especially from big ODC events

-Surpassed competitors and recorded achievement of highest revenue worth INR 40Cr.+ against previous record of INR 38.9 Cr.

-Improved reputation and online engagement by working with social media agency

-Performed competitive analyses and adjusted sales and marketing strategies accordingly.

-Managed sales promotions and marketing strategies on major social media sites.

-Analyzed sales and marketing data for improved strategies.

-Instructed sales staff on cross-selling and up-selling techniques resulting in increased significant sales revenue.

-Cultivated and maintained strategic alliances with key partners and vendors.

-Developed positive, performance-based internal sales and marketing culture to include mentoring staff.

-Attracted new clientele and developed customer relationships by hosting product-focused events.

-Hired, supervised and coached 6 employees on sales strategies to optimize performance.

-Built relationships with customers and community to establish long-term business growth.

Highlights:

-Led a team of 10 members including Executives & Managers across Sales, Marketing and Reservation functions

-Exceeded the forecasted revenue of INR 25 Cr. and the revised INR 39.5 Cr. by achieving a total annual revenue of INR 40 Cr. + within the first year of operations with just 112 keys despite being in a tier 2 city

Highlights:

-Marked excellence in establishing Courtyard Marriott Bhopal as No. 1 Hotel in the City

-Successfully achieved room revenue goal by 11.9%, Catering 10.8% and total hotel 11.9% above budget of year 2014 and more than 45% YoY in 2013 (11 months)

-Established ambitious sales targets, managed deployment strategies and developed go-to-market plans to capitalize on every revenue opportunity.

Recognized with:

o Chairman Circle Award for achieving more than 120%+ of the assigned yearly budget in Corporate Transient and Mice segment in 2010

o Special Achievement Award for outstanding work with key Travel Management Companies, Group Intermediaries & Travel institutes in 2011

-Steered efforts in securing No. 1 position in terms of account share; expanded account share from 3% to 11% from one of the major Travel Management Company within a span of one year for Marriott Hotels

-Boosted YoY growth by 30% in MICE segment in 2011

-Represented Marriott at the TAAI convention in Istanbul in the year 2012 & Arabian Travel Mart 2010