Varun Sharma
Sales Manager
Ahmedabad,Gujarat
Summary
A hardworking and performance-driven Hospitality, Sales & Marketing professional offering 3+ years of progressive experience in lead generation, hospitality management, operations management, strategic planning, key account management and brand management. Sound cognizance of lead generation software and building customer relations & loyalty that exceed expectations. Demonstrated history in penetrating new markets and breaking through to unique sales channels and met revenue targets, sales quotas and corporate goals. Tenacious manager with strategic and analytical approach to solving problems, bringing in customers and accomplishing profit targets. Talented in identifying and capitalizing on emerging market trends and revenue opportunities.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
Work History
Sales Manager
Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre (An IHG Hotel)
2 2023 - Current
- Handling the account portfolio assigned according to territory, key account management for top accounts, contracting process for each account and preparing business cases to penetrate an account well, Interpreting market mix for market capture and maintaining accurate records of accounts documents & contracts for maximizing on MICE opportunities, Using Online Tools such as Sales Force and Merlin to maximise on the market share and account mapping of each account, Key account management to maintain the relationship to increase an account portfolio revenue and room nights to the fullest, Using Lanyon to capture and individual account through Global Distribution Systems and Request for Proposal (RFP), Using the Web prolific software to maintain and requisite departmental supplies as an administrative tasks, Billing reconciliation and follow ups with vendors, business partners and corporate clients through finance
Sales Executive
Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad
09.2019 - 03.2022
- Handling the account portfolio assigned according to territory, key account management for top accounts, contracting process for each account and preparing business cases to penetrate an account well, Outcome: Increased the room nights from big conglomerates generating business of 250 RNS approx
- Additionally a year from a single account even at the time of covid Year 2020, which was sitting at
- Generated around 2000 room nights form a Chinese Project Business in the year FY 21/22 by market intel, hunting for project business and focused calling, Increased the Market Mix of industrial areas of the city from 0% - 2% in the FY 2021/22 by tapping and focused sales calls, Interpreting market mix for market capture and maintaining accurate records of accounts documents & contracts for maximizing on MICE opportunities, Outcome: increased the signed LNR, (Least negotiated contracts) count from 150 in FY 2018/19 to around 500 in numbers in FY 2021/22 with a mix of segmented territory sales calls and compiled the data for other Sales Managers along with me, Using Hyatt Event Management System to enter query into envision and creating detailed reports for upcoming conferences, verifying request for proposal & undertaking action on the same via Lanyon RFP, Outcome: submitted 8 bids of major RFPs then the previous bid count of 4 submitted by a single sales representative by learning about the RFP market, Utilizing LinkedIn Sales Navigator for overall account mapping, SWOT analysis of each account for proper acquisition and using requisition software like Birch Street and Iscala for day-to-day departmental supplies in collaboration with the materials department as part of administrative task., Outcome: increased the efficiency and number of requisitions sent to 10% which was at 5% by timely follow up and putting the requisition within the deadline, Submitting proposals to key prospects and following up on a timely basis, Outcome: increased the proposal sending and follow up rate by 7% for the accounts which were tapped and followed up and were at 3% , this was done by approaching them and calling on a monthly basis
- Boosted sales revenue by cultivating strong client relationships and implementing effective sales strategies.
Front Office Assistant
The Oberoi Udaivilas
07.2018 - 07.2019
- Involved in processing cashier reports at the end of the shift for cash handover, auditing and assessed & verified various payment modes as per folio on Opera, Outcome: entered database of 45 international guests C-forms and local entry for guests shift wise daily, Prepared a checklist & inventory of items like medical supplies, paid outs, miscellaneous and created itinerary for sightseeing spots & handled guest airport transfers to meet maximum work excellence, Outcome: carried out inventory for around 450 items a week including CDs , Medicines, Keys, and other miscellaneous items physically, Created a day-to-day checklist of each guest luggage received and made an inventory of trolleys & supplies about bell desk, Outcome: maintained a list of 80 luggage handled per week be it group or FIT luggage all together, Managed guest requests for 24/7 support via telephone operator for guest satisfaction and met guest expectations, made logs and entered requests for necessary action in Triton software, Outcome: Recorded and resolved requests and complaints of at least 40 guests per week without escalation at operator on telephone on a personal level, Provided exceptional in-room check-in and checkout of the guest to enhance their stay, lobby rounds to ensure everything is clean, Outcome: Took around 5 in-room check-ins and registration on a daily basis on Front desk or reception
Intern Sales, Marketing & Front Office
Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad
01.2017 - 07.2017
- Assessed the Central Reservation Systems functioning along with INDRO (inhouse reservation operations) Outcome: made around 4 reservations with a mix of FIT and contracted guest, Oversaw Bell Services & Concierge Operations in line with Airport & Travel Desk Operations from first internship Outcome: managed a team of 4 for a day, Handled Night Audit & Discrepancy in postings during the day in detail, Outcome: maintained records and electronic entry of at least 35 guests a day from cc batch of AMEX, VISA, and MASTERCARD, Undertook RFPs (request for proposal) for a specific query from a guest Outcome: made entries of 5 RFPS individually, Prepared contracts for confirmed events and learnt new software's like Envision & Event Management System (EMS) for Event Booking & Detailing, Outcome: preparing around 8 contracts a week for other Sales Managers, additionally entered database of 400 clients through business cards, Involved in sales calls, blitz or cold calling, Outcome: shadowed sales managers over 25 sales calls during my tenure from different segments and target market
Rooms Operations Intern
Grand Hyatt Mumbai
07.2015 - 12.2015
- Performed a wide array of duties like delivered guest luggage on a timely basis & maintained baggage report and managed check-ins/ checkouts and tallied the same based on the payment mode, Outcome: made a list of around 150 luggage a week handled individually, Provided assistance in breakfast operations along with certain meeting requirements for elite Grand Club members, Managed guest requests about Stationary & other meeting dynamics for smooth streamlining of conference Outcome: maintained the list of 40 items given and setup per week for a particular conference, Helped the guests in procurement of groceries & other necessary amenities and maintained guest airport transfers reports via Opera, Outcome: Maintained the paging list of at least 32 guests per week during my internship, Made traces for crew on Reserve Software for Hyatt along with block pickups as part of in-house reservation Outcome: Put around 8 traces a day, Assisted the guest with room check-ins and met guest delights, Outcome: Took around 6 in-room check-ins a week
Education
Bachelor of Tourism Studies (BTS) -
Indira Gandhi National Open University
Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics - undefined
MIT WPU Pune
Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing -
Manipal University Jaipur
11.2025
Graduation in Hospitality Management -
Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa in accreditation with Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne
Skills
Hospitality Management
Requisition Management
Strategic Planning
Business Planning & Analysis
Brand Management
Market Penetration
Key Account Management
Revenue Generation, Analysis and Forecasting
Client Relationship Management
Sales Planning, Reporting and Operations
Lead Generation and Negotiation
Stakeholder Management
Data Analysis
Accomplishments
- Certificate of Appreciation for supporting Operations department in execution of Events at Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad- 2020
- Kudos for support in execution of a wedding Dinner and Pre- wedding of Reliance Industries (Ambani family) at The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur -2019
- Special Recognition Award- Team of the Quarter at The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur - 2018
- Certification of Participation in ‘New Urbanisms in India', Smart City Research Project from University of Birmingham- 2015
- Letter of Appreciation for exceptional performance during internship at The Grand Hyatt Mumbai -2015
- Completed Mentorship for Needle.ai in analyzing music streaming patterns for a video and music application in collaboration with Atal incubation Centre in the year 2022
- Hystar for Serving Indian National Cricket Team and Indian Premier League Team, Delhi Capitals at Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad 2021
- Recognized and awarded the Manager of the Quarter Award for Quarter 3 of 2023 at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad city centre
- Recognized and awarded Top 20 Sales & Marketing Leaders – People's Choice award hosted by Hospitality tip of the day
- Won the 'Team of the Year - Sales and Marketing' award and certificate at Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad city centre
System and Software used
- Hyatt Event Management System (Envision)
- Microsoft Office
- Birch Street Requisition Software
- Iscala Purchase Management System
- Triton Requisition Software
- Opera Property Management System
- Lanyon Request for Proposal Software
- SAS
- SQL
- Power BI
- Tableau
- SPSS
- Orange 3
- Web prolific
Trainings
- LinkedIn Trainings on Key Account Management
- Sales Time Management
- Sales Closing Strategies
- Pricing Strategies
- Sales Process
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Training
- Hyatt Selling Tools Training
- Hyatt Event Management System- Envision Training
- Wine and Spirit Education trust (WSET) Level 1 and 2 award
- HABC Level 1 certification in food safety in catering
- Band 6 certification from British Council
- IHG Business Rewards and Business Edge training
Tableau
https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/varun.sharma3273
Timeline
Sales Executive
Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad
09.2019 - 03.2022
Front Office Assistant
The Oberoi Udaivilas
07.2018 - 07.2019
Intern Sales, Marketing & Front Office
Hyatt Regency Ahmedabad
01.2017 - 07.2017
Rooms Operations Intern
Grand Hyatt Mumbai
07.2015 - 12.2015
Sales Manager
Crowne Plaza Ahmedabad City Centre (An IHG Hotel)
2 2023 - Current
Bachelor of Tourism Studies (BTS) -
Indira Gandhi National Open University
Post Graduate Diploma in Business Analytics - undefined
MIT WPU Pune
Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing -
Manipal University Jaipur
Graduation in Hospitality Management -
Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa in accreditation with Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne