The service industry comprises more than two-thirds of the nation's employment, which might make you wonder: "How much do hotel sales managers make?" A hotel sales manager must sell the use of a hotel's rooms, conference facilities and meeting spaces. These managers' salaries vary depending on the type of hotel they work in, the hotel's location, the individual's education and the amount of experience they have in the field.
How Much Do Hotel Sales Managers Make?
According to a 2011 report by PayScale, annual salaries for hotel sales managers range from $71,000 to $137,000. Some managers may earn commission in addition to their salary.
Factors Influencing a Sales Manager's Salary
The range of potential salaries for a sales manager rests heavily on the many factors that can influence a hotel's operation. Factors regarding the hotel, the manager and the sales manager's job duties affect how much a sales manager earns.
Hotel Ownership
A hotel owned by a corporate hotel chain will usually have larger financial reserves than a franchise or boutique hotel. Corporate-owned hotels typically have more rooms to sell and may also have conference facilities, creating more work for sales managers. Combined, these two factors often mean that sales managers working for corporate-owned hotels earn higher incomes.
Hotel Location
A city that regularly attracts tourists or convention attendees can place a high demand on local hotels. Sales managers working in hotels in these locations may earn higher incomes because they have to work harder; however, in some instances the hotel's location becomes a double-edged sword. If the hotel's space easily sells itself, there may be less work for the sales manager to do, which could result in a lower salary.
Size of Hotel
A sales manager must work harder to sell all available spaces in a hotel with a large number of rooms, conference facilities and meeting areas available for public use. In general, sales managers working in large hotels earn higher salaries because they have more space to sell.
Manager's Education
The majority of sales managers have at least an associate's degree in marketing, business, public relations, hotel management or hospitality. Lacking a degree will not prevent you from working in the field, but it may take longer to receive a promotion. Managers with graduate degrees in hospitality or business management earn more because of their advanced knowledge.
Manager's Experience
Most hotels promote existing sales staff to the position of manager, and therefore most managers begin as general salespersons. While every hotel prefers a different amount of experience, most individuals work an average of three years as a general salesperson before being promoted to manager. A sales manager who has worked in the field for an extended period of time will earn more to reflect their experience.
Impact of Job Duties on Salary
Sometimes, particularly in smaller or boutique hotels, a sales manager's role may be combined with another managerial position. In these hotels, it is not unusual for sales managers to manage a hotel's general operations, catering or marketing departments. PayScale notes the following sales-related management roles within the hotel industry.
Hotel General Managers
General Managers establish and implement general rules for a hotel and oversee its daily operation. They earn $38,000 to $100,000 per year, depending on the size of the hotel.
Catering Sales Managers
These managers sell the hotel's food and beverage services. They often create menus and supervise events hosted in the hotel, such as weddings or meetings. These managers earn an average of $40,000 per year.
Directors of Sales and Marketing
These managers must sell the use of the hotel's space, while also managing the hotel's advertising and public relations. They earn approximately $69,000 per year.
A sales manger performing multiple managerial duties does not earn the income for each position. Instead, they usually earn slightly more than the highest paying of the two.
Working as a Hotel Sales Manager
The question: "How much do hotel sales managers make?" is difficult to answer because of the impact that location, hotel size and varying roles have on their salaries. Without sales, a hotel cannot survive, and because of this salespersons and managers function as the lifeblood of both small and large hotels, generally earning a comfortable salary.
