Director of Group and Events - London

Director of Group and Events - London

About the Hotel 

Situated in the heart of Knightsbridge, one of London’s most exclusive neighbourhoods, and towering high over world- class shopping destination Sloane Street, The Carlton Tower Jumeirah is a beacon of sophistication where heritage meets contemporary luxury. The hotel has been reinvented for a new generation of discerning guests with elegant, timeless interiors complemented by the most spectacular views.

Featuring an exciting collection of restaurants and bars and a world-class fitness club and spa, the hotel will be embraced by its affluent local community as well as sophisticated international travellers as the place to reside, rejuvenate and celebrate in Knightsbridge.

If you have passion and ambition that sets you apart from your peers, if you can deliver true craftsmanship and quality with charm and flair then join us in creating the best team in the business.

About the role

We are seeking an experienced Director of Group & Events to head up the sales and planning team at the newly refurbished Carlton Tower Jumeirah. In this role will lead and inspire a team of event professionals for conferencing, group stays and social events.

Strong leadership and teamwork qualities are essential to the success of this position. The ability to drive standards, deliver high quality and intricate and complex events and exceed guest expectations is required.

Working as part of a larger sales and marketing team you will oversee and guide your team in the organisation all aspects of a clients meetings or function requirements including; venue hire, AV equipment and food & beverage. From the initial enquiry up until the day of the event you'll deliver a consistently high standard of event management services to our guests. As Director of Group & Events, your duties will include;

• With Director of Sales & Marketing, Director of Sales, define sales & marketing strategy for groups & events segments and lead the implementation of place across the sales team.  
• Undertake sales calls and presentations to develop and grow relationships and maximise revenues from top group and event clients.  
• Maximise booking conversion opportunities by deploying effective sales and negotiation techniques, including telephone sales, face-to-face sales calls, site inspections and creative sales processes. 
• Ensure the team provides a high level of customer service during the event planning process, to ensure all groups and events are planned to a high standard, meeting or exceeding customers’ expectations, including but not limited to site visits, menu tastings, event order compilation, rooming-list liaison with reservations team, AV requirements etc. 
• To liaise with sales, reservations and operations to ensure that VIP guests are recognised as part of the VIP procedures, including room allocations, amenities and arrival welcome.  
• To personally event management some high revenue event bookings 
• To personally handle some high revenue event enquiries.

About you

The successful candidate will have the following experience and skills:

• Minimum 2 years experience in a similar position within a luxury 5 star environment
• Prior experience working within luxury hospitality is desirable
• Excellent level of English in written and spoken format
• Competent computer skills, word, excel, power point
• Excellent communicator and able to connect with all levels in the business, flexing style as appropriate.
• Effective organisational skills; able to prioritise tasks and self-manage a demanding workload or reactive and proactive work
• Excellent personal presentation skills demonstrating a 5 * appearance at all times
• Friendly, approachable and professional
• Strong eye for detail

About the benefits

Besides generous F&B benefits and reduced hotel rates across our hotels globally, this role has excellent employee benefits making the role attractive to high performers with one of the most luxurious brands in the hospitality industry. This includes…

• Free meals on duty
• Dry cleaning of uniforms / office attire
• 28 days paid annual leave including bank holidays
• Extra day of holiday for significant birthdays
• 50% off all Jumeirah restaurants and bars
• Generous discounted Jumeirah hotel rates
• Interest free season ticket loan
• Recognition and Social calendar
• Company Pension Scheme
• Excellent training and development opportunities