Elegant Hotels Group, Barbados
A privately held luxury hotel group with 5 resorts and one of the finest restaurants in Barbados; two all- inclusive, two breakfast plan hotels and one unique 5* location.
Vice President of Sales, Marketing & Distribution 2008-2009
- Upscale marketing focus included high end public relations, cross promotions with other luxury products, targeting platinum card holders and frequent first class air travelers
· Cross selling and marketing 5 diverse properties
- Opened an International Sales and Reservations Office for the brand based in Fort Lauderdale
o Disbanded the island reservation center
o Located and negotiated long-term office space and vendor contracts
o Dealt with licensure and regulatory bodies,
o Purchased office equipment, telephone and computer network systems
o Supervised installation and operation.
o Performed all HR functions in recruiting, hiring and training sales, reservations and support staff
o Ensured compliance with state and federal statutes in personnel practices
- Instituted systems for cost control and communication with a worldwide sales force
- Led the development and launch of targeted regional and international marketing plans
- Increased on-line direct consumer sales by 300% in 8 months
- Transitioned from a 12-year old PMS to Fidelio's Opera and instituted GDS connectivity
- Created a variety of manual reports for internal communication, measuring pace, identifying VIP and repeat travelers
- · Jump-started a rebranding project from new logos to stories to tags
- · Led the development and launch of regional and international marketing plans targeted at consumer and niche markets.
Market Mix |
| 78% | UK |
| 2% | Canada |
| 16% | USA |
| 2% | Islands |
| 2% | Europe |
Key Performance Indicators
“We are very fortunate to have someone of Michele's caliber join Elegant. She brings with her a wealth of international experience which has garnered numerous awards in the industry for her creativity, sales and e-commerce expertise. We are convinced that the experience she brings to the Elegant team will permit us to reach higher and more ambitious goals."
--Michael Poynter, Chief Operating Officer, Elegant Hotels Group – Barbados |