So you want to be in Hotel Sales? The First Trap...

Not all sales careers in the hotel professions are sales careers in hotels:

• Beware of Management Companies. Here, you are a number, a box of kleenex. I know of Director of Sales, used, abused, and discarded in far-off, less-than-exotic places when the Management Company loses their contracts when the hotel or resort owner FIRES the M/Company. Then, you could be on your own. Find-your-own-way-back-to-civilization, pal. Don't think so, Pal? (trust me)
• Then, there are Franchise Owners (much like working for your local McDonalds owners) Turn over highest here. Staff; expands and contracts at will. That's you. Cousins, uncles, sisters, girl friends are last to go and you are the first to exit in hard economic times.
• There are owners who corral a dozen or more "franchise" hotels, like a 12 or more Burger Kings...no kidding, JUST like em. And they treat their employees the same, like toilett tissue paper.
• Corporate Hotels: you wind up applying directly to their Corporate Offices, Holiday Inn, Radisson and the like. Be careful here, you usually get shunted off to the dreaded Human Resources Office. Remember, this HR division SCREENS OUT, not in. Avoid them, they are the enemy. Find out who issues the "hire" order and sic 'em. If you get an interview, I'll discuss the finer points in a later blog. Tricky. Sometimes, it's what you DON'T say.
• Head Office jobs: For yes men/women only. No one in their right mind with independent thought or action, with any credibility, works or wants to work in the head office. No one with any self worth will last long at a Board Room Table for more than a month, and speak up, saying, " yes, Mr. (Ms.) Bigdome, but I disagree, we should actually go the otherway, ...) and last more than a month. You will be demoted to MOD in a roadside Inn in Media Pennsylvania. Hotel companies are run by egomaniacal fuedal lords who are not used to having underlings second guessing them on anything from color schemes of the bathrooms to Marketing Programs. No exceptions
• Hotel Head Hunters: - Be afraid. Be very afraid. A "Head Hunter" is a search agent, or a so called professional who searches out "talent" in a particular field by a client to see if you are interested in talking to a certain hotel who might be looking to fill their position. They have BEEN KNOWN TO LIE in various occasions. Do your homework. After 40 years of experience and bloody mistakes, I can testify that there are only two I would trust to baby sit my children: one in Scottsdale, the other in a suburb in Dallas. No other. And, there are a hundred out there.

Next editions, What not to say in front a hotel general manager in a sales and marketing meeting.
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