Passionate Hospitality Professional

Lisa M. Hudson, CPCE

mobile: 832-***-****

email: **********@*******.***

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin. com/in/lisa-hudson-cpce-624448a/ PROFILE

A passionate hotel sales executive with 15 years of experience and an established history of driving results, leading successful sales teams, and creating unique guest experiences. Highly skilled in group and transient sales, banquet and catering sales, event planning, forecasting, budgeting, revenue management, and Hotel openings. An international background with a global perspective having lived in 5 different countries. Eligible to work in the UK, USA & Brazil. Looking for an opportunity to utilize my depth and breadth of sales experience and knowledge. SKILLS

Ability to negotiate and close sales using effective presentation and communication skills.

Enjoy managing multiple tasks in a fast-paced, ever changing environment and work well under pressure.

A highly organized, goal-oriented motivational leader.

Reputation for building, developing, and maintaining relationships through outstanding customer service. PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

Hotel ZaZa Houston Memorial City & Museum District December 2018- August 2019 Area Director of Sales

Responsibilities:

Oversaw and led the daily operations of two sales departments at two luxury boutique properties.

Prepared and presented weekly, monthly, and quarterly sales reports at departmental and ownership meetings.

Identified and analyzed current and future trends to ensure profitable sales in periods of low and high demand.

Responsible for the hiring and development of the sales department through constant training and coaching to achieve sales revenue targets.

Assisted the President of Operations and V.P of Sales in the development of sales strategies, initiatives, and business plans.

Achievements:

• Implemented effective sales and marketing strategies and established group room rates and food and beverage minimums to generate maximum revenue production while balancing transient business to achieve a solid YOY growth.

• Led, empowered, and developed the sales teams through effective and clear communication and motivation.

• Achieved maximum revenues through strong negotiating skills while satisfying client's needs and maintaining brand integrity.

• Received positive feedback from hotel ownership and upper management for demonstrating a passionate work ethic and successful contribution to the brand. Hotel ZaZa Houston Memorial City October 2016- December 2018 Director of Sales

Responsibilities:

First Employee of the Pre-Opening Team (Hotel opened on December 1, 2017).

Responsible for aggressively soliciting and booking quality business for all markets within the Sales & Catering Department (Group, Transient and Banquet + Catering).

Conducted presentations showcasing the hotel’s features and services, and hard hat construction site tours to successfully paint a picture of what the hotel would offer and look like.

Participated in community and industry-related events to promote awareness of the new property.

Monitored competition and worked closely with the Corporate Director of Revenue Management to establish rates and selling strategies for all market segments.

Successfully set-up all meeting space information in Delphi and Delphi Diagrams.

Prepared monthly and quarterly budget and forecast reports and presentations for Hotel Ownership and Management Company.

Achievements:

Led, developed, and managed a successful pre-opening team in preparation for the grand opening.

Exceeded the pre-opening group room revenue budget by 24% and banquet and catering budget by 6%.

Successfully achieved 118% of the first fiscal year’s group room revenue budget.

Strategically positioned the hotel as a market leader in overall market share including group occupancy, ADR, TrevPor and RevPar.

Effectively designed, developed, and implemented sales procedures and standards.

Invited back to the University of Houston’s Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management to present a lecture on hotel catering and event management.

Hotel ZaZa Houston Museum District March 2011- October 2016 Associate Director of Catering & Special Events

Responsibilities:

Assisted Director of Catering with the overall management of the catering department and oversaw the operations of the department through consistent coordination and communication.

Involved in the hiring process of catering personnel, provided performance evaluations and continuous training and development to ensure growth of the team.

Prepared and analyzed banquet and catering reports and monthly forecast reports to ensure annual budget was attained.

Led departmental meetings and developed menus and pricing structure.

Planned and executed intricate, upscale social and corporate events delivering mesmerizing experiences and exceeding client expectations.

Achievements:

Consistently exceeded an individual food and beverage sales goal of $2 million per annum by developing existing accounts and cultivating new business through comprehensive site tours.

Awarded Manager of the Quarter, 3rd quarter, 2012.

Awarded Manager of the Year, 2012.

Invited to give a lecture on career growth in the hotel industry at the University of Houston’s Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management.

Senior Catering Sales Manager October 2008- March 2011 Responsibilities:

Demonstrated exceptional ability to customize, plan and execute a broad range of events by detailing venue set-up, menu selection, theme, décor, timeline, audio visual, entertainment, and transportation needs.

Actively promoted the hotel by participating in industry events, trade shows, and open houses.

Conducted daily meetings with key departments to review upcoming meetings and events and ensured all necessary departments were aware of any updates or changes. Achievements:

Consistently achieved over $1.5 million in annual food and beverage sales.

Awarded Manager of the Quarter, 4th quarter, 2008. Catering Sales Manager October 2007-October 2008

Responsibilities:

Responsible for qualifying, selling, and servicing high-end social and corporate events and meetings by developing and maintaining an existing network of social clients and corporate accounts and actively solicit new business from companies, organizations and individuals with catering and meeting needs.

Managed accounts by preparing and customizing proposals, contracts, and detailed banquet event orders in accordance with client specifications, needs and budget. Achievements:

Continuously produced sales revenue by responding promptly to inquiries, conducting site tours, creating event menus and packages, up-selling and participating in sales blitzes to maximize catering goals.

An effective liaison between internal departments, vendors, clients, and planners to ensure overall event production success and customer satisfaction.

The Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa March 2006-October 2007 Social Catering Assistant

Assisted managers and high-end clients in the planning and organization of social events by developing strong relationships with guests, event planners, vendors, banquet and kitchen staff, operations, and audio/visual technicians through consistent and open communication.

Responsible for creating event contracts, room contracts, resume reports, correspondence, deposit payments and receipts, event packets, distributing banquet event orders and reports. AffordableTours.com, Houston December 2005- March 2006 Travel Sales Consultant

Planned and booked international and domestic travel arrangements based on client’s interests, needs and budget for an online travel agency featuring tours and cruises from multiple operators. Myres, Dale & Associates, P.C. January 2002-October 2005 Legal Administrator

• Assisted paralegals and attorneys prepare for trials, mediations, and hearings by creating document spreadsheets and organizing trial/hearing notebooks and exhibits.

• Interviewed potential new clients, answered incoming calls, and organized client case files. EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Certified Professional in Catering & Events (CPCE) March 2012 Achievement of the CPCE designation demonstrates expertise in catering & events and is earned by taking a comprehensive exam that covers the seven core competencies of the industry (accounting, beverage management, catering services, contracts & agreements, event management, food production, human resources, and sales & marketing).

The University of Houston 2001- 2004

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

Graduated with honors (Magna Cum Laude)

The Awty International School, Houston, Texas

International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma 1997-2000 INTERESTS

Travel, Water Sports (Kayaking, Jet-Skiing, & Paddle Boarding), Food & Wine, Cooking, Music ASSOCIATONS & MEMBERSHIPS

The Association of American Women of Aberdeen (AWA), Membership Chair 2019 to Present National Association for Catering & Events Houston Chapter (NACE) 2008 to 2019

Contact this candidate