Vice President of Sales in HOUSTON, Texas at Vista Host Inc.

Reports To: Chief Operating Officer
Classification: Full-Time | Exempt
Scope: Entire Vista Host Hotel Portfolio
Travel: As required to support portfolio performance, leadership development, and strategic initiatives

Vista Host is a nationally recognized hotel management and development company committed to delivering exceptional hospitality experiences, developing talented leaders, and maximizing performance across our diverse portfolio of hotels.

Our culture is built around the Vista Host Promise: for every employee and guest to have the heartfelt desire to return and to realize their unlimited potential when in our house.

We believe that successful hospitality starts with engaged employees, strong leadership, meaningful relationships, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

The Vice President of Sales provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and accountability for all sales activities across the Vista Host hotel portfolio.

This position is responsible for developing and executing comprehensive sales strategies that drive market share growth, increase revenue, expand business opportunities, and strengthen the competitive positioning of each property.

The Vice President of Sales leads the portfolio's sales organization, establishes clear performance expectations, develops sales talent, and ensures consistent execution of company sales initiatives.

Working collaboratively with Revenue Management, Marketing, Operations, and property leadership, this individual translates company objectives into measurable sales strategies that maximize profitability and long-term asset value.

Success in this role requires a balance of strategic thinking, analytical decision-making, hands-on leadership, and the ability to develop high-performing teams across multiple brands, markets, and hotel segments.

This position is ideal for an accomplished hospitality sales executive who thrives on building strong teams, identifying growth opportunities, and driving measurable results.

The successful candidate is a proactive, results-oriented leader who understands that effective sales leadership goes beyond setting goals. It requires developing people, inspecting execution, removing obstacles, and creating a culture of accountability.

This individual must be comfortable operating at both the executive and property levels, capable of developing long-term portfolio strategies while remaining closely connected to daily sales performance and market conditions.

• Develop, implement, and oversee a comprehensive sales strategy aligned with Vista Host's organizational objectives and individual property business plans.

• Establish annual and quarterly sales priorities designed to maximize revenue, profitability, market penetration, and competitive positioning.

• Identify opportunities to grow corporate, negotiated, group, extended-stay, leisure, and other relevant business segments.

• Evaluate market conditions, demand generators, competitor activity, and emerging business opportunities to guide sales strategies.

• Lead the development and execution of strategic account plans, market penetration initiatives, and targeted business development campaigns.

• Partner with Revenue Management to ensure sales efforts support optimal business mix, pricing strategies, occupancy, and RevPAR performance.

• Develop strategies for underperforming properties, including measurable action plans, defined milestones, and consistent performance follow-up.

• Support new hotel openings, acquisitions, repositioning efforts, and market transitions through proactive sales planning and business development.

• Provide leadership, coaching, and oversight to the portfolio's sales organization, including regional, area, and property-level sales professionals.

• Establish clear expectations, measurable goals, and consistent accountability standards for all sales positions.

• Develop and maintain standardized sales processes, performance scorecards, reporting expectations, and productivity measures.

• Conduct recurring performance reviews to evaluate sales activity, pipeline development, account production, and overall results.

• Identify performance gaps and implement targeted coaching, training, and corrective action plans when necessary.

• Partner with People & Culture to support recruiting, onboarding, performance management, succession planning, and career development.

• Build a sustainable leadership pipeline through mentoring, structured development programs, and internal advancement opportunities.

• Promote collaboration, knowledge sharing, and the consistent adoption of sales best practices across the portfolio.

• Ensure sales leaders are actively developing business rather than relying solely on existing accounts or inbound opportunities.

• Establish portfolio-wide key performance indicators to measure sales productivity, market penetration, account growth, and revenue contribution.

• Monitor and evaluate sales performance using company reporting platforms, brand systems, market intelligence, and competitive benchmarking tools.

• Analyze sales pipelines, account production, booking pace, market share, and conversion trends to identify risks and opportunities.

• Oversee the development and execution of property-level sales action plans with measurable deliverables.

• Ensure timely, accurate, and meaningful reporting of sales performance, business development activity, and future opportunities.

• Present executive-level sales performance updates, strategic recommendations, and improvement plans to senior leadership.

• Utilize data and market intelligence to challenge assumptions, improve forecasting accuracy, and prioritize resources.

• Establish consistent follow-through to ensure identified opportunities translate into measurable financial results.

• Drive new business acquisition and strengthen relationships with key corporate accounts, travel partners, meeting planners, and market stakeholders.

• Identify and pursue regional and national account opportunities that can generate business across multiple Vista Host properties.

• Oversee strategic prospecting initiatives, account acquisition plans, and sales deployment efforts.

• Build relationships with major demand generators, corporate decision-makers, convention and visitor organizations, and community partners.

• Evaluate account profitability, production potential, and long-term value to guide sales priorities.

• Support contract negotiations and strategic partnerships in collaboration with Revenue Management and Operations.

• Represent Vista Host professionally at industry events, client meetings, brand functions, and business development opportunities.

• Serve as a key commercial partner to Revenue Management, Marketing, and Operations leadership.

• Align sales strategies with revenue forecasts, pricing decisions, distribution strategies, and property-level financial objectives.

• Collaborate with Marketing and Digital teams to ensure campaigns, lead generation, and promotional initiatives support sales objectives.

• Partner with Directors of Operations and General Managers to establish shared accountability for property performance.

• Participate in annual budgeting, business planning, revenue strategy meetings, and ownership performance discussions.

• Provide sales insights and recommendations regarding capital improvements, competitive positioning, and market opportunities.

• Ensure alignment between property-level execution and broader organizational commercial strategies.

• Evaluate and optimize sales technology, CRM platforms, reporting systems, and prospecting tools.

• Establish standardized processes for account management, prospecting, sales activity tracking, and pipeline reporting.

• Drive consistent adoption and effective utilization of approved sales systems across the portfolio.

• Identify opportunities to streamline administrative processes and increase time dedicated to revenue-generating activities.

• Leverage automation, artificial intelligence, and emerging sales technologies to improve efficiency and business development effectiveness.

• Evaluate the return on investment of sales tools, resources, initiatives, and deployment strategies.

• Maintain a culture of continuous improvement through regular assessment of processes, performance, and organizational effectiveness.

• Serve as a member of the company's senior leadership team, contributing to strategic planning and organizational growth initiatives.

• Provide recommendations regarding sales organizational structure, staffing, resource allocation, and leadership development.

• Establish consistent communication between Support Office leadership, regional teams, and property-level sales personnel.

• Support ownership relations through professional reporting, strategic insight, and measurable performance improvements.

• Champion the Vista Host Promise through collaborative leadership, employee development, and a commitment to service excellence.

• Model accountability, professionalism, adaptability, and a solutions-oriented leadership approach.

Success in this position will be evaluated through measurable portfolio and property-level outcomes, including:

1. Revenue & Market Share: Achievement of established sales revenue targets, market penetration objectives, and competitive performance goals.

2. New Business Development: Growth in qualified leads, new accounts, account production, and incremental revenue generation.

3. Sales Productivity: Consistent achievement of prospecting, pipeline management, conversion, and sales activity expectations.

4. Property Performance: Demonstrated improvement at underperforming properties through targeted sales strategies and documented action plans.

5. Leadership Development: Strength of the sales talent pipeline, employee development, succession readiness, and team performance.

6. Strategic Execution: Timely completion and measurable effectiveness of sales initiatives, business plans, and portfolio priorities.

7. Cross-Functional Alignment: Effective collaboration with Revenue Management, Marketing, Operations, and property leadership.

8. Operational Efficiency: Adoption of standardized sales processes, accurate reporting, and effective utilization of sales technology.

Specific annual targets and performance thresholds will be established in alignment with company objectives and approved business plans.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Business Administration, Marketing, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive hotel sales experience, including at least 5 years in a multi-property, regional, or executive sales leadership capacity.

• Demonstrated success developing and executing sales strategies across a diverse portfolio of hotels.

• Strong understanding of hotel revenue management, market segmentation, competitive benchmarking, and commercial performance.

• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop geographically dispersed sales teams.

• Experience establishing measurable performance expectations and driving accountability across multiple properties.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret financial reports, sales data, market intelligence, and revenue performance metrics.

• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

• Proficiency with hotel sales systems, CRM platforms, Microsoft Office applications, and industry reporting tools.

• Ability to travel as necessary to support property performance and organizational objectives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience overseeing sales across multiple major hotel brands, including Hilton, Marriott, IHG, and independent properties.

• Experience within a third-party hotel management company.

• Familiarity with select-service, extended-stay, and full-service hotel operating models.

• Experience supporting hotel openings, acquisitions, transitions, and repositioning initiatives.

• Demonstrated success implementing sales technology, process improvements, and organizational development programs.

• Experience presenting commercial performance and strategic plans to executive leadership and ownership groups.

The Vice President of Sales is accountable for the strategic direction, performance standards, and execution of sales initiatives across the Vista Host portfolio.

The position provides direct leadership to designated sales personnel and functional oversight of property-level sales activities in coordination with Operations leadership.

The Vice President of Sales is expected to exercise sound judgment, establish priorities, address performance concerns, and escalate significant operational or financial risks when appropriate.

Key Internal Partnerships:

• Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer

• Revenue Management and Digital Strategy Teams

• Marketing Leadership

• Directors of Operations

• General Managers and Property Sales Teams

• People & Culture

• Finance and Accounting

The ideal Vice President of Sales demonstrates the following leadership characteristics:

• Strategic Vision: Anticipates market opportunities and translates organizational goals into actionable sales strategies.

• Results Orientation: Focuses on measurable outcomes, consistent execution, and continuous performance improvement.

• People Development: Builds capable, confident, and accountable sales leaders through coaching and professional development.

• Commercial Acumen: Understands the relationship between sales activity, revenue strategy, profitability, and asset performance.

• Ownership Mentality: Takes responsibility for outcomes, addresses challenges proactively, and follows through on commitments.

• Collaboration: Creates strong partnerships across departments while maintaining clear accountability for sales results.

• Adaptability: Responds effectively to changing market conditions, business priorities, and organizational needs.

• Culture Leadership: Embodies the Vista Host Promise and creates an environment where employees are empowered to realize their potential.

Vista Host offers the opportunity to make a meaningful impact within a growing hotel management organization that values leadership, innovation, collaboration, and professional development.

Our benefits and employee programs include:

• Competitive compensation and performance-based incentive opportunities

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Flexible PTO plan

• Partially paid parental leave

• Life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage

• 401(k) with company match

• Hotel travel discounts

• Employee Assistance Program

• Professional development and career advancement opportunities

• A supportive, people-focused organizational culture

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by individuals assigned to this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, or qualifications. Responsibilities may be modified as business needs evolve.

Vista Host is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

The Vista Host Promise: We will inspire unlimited potential for every Vista Host associate and hotel guest. We will do this by serving all whom we encounter with genuine kindness and exceptional hospitality. With these efforts, we will empower, and always advocate for, every person’s experience to result in their heartfelt desire to return.