Conference Services Manager

Conference Services Manager (CSM), The WESTIN Verasa Napa

Location:          Napa, CA USA

Type:                 Manager

Category:         Hotel/Resort, Guest Services

The Westin brand is built on four unique differences - tradition, distinctive hotels, products and service. We look for 'people who make the difference', a Westin legacy where associates deliver a consistent and memorable level of service all the time.

Responsibilities

Manage, coordinate and execute definite group contracts.  Review & facilitate all contractual agreements pertaining to guest room blocks, meeting space, food and beverage and special concessions.  Effectively communicate & present to all hotel departments all information necessary to successfully execute the group's needs while maintaining a good client relationship.  

• Create & maintain positive client relations.
• Comprehensive knowledge of sales contracts and other important information including:  room block, cut-off date, special concessions and attrition clauses should be utilized to validate this information to client via a turnover letter/email.
• Enforce program deadline dates while working with clients in order to release meeting space not needed to maximize hotel revenues. Responsible for professional and timely communication with internal and external clients
• Create, disseminate & present convention resume/group overviews ten days prior to first day of main group arrival.  Responsible for communicating any changes and updated information to hotel departments. 
• Create BEO's (Banquet Event Order) for each event, with diagrams per the discretion of the CSM. Distribute BEOs for group and affiliates 10-14 days prior to events and attend/present bi-weekly BEO meetings.
• Strategically up sell to clients both food and beverage and A/V in order to meet budget goals.  Accurately forecast group food and beverage revenues for assigned groups within a 5% variance.
• Responsible for confirming sleeping room and suite block, special room concessions and rates as outlined in contract with reservations coordinator.
• Prepare and facilitate site visits and planning meetings for upcoming groups and potential affiliate business. Manage client expectations of service levels.
• Responsible for collecting billing information for all groups at time of turnover and passing to accounting along with estimated amount of billing, billing type and appropriate contact and update information per discretion until departure. 
• Review and approve daily event checks for assigned groups. 
• Review and approve invoices/ folios for assigned groups & review final bill with client.
• Facilitate & present in Pre/Post Convention meetings with internal staff and clients. 
• Complete file turnover to Sales and Marketing Administrator once client has left.

Additional functions may include:

• Introduce and recommend internal house vendors (F & B entities) as preferred vendor. Recommend off site venue's based on knowledge of client need & coordinate communication with client/third party vendors.
• Create and maintain organized & accurate filing system for all groups. 
• Generate VIP, limousine and amenity forms per discretion.
• Create and foster solid and open communication with all hotel operating departments.
• Responsible for managing work schedule based on client needs.
• Create and complete all activities in Delphi.
• Intuitively foresee any potential program issues and/or problems and communicate with appropriate departments in order to resolve. 
• Sell directly to corporate catering clients as business needs dictate.

General Skills Description

High school or equivalent education required.  Bachelor's Degree preferred.

At least one year catering sales and convention services experience preferred. 

Delphi or ISAC experience a plus.

Skills and Knowledge

The individual must possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities and be able to explain and demonstrate that he or she can perform the essential functions of the job, with or without reasonable accommodation, using some other combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities:

Must be able to speak, read, write and understand the primary language(s) used in the workplace.

Must be able to read and write to facilitate the communication process. 

Requires good communication skills, both verbal and written.

Must be able to meet required deadlines; complete projects in a timely manner.

Most tasks are performed in a team environment.  There is minimal direct supervision.

Must be able to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or governmental regulations. 

Must be able to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. 

Must be able to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups to managers, clients, customers, and ownership.

Must be able to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.

Must be proficient in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, SAP, and other applicable computer systems.  Budgetary analysis capabilities required.

Must be able to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Working knowledge of federal, state and local laws governing equal employment opportunity and civil rights, occupational safety and health, wage and hour issues, and labor relations, including, but not limited to the following statutes and their comparable state and local laws (where applicable): Title VII, ADEA, Equal Pay Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, FLSA, ADA, OSHA, FMLA, and NLRA.

Physical Demands:

• Most tasks are performed indoors.  Temperature is moderate and controlled by hotel environmental systems.
• Must be able to sit at a desk for up to 5 hours per day.  Walking and standing are required the rest of the working day.  This includes traveling to and from meetings.  Length of time of these tasks may vary from day to day and task to task.
• Must be able to exert well-paced ability to maneuver between functions occurring simultaneously.
• Must be able to exert well-paces ability to reach other departments of the hotel on a timely basis.
• Must be able to lift up to 15 lbs. occasionally.
• Requires grasping, writing, standing, sitting, walking, repetitive motions, listening and hearing ability and visual acuity.
• Talking and hearing occur continuously in the process of communicating with guests, supervisors and other employees. 
• Vision occurs continuously with the most common visual functions being those of near vision and depth perception.
• Must have finder dexterity to be able to operate office equipment such as computers, printers, 10-key adding machine, multi-line touch tone phone, filing cabinets, FAX machines, photocopiers, dolly and other office equipment as needed.

Other:

Regular attendance in conformance with the standards, which may be established from time to time, is essential to the successful performance of this position.  Employees with irregular attendance will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Due to the cyclical nature of the hospitality industry, employees may be required to work varying schedules to reflect the business needs of the hotel.  In addition, attendance at all scheduled training sessions and meetings is required.

Upon employment, all employees are required to fully comply with Westin rules and regulations for the safe and effective operation of the hotel’s facilities.  Employees who violate hotel rules and regulations will be subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.

Grooming

All employees must maintain a neat, clean and well-groomed appearance per Starwood standards.

This job description is not an exclusive or exhaustive list of all job functions that an employee in this position may be asked to perform from time to time.