Hotel Sales Playbook

How Convention & Visitors Bureaus Drive Hotel Revenue | CVB 101 for Hotel Leaders

What role does your local Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) play in driving hotel revenue? In this episode of The Hotel Sales Playbook, I draw on five years of CVB experience to explain how CVBs operate, attract business, and support hotel performance. Learn how they generate demand through meetings, conventions, sporting events, tour and travel, leisure marketing, and special events—and why they can be one of a hotel’s most valuable partners. We’ll also cover how leads are distributed, what happens before a lead reaches your inbox, and how stronger hotel-CVB partnerships create more opportunities for both hotels and destinations. Whether you’re a sales manager, director of sales, general manager, revenue leader, or owner, this episode will help you better understand how CVBs contribute to destination success and revenue growth. In this episode: • What a CVB does and how it differs from hotel sales • How CVBs are funded • Where CVB business comes from • How lead distribution works • Why some hotels receive more opportunities than others • The importance of need dates and communication • How to become a stronger CVB partner • Advanced strategies for experienced hotel sales leaders If you want to get more value from your relationship with your local CVB, this episode is for you.

Using AI With the STR Report to Find Revenue Opportunities

How hotel sales leaders, GMs, and owners can use AI to better understand STR data, uncover hidden demand, and create stronger revenue conversations.

Tour & Travel in Hotel Sales: Building Consistent, Repeatable Revenue

Tour and travel can be one of the most dependable segments in hotel sales when handled well. In this episode, we cover pricing, FIT business, operator relationships, repeat business, and how to turn need dates into revenue.

Growing Corporate Accounts: From Access to Consistent Room Nights

Corporate accounts create meaningful opportunity, and when approached with the right strategy, they can become a consistent and valuable source of business. In this episode, Janelle walks through how to grow both national and local corporate accounts into steady room night production. You’ll learn how business travel actually books (including a simple breakdown of the GDS and company travel portals), how to partner effectively with global sales teams, and how to build strong, repeatable business at the property level. This episode also covers: • The difference between national and local negotiated accounts • How corporate travelers make booking decisions • Practical, on-property ways to create loyalty and repeat stays • How to use data and AI to uncover opportunity and grow share • How to stay aligned with global partners to support long-term success Whether you’re new to hotel sales or looking to refine your approach, this episode provides clear, real-world strategies you can put into practice right away. And a special thank you to Ana, who inspired this episode with her question around business travel in the IT segment 🤍

Sales and Revenue Management: The Alignment That Drives Hotel Performance

In this episode of Hotel Sales Playbook, we break down one of the most important partnerships inside any hotel — the relationship between sales and revenue management. Sales creates demand. Revenue management optimizes it. But when these two functions are not aligned, opportunities are missed, pricing becomes reactive, and overall performance suffers. In this conversation, we walk through: • The core responsibilities of sales and revenue management • Where misalignment typically shows up • Real-world scenarios like group pricing and last-room decisions • Practical habits that create alignment • How leadership sets the tone for revenue performance If you’re a hotel sales manager, general manager, or revenue leader, this episode will help you think more strategically about how these roles work together to drive results.