Sales Director

The Vineyard; Newbury; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday

Training and development

Employee events and celebrations

Discounted room rates for employees

Job summary

The Vineyard in Newbury, a Five Red Star Relais & Châteaux property, seeks a Director of Sales to lead MICE and Corporate sales ahead of its relaunch. You will drive revenue through strategic account management and agency partnerships.

Working with the General Manager and within the Monogram Collective, you will shape a refreshed sales strategy, expand the UK corporate network, and present compelling packages for high-value events.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in a senior sales role within luxury hospitality.
• Strong network with UK venue-finding agencies and corporate buyers.
• Track record of achieving revenue targets and growing market share.
• Experience launching or repositioning a hotel or event spaces is desirable.
• Strong commercial acumen and ability to lead high-value negotiations.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy for MICE and Corporate segments.
• Set annual/monthly targets for meetings, conferences, incentives and events.
• Lead launch of refurbished meetings spaces with positioned pricing and packaging.
• Build and manage relationships with agencies, DMCs, and corporate travel buyers.
• Collaborate with revenue management to maximise yield and total revenue.

Skills

Senior sales

MICE sales

Corporate sales

Luxury hospitality

UK networking

Negotiation

Travel flexibility

Tools

Infor HMS

Opera

Salesforce

Job description

The Vineyard is one of England’s most celebrated country house hotels: a Five Red Star, Relais & Châteaux property renowned for its exceptional food, its world-class wine cellar and its warmth of hospitality. Following a multi-million-pound refurbishment, it is preparing for a new chapter, and we are looking for the Director of Sales who will help write it.

This is a rare chance to be at the forefront of the rebirth of an iconic hotel: to shape how The Vineyard returns to market, to build its corporate and MICE business from a refreshed product, and to establish it as the destination of choice for discerning businesses across Berkshire, London and the Thames Valley.

The role

We are seeking an experienced and well-connected Director of Sales to lead all sales activity for The Vineyard, with a primary focus on Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE) and Corporate business. The role is dedicated solely to The Vineyard and will drive revenue from corporate accounts, agencies and event organisers, while supporting the hotel’s luxury leisure and consortia business.

Working closely with the General Manager and on-property teams, and as part of the wider Monogram Collective Commercial Team, the successful candidate will bring strong commercial acumen, established relationships within the UK corporate and luxury MICE market, and the ambition to define the hotel’s sales success through and beyond its relaunch.

You’ll also:

• Develop and execute a comprehensive sales strategy for The Vineyard, with MICE and Corporate as the priority segments, aligned to the hotel’s relaunch plan and the Monogram Collective commercial strategy.
• Set annual and monthly segment targets for meetings, conferences, incentives, private events and corporate accommodation, and own delivery against them.
• Lead the commercial launch of the refurbished meetings and events spaces, ensuring the product is positioned, priced and packaged to win high-value business from day one.
• Identify and develop new markets and sectors, with particular focus on London, the Thames Valley and the M4 corridor business community.

MICE & Events Sales

• Proactively generate and convert MICE business, including board meetings, leadership retreats, conferences, product launches, incentive programmes and exclusive-use events.
• Build and manage relationships with leading UK venue-finding agencies, event management companies, DMCs and incentive houses.
• Lead site inspections, show-rounds and client entertaining, showcasing the hotel’s food, wine and service credentials as a core part of the sales proposition.
• Work closely with the on-property events team to ensure a seamless handover from contract to delivery, and to drive rebooking and repeat business.
• Develop compelling packages and proposals that maximise total revenue, including accommodation, food and beverage and ancillary spend.

Corporate Accounts & Relationship Management

• Develop, manage and grow a portfolio of high-value corporate accounts, securing negotiated rates, volume agreements and RFP participation where appropriate.
• Target key corporate sectors locally and nationally, including technology, professional services, finance, automotive and life sciences, and build a strong presence with businesses headquartered across Berkshire and the Thames Valley.
• Maintain relationships with travel management companies (TMCs) and relevant corporate travel programmes.
• Conduct regular sales calls, client visits, networking events and sales missions, maintaining a strong and visible presence in the market.
• Support the hotel’s luxury leisure business through key partnerships, including Relais & Châteaux and other luxury consortia, travel advisors and tour operators, in collaboration with the wider Monogram Collective Commercial Team.
• Represent The Vineyard at selected trade events, roadshows and industry functions where they support Luxury Leisure, DMC, MICE, corporate and leisure objectives.

Revenue Generation & Reporting

• Collaborate closely with Revenue Management, Reservations and the events team to maximise yield, optimise group displacement and drive total revenue.
• Maintain a disciplined pipeline using the hotel’s sales and CRM systems, ensuring accurate, up-to-date account and booking information.
• Deliver accurate reporting on sales performance, pipeline, conversion and forecast, along with ROI on key sales initiatives.
• Monitor competitor activity and market trends across the local and aspirational competitive set.

Brand Promotion & Positioning

• Work alongside the Head of Commercial, the brand and marketing team and the hotel’s PR partners to support relaunch campaigns targeting corporate, MICE and premium leisure audiences.
• Ensure all sales collateral, proposals and partner communications reflect The Vineyard’s Five Red Star, Relais & Châteaux positioning.
• Contribute to the development of meetings and events collateral, digital content and launch activity.
• Act as a senior member of the hotel’s leadership team, fostering a high-performance, guest-focused sales culture.
• Partner with operations, culinary and wine teams to deliver a seamless, personalised experience for corporate clients, event organisers and VIP guests.
• Work collaboratively with sales colleagues across the Monogram Collective, sharing leads, insight and best practice.

About you

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a senior sales role within luxury hospitality, ideally at a 5-star or leading country house level, with a strong focus on MICE and corporate sales.
• Established network of UK venue-finding agencies, event management companies and corporate decision-makers, ideally across London and the Thames Valley.
• Proven track record of achieving revenue targets, winning new accounts and growing market share.
• Experience of launching or repositioning a hotel or new event spaces is highly desirable.
• Strong commercial acumen, with a solid understanding of revenue management, group displacement and total revenue optimisation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; confident presenting to senior stakeholders and leading high-value negotiations.
• A genuine passion for luxury hospitality, food and wine, and the ability to bring a property’s story to life for clients.
• Self-motivated and organised, comfortable working in a hybrid model and as part of a wider group commercial team.
• Flexibility to travel within the UK, and occasionally internationally, as required.

Preferred:

• Experience with sales, CRM and hotel systems such as Infor HMS, Opera or Salesforce.
• Knowledge of luxury consortia and affiliations, including Relais & Châteaux.
• Experience in a pre-opening or relaunch environment.
• Full UK driving licence.

The Vineyard is part of the Monogram Collective, an innovative, thriving business and we want you to be part of our exciting journey. You’ll meet great people, have fun at work, develop new friendships, learn new skills, and of course you will also receive a competitive rate of pay and a generous range of employee benefits which includes:

• 30 days holiday
• Training and development from day one
• Employee events and celebrations
• Inhouse company interactive employee communication APP
• Healthy meals to enjoy while you're working
• Access to an external Employee Assistance Programme
• Financial Wellbeing App, allowing you the flexibility to get paid earlier than your normal monthly pay date
• Contributions to a pension plan

Following your first successful 3 months, you’ll also receive …

• Access to our discounts and wellbeing platform "Treat Yourself Here", unlocking savings and experiences for you and your family
• Involvement in our employee recognition schemes
• Long service recognition
• Probation pass and annual anniversary complimentary guest experience overnight stay and dinner for two
• 50% discount in our restaurants
• Cycle to Work Scheme
• Discounted room rates for employees, friends, and family
• Spa treatments and product discounts
• Life Assurance cover

Please note, this role does not meet the requirements for sponsorship under the Skilled Worker visa route.

Director of Sales,The Vineyard Hotel, Newbury | Monogram Collective