Alila Mayakoba is seeking a strategic and commercially driven Group Sales Manager based in the Midwest USA with deep expertise in the incentive market. This individual will increase the resort’s share of the luxury incentive group market by developing new accounts, deepening existing relationships, and converting programs currently placed with competing resorts and destinations. The role requires a sophisticated understanding of incentive houses, third-party meeting and incentive companies, corporate reward programs, client qualification cycles, and the operational details that make a high-value incentive program successful. The strongest candidate is a true incentive-market seller and market creator, not only an account caretaker. They understand the difference between a traditional meeting, an incentive program, and a luxury reward experience. They know how to influence a program before an RFP exists, translate client objectives into destination and resort value, navigate complex decision-making, and create confidence with incentive professionals and senior corporate stakeholders. They are resilient through long sales cycles, highly organized, commercially disciplined, creative in their approach, and skilled at turning relationships into measurable production.

Midwest Market Scope

The seller will build a focused territory strategy across major Midwest business centers, including Chicago, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, and other priority markets identified through account potential. The territory includes corporate incentive buyers, incentive travel agencies, DMC and event partners, meeting and procurement professionals, and high-value accounts in industries such as financial services, insurance, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, technology, and professional services.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the Midwest incentive strategy: Create and execute annual and quarterly plans to grow incentive room nights, total group revenue, ADR, banquet and catering revenue, ancillary spend, and profit contribution from the Midwest territory.

• Build an incentive-market account map: Identify the most influential incentive houses, third-party planners, corporate reward-program owners, procurement contacts, national accounts, and referral partners. Map decision-makers, influencers, program calendars, historical destinations, incumbent resorts, and upcoming qualification periods.

• Shift share from competing destinations: Win programs currently using competing resorts in Mexico, the Caribbean, Florida, Arizona, California, and other incentive destinations. Understand the client’s current program, satisfaction gaps, budget, qualifying period, business objectives, participant profile, and barriers to switching, then create a compelling conversion strategy.

• Create demand before the RFP: Generate early-stage opportunity by engaging buyers during program design, destination research, budget planning, and qualification-calendar development. Build relationships before a formal RFP is released.

• Understand incentive program economics: Evaluate participant profile, room-night pattern, pre- and post-stays, airlift considerations, meeting-space needs, food and beverage expectations, activities, exclusivity, VIP requirements, attrition, cancellation, concessions, and total program profitability.

• Manage the complete sales cycle: Lead opportunities from account targeting and prospecting through qualification, discovery, RFP response, proposal, destination presentation, site inspection, budget alignment, negotiation, contracting, operational handoff, post-program review, and repeat-business development.

• Partner with incentive intermediaries: Develop trusted relationships with leading incentive houses, third-party meeting planners, DMCs, corporate travel managers, procurement teams, destination partners, and other intermediaries that influence program selection.

• Lead site inspections and program discovery: Host high-quality site inspections and familiarization trips that demonstrate the resort’s ability to deliver exceptional participant experience, flawless logistics, VIP service, recognition events, and creative destination programming.

• Protect commercial value: Partner with Revenue Management to evaluate displacement, rate strategy, concessions, cancellation and attrition terms, minimum spend, meeting-space requirements, ancillary revenue, and total account profitability. Know when to pursue, hold, negotiate, or decline an opportunity.

• Maintain disciplined sales management: Keep accurate account plans, activity records, opportunity stages, qualification dates, decision timelines, next steps, forecasts, and closing strategies in the approved CRM and sales systems.

• Minimum of five years of progressive hotel group sales experience, with meaningful experience selling incentive travel, executive retreats, recognition programs, or luxury group business.

• Demonstrated success winning incentive programs from competing hotels, resorts, or destinations and producing measurable increases in room nights, revenue, ADR, profitability, or market share.

• Established relationships with Midwest-based incentive houses, third-party meeting and incentive companies, corporate reward-program leaders, procurement teams, DMCs, or major corporate accounts.

• Specific understanding of incentive program design, qualification periods, award travel, participant experience, destination selection, site inspections, room-block patterns, program budgets, contracting, and post-program evaluation.

• Strong Midwest market knowledge and an active network across Chicago, Minneapolis–St. Paul, Detroit, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City, and/or comparable business centers.

• Proven commercial judgment, negotiation ability, consultative selling skills, executive presentation skills, and disciplined pipeline and forecast management.

• Fluent English required; Spanish language skills are a plus.

• Willingness and ability to travel extensively throughout the Midwest and to Mexico for client appointments, sales missions, trade shows, site inspections, and familiarization trips.

• High proficiency with CRM and sales systems; experience with hospitality sales or group-management platforms is preferred.

5+ years progressive hotel group sales experience with incentive travel expertise; proven success winning incentive programs; established Midwest relationships; strong market knowledge; fluent English; extensive travel in Midwest and Mexico; CRM proficiency.

Key Responsibilities

• developing new accounts
• managing sales cycle
• conducting site inspections

Skills & Tools

CRM

Job Details

• Category: Sales
• Seniority: Senior Level
• Commitment: Full Time
• Workplace: Remote — Oklahoma or Chicago or Minneapolis or Saint Paul or Detroit or Columbus or Cleveland or Cincinnati or Indianapolis or Milwaukee or St. Louis or Kansas City
• Languages: English

About Alila Hotels & Resorts

A luxury resort brand seeking to grow its incentive group market. — Industry: Hospitality and Tourism