Manager, Distribution Strategy at IHG in Atlanta, Georgia

Job Description:

About us

Bringing True Hospitality to the world.

We want to welcome you to a world of bringing True Hospitality to everyone. When you join us at IHG®, you become part of our global family. A welcoming culture of warmth, honesty and a passion for providing True Hospitality.

We pride ourselves on letting your personality and passions shine, recognizing the individual contribution you make and supporting your ambition to learn and create your own career path. In making a difference to our guests and owners, colleagues and communities, every day is a chance to create great and unique experiences, in your own way.

With over 370,000 colleagues in nearly 100 countries sharing our values, there’s countless opportunities at your fingertips.

We’re growing; grow with us.

Your day to day

Job Summary –

Manage strategic accounts and oversee business development activities with regional teams for Third Party Distribution including OTA, Wholesale, etc.). Act as primary point of contact on the assigned products and programs to regional stakeholders and commercial leaders serving as the acknowledged expert for third party distribution programs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities –

• Responsible for prospecting new opportunity for hotels and maintaining/monitoring activation and participation in products to grow revenue targets


• Responsible for negotiation of contracts with stakeholders as well as product providers.


• Manage and oversee the planning and implementation of the contracting processes for assigned products and programs


• Manage the development of stakeholder engagement and strong working relationships based on credibility, trust, and accountability.


• Actively participate, and in some cases facilitate, regional hotel facing revenue driving events and training classes in an effort to drive product adoption and activation in key markets


• Responsible for goal setting and performance optimization of customer revenue, room night and share of spend targets for business development.


• Monitor and analyze the competitive market to proactively identify issues affecting the overall effectiveness of Digital service offerings for hotels. Aid in creating new products/programs to address these issues and provide support to the regional teams for implementation.


• Work closely with the Commercial Advantage team, Commercial Leadership team, Legal, Marketing, Sales. Product Management and other key stakeholders on market specific opportunities through a strategic and collaborative approach between these teams and Revenue Management to support direct channel growth and profitable channel mix


• Introduce and promote to client base, major programs and products as directed. This may include loyalty programs, premium products, group fulfillment tools, etc.


• Assist in the revenue plan process in hotels within the assigned region and assist the revenue planning group with specific tasks related to planning.


• Actively participate in the assigned industry affairs associations and events.


• Record, review and maintain appropriate reports for senior management.


• Act as an advisor to subordinate managers or staff to help meet established schedules and/or resolve technical or operational problems.


• Manage the commercial relationship with strategic players in the OTA, Wholesale and overall Third Party Distribution space.

What we need from you

Education –

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Marketing, Management, or other relevant field of work or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.

Experience –

• 8+ years progressive work-related experience with demonstrated proficiency in multiple disciplines/technologies/processes related to the position as well as significant experience managing teams and/or significant complex projects, including a minimum of 3 years in hotels with multi-unit and/or corporate roles, involving significant people management responsibility across multiple and remote locations.

Technical Skills and Knowledge –

• Demonstrated negotiation skills in the execution of complex client agreements.


• Demonstrated project management experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale projects from conception through implementation.


• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills for the purpose of providing information to clients, vendors, senior management, and staff.


• Demonstrated experience managing a business development or sales function in the assigned market segment or a similar area of business.


• Demonstrated knowledge of hotels and hotel sales and marketing, and business planning.


• Demonstrated business/financial negotiation and influencing/consensus building skills, including demonstrated closing ability, and demonstrated ability to motivate a large sales staff


• Demonstrated ability to facilitate hotel facing events and influence behaviors of hotel management and staff


• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects in remote locations and partially structured environments.


• Demonstrated experience with franchise organization preferred.

Decision making responsibilities:   

• Significant impact in determining and directing the business development plan, strategy and focus for the assigned products and programs.

Internal Key Relationships –

• Commercial Services, Revenue Management, Commercial Advantage: Ensure that Distribution account plans echo the regional commercial priorities. Solicit specific activities with OTA partners to address regional needs


• Channels Team: Provide Level 2 support on OTA issues not solved by Level 1


• Legal: Ensure that existing and new contracts are reviewed and validated by the Legal team


• Hotel-level sales: to create and maintain a common sales focus

External Key Relationships –

• Designated key accounts


• Brand management and management companies


• Potential clients

Physical Requirements -

• Majority of work is performed in a normal office enfvironment in a hybrid work model.


• Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus


• Ability to travel required, as needed to facilitate business objectives. (approximately 20-30% of time)


• Must have ability to be accessible via computer and/or cell phone in case of emergency in area of responsibility.

The statements in this job description are intended to represent the key duties, essential nature and level of work being performed.  They are not intended to be all responsibilities or qualifications of the job.

What we offer

We’ll reward all your hard work with a great salary and benefits – including great room discount and superb training.

Join us and you’ll become part of the global IHG family – and like all families, all our individual team members share some winning characteristics. As a team, we work better together – we trust and support each other, we do the right thing and we welcome different perspectives. You need to show us you care, that you notice the little things that make a difference to guests as well as always looking for ways to improve - click here to find out more about us.

At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  IHG Hotels & Resorts provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to an individual’s, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or familial status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. 

IHG is committed to promoting a culture of inclusion where everyone feels safe, respected and valued.  We seek talent from all backgrounds to join our teams, and encourage our colleagues to bring their authentic and best selves to work. 

Not Applicable for Colorado Applicants.

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