Gillis Addresses Today’s Hospitality Sales Staffing Crisis Through Education, Training and Webinars

Company empowers hoteliers across the country with key initiatives, tools and insights to elevate the sales profession

As the hotel industry begins to re-open in the United States, Gillis, a consulting, training and sales performance partner organization for hoteliers, announced today the expansion of its training and consulting team to empower hoteliers with key strategies for bridging the sales gap. Gillis works hand-in-hand with top brands such as Best Western and Choice, as well as industry organizations such as AAHOA and IHG Owners Association to ensure hoteliers are prepared and ready to capture business as the industry gradually recovers.

Salespeople and sales as a profession often have a bad rap and the hospitality industry is no exception. Today’s modern buyer is more informed than ever before and no longer needs salespeople for information. Gillis is committed to elevating the sales profession to help prepare hotels to engage with today’s buyer through training, consulting and ongoing support and our industry recovers.

  • Bridging the sales gap – Some hotels today have either cut their sales staff or have reassigned them to operations to fill staffing gaps. As the industry re-opens, sales professionals need to reset to sell in this new environment. Gillis provides the strategies and tactics to help hotels elevate their internal sales teams by providing buyers with a more valuable experience with their salespeople.
  • Development of award-winning sales training programs – Sales is one of the only hospitality disciplines that doesn’t require training or established business practices. To provide hoteliers with relevant training, Gillis has developed sales programs for general managers, front desk employees and sales personnel of major brands that are looking to establish a standard for their sales teams.
  • Building a sustainable sales strategy – As sales practices have evolved over the years, it is critical that hoteliers know how to leverage technology and move beyond selling “rates, dates and space.” Gillis provides the insight needed to help its clients understand how to have business conversations vs. sales conversations while seeing through the lens of their customers.

Nathan Polny, director, Partnerships and Member Programs, IHG Owners Association said: “Tammy and the team at Gillis Sales have proven to be an integral allied member for the IHG Owners Association. The sales knowledge, breadth of information, and most importantly practical tools they have offered to our franchisees has been exceptional. Through various Association programs including Expert Session webinars, as well as personalized Gillis sales programs, our franchise members regularly look to Gillis Sales and their tools for up-to-date advice and guidance. They have proven themselves to be knowledge leaders in their field and we are grateful to have them as allied members in our Association.”

Tammy Gillis, CEO, Gillis, said: “Those of us who are attracted to hospitality have a genuine desire to serve and help people. We’re driven to bring travelers together, welcome them as our guests and deliver great customer experiences. To do that, we need to have the right sales and marketing approach to bring them in. I truly believe that it is time to push the reset button and take a hard look at our approach to sales and its effectiveness. We are committed to helping our clients do just that.”

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Some of Our Clients

Proudly Serving Clients throughout US & Canada

“Before working with Gillis Consulting, the sales efforts were left to the responsibility of each hotel general manager. With daily and continuous competing priorities, our general managers were not always able to complete consistent efforts in prospecting for new business. Since introducing with Gillis, we have a consistent, full-time sales efforts! This pressure has been removed from our general managers giving them more time and energy to focus on continuing to run award winning properties and taking care of our team and our guests. The biggest benefit to partnering with Gillis is we do not have to manage our sales personal. In the event of vacations, turnover, as an example, Gillis ensures someone is available to our hotels to continue our sales efforts and cycle with no down time. We also don’t have to manage training, expense accounts, or reporting and software. We have recommended Gillis’ sales solution to three other hotels who since have also successfully joined the program.”
Tyson Ghostkeeper -

Director of Operations, Mouallem Management Group

“We had the good fortune of engaging Gillis after years of managing our sales effort inhouse. They came highly recommended through brand leadership and seasoned sales professionals – and they haven’t disappointed. Despite only a few months into our relationship, they have had an immediate impact on our hotels and key account relationships. The Gillis team has already established themselves as one of our most valued and trusted advisors and partners. They have always displayed the professionalism, passion and accountability demanded by their profession. The Gillis team is well prepared, highly engaged and goal orientated. To this end, they have solidified accounts, delivered new bookings and helped to diversify our business drivers. As a result, they have earned the deep respect and trust of our organization. I would not hesitate to recommend Gillis for any organization that requires the highest levels of sales performance, execution and professionalism.”
Perry Batke -

CHA, General Manager, Denham Hospitality Organization

“When we made the decision to lock arms with the Gillis Sales team, we were a relatively new property in a rural tertiary market. In the midst of an economic downturn, with limited ability to attract a qualified onsite sales manager, we decided to try this sales approach to increase our revenue. Once we found the right staff fit from the Gillis team we were able to experience greater success in sourcing out and securing business for the hotel. Some of the advantages of using Gillis has been the quality of skilled individuals that have been able to support our onsite sales team. I have greater confidence in knowing that sales efforts are happening and being executed in a professional manner and above all have appreciated the learning that has transpired because of this association. I would certainly recommend this program if you have experienced any of the challenges that we have. The management team is committed to ensuring the success of the program and have given our property the best that they have to offer.”
Jacquie Corkery -

Owner/General Manager, Best Western Plus

“When we made the decision to give Gillis a try we were struggling, particularly with getting groups to stay at our hotel. However, since we teamed up with Gillis, we have not experienced any problems. We have been using Gillis for almost two years now and we have seen a huge impact on our business. It has been such a pleasure working with Gillis. I absolutely love our salesperson; we have a great connection. I know I can reach out to him anytime I need to, he knows my goals, where I need to go, what budget I must meet, and he works hard to help me meet them. No matter who we work with on the Gillis team, they are always understanding of what we are looking for and trying to achieve. They really work with our goals. I would absolutely recommend their sales support services. We came into the program willing to give it a try and see if we can get a return on our investment. We were able to get our ROI and then some, resulting in us making the decision to stay in the program. I am not sure how we did it so many years without Gillis.”
Nicki Moser -

General Manager, Best Western Plus

“Before working with Gillis, we were not in a good situation. We were not able to respond to many of the leads that came through RFP, Nexus or hotel direct.  As a result, we lost a lot of business. After we joined Gillis, they took charge of everything. They have helped us understand our market and obtain base business in terms of groups. This really helped us to be #1 in the market, which we will be closing the year as such. The Gillis sales support services are customized and tailored to the needs of hotels. We are a hotel that has a HIGH volume of direct leads, and we tailored the program for a lead only model. This has allowed me to focus my time in other areas, such as operations, yielding rates, better understanding my market, training and coaching my staff, and ensuring that our revenue is in line with our strategies and goals. I would recommend this program to anyone and everyone! It is very cost-effective. If I had to hire a Sales Manager to do the same work that Gillis does, it would have been at a much higher salary. In addition, we are receiving the same level of commitment and service from our Business Development Manager that we would from a Sales Manager.”
Vandana Kumari -

General Manager, Best Western Plus

“Tammy Gillis and her organization have been nothing short of amazing! We have seen an approximate ROI of 10x at our BW PLUS hotel as well as a ROI of 4-5x at our BW hotel. The sales team is so dedicated, passionate and driven to deliver revenue to hotels. I just wish we started sooner with Gillis!”
Hitesh Patel -

President, Colorado Hospitality, Inc.

Contact Us for a Complimentary Sales Consultation

800.296.2962 | sales@gillissales.com

 

Sales is the life blood of your organization.

No business has ever succeeded without sales. Knowing where to start can be overwhelming.

The good news is, we can teach you how to do it OR we can do it for you.

Our services will help you sell more rooms, stand out and succeed in a competitive market, and train your staff to implement sales more effectively.

Interested to learn how this applies to you? Contact us for a complimentary consultation.

 




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