Destination Manager - Balkans (Remote, Albania)

About the role

G2 Travel is a wholesale tour operator planning trips for nearly half a million travellers a year, with offices across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America. The Destination Manager is responsible for FIT contracting of hotels in the Balkans, owns the commercial relationship and ensures G2 Travel has the most competitive offering. The role is based remotely/home office within Albania.

Key responsibilities

• Secure exclusive rates, inventory and conditions with a portfolio of hotels through negotiations and supplier relations management
• Achieve room night and/or revenue targets by monitoring and optimising contracted rates and availability
• Act as the hotel expert of the assigned region, with in-depth knowledge of the markets
• Identify key new strategic accounts and suppliers in the assigned market
• Monitor competitiveness of negotiated rates and usage of contracted allocations
• Maintain strong relationships with sales leaders and management worldwide, giving regular feedback and spotting new ideas or issues
• Analyse data and provide recommendations to management
• Lead training and coaching initiatives, support ad-hoc projects, represent G2 at trade shows and make regular hotel visits and business trips in the contracting area

Required profile

• Exceptional negotiation skills, able to influence hotel management and owners
• Significant and recent experience of hotel contracting in the destination
• Strong commercial skills and up-to-date knowledge of hotel distribution channels and channel managers
• Professional 'can do' attitude, able to work independently to deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent written and spoken English and Portuguese

Required skills

• Data analysis and strategy execution
• Proficiency with IT, including good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel