Senior Manager, Brand Management, W Hotels
Job Summary
The Senior Manager, W Hotels is an integral member of the Global W Team. This role is critical in supporting and driving forward the brand strategy for the iconic W Hotels brand with an emphasis on the branded guest experience, differentiated brand programming, and brand service and culture initiatives. This individual will act as a brand ambassador ensuring the strategic direction and growth of the brands aligns with the overall vision, while driving adherence to strategic and business objectives. This leader must understand the value of and how to drive and sustain brand culture.
Candidate Profile
Education and Experience Required:
A 4-year degree from an accredited university in Business Administration, Hospitality Management, or related major
7+ years’ experience in the hospitality industry, demonstrating progressive career growth and a pattern of exceptional performance, with a preference for Luxury hospitality.
Relevant operational and brand experience
Core Work Activities
Brand Strategy & Multi-Year Planning
Support the Brand Positioning, develops and manages the Brand’s Visual Identity, and develops communication tools and templates to ensure consistent execution by broader organization and hotels.
Support the Brand Culture work including the evolution of our service ethos Whatever/Whenever, W Insider, W Service Culture training and other critical brand differentiators.
Deeply understands the target audience, especially next-gen, and its nuances as relates to opportunities for brand marketing and programming. Conducts a regular pulse-check on the consumer and uses insights to inform presentation materials and go-to-market strategies.
Develops on-strategy materials for Development, continent teams, and other partners to support W Hotels growth.
Ensures the success of new openings and support through brand marketing.
Identifies and develops a roadmap for executing new initiatives and projects for the brand from initiation to completion. Identifies internal and external partners, as appropriate, to ensure success.
Creates project plans, guides, and engages respective project teams throughout the project from kick off to implementation.
Strategy Execution
Serves as brand advocate by helping resources and extended teams understand the brand direction.
Ensures a luxury lens on all presentations, materials and toolkits, working with the team to ensure a keen understanding of brand direction.
Develops materials to support guest programming and collaborates on ways to drive press for those initiatives.
Acts as a liaison and resource for the Global Design team to execute specific, differentiated brand design foundations and supporting design standards and guidelines.
Drives new GM onboarding, as appropriate, and plans and executes new GM immersion meetings in partnership with broader brand and continent teams.
Helps progress brand experience projects to drive brand differentiation and preference.
Provides guidance to opening teams to ensure branded critical path document for openings and conversions are developed and maintained.
Business Model & Brand Performance
Acts as brand champion to stakeholders – owners, consumers, guests, executives and employees within HQ and market.
Builds strong relationships with continent teams and hotels to ensure the brand culture comes to life on property, driving pull-through of the brand promise.
Edits and communicates on brand strategy, framework, positioning, voice and strategic pillars, brand standards and competitive environment.
Helps develop and drive execution of communication strategies associated with launching tactics/deliverables in support of the brand strategies and stated performance goals.