9. Driving sales to a new concept hotel with Lindsey Williams, Mollie's Motel & Diner

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In today’s episode, Kelly meets with Lindsey Williams, Head of Sales, at the brand new Mollie’s Motel & Diner.

Located near Cribbs Causeway in Bristol, Mollie's opened last year, hot on the heels of Mollie’s Oxfordshire (which opened in 2019). The motel-diners are the brainchild of Nick Jones, creator of the luxury Soho House brand and this influence is evident across the whole venue. With luxuries like Dyson hairdryers and straighteners alongside Cowshed products, the touches of class are what you would expect in a high-end £250+ a night hotel. But with Mollie's rooms being less than half this price, they are providing other mid-range hotels with some serious competition.
Lindsey has 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry and she most recently headed up large brand regional hotel sales teams for Mercure and M Gallery Hotels. Lindsey joins the new independent ‘budget luxe’ brand of Mollie's as their very first sales representative, providing them with a wealth of knowledge, some of which she shares with us in this episode.
Lindsey runs through her tips for marketing and driving sales of corporate business, including the essential identification of your core audience and the ‘bookers’, building relationships with referral partners and attracting influencers to come and stay.
Lindsey's top tips for effective hotel marketing and sales:

• Know who your audience is and form a plan to approach each segment
• Identify who the actual ‘booker’ is and develop relationships
• Referral partners are crucial, especially businesses in the area who have mutually beneficial needs
• Use social media marketing for sharing the brand story and attracting influencers to stay
• Don’t be afraid to pick up the phone!
  

Thinking about a career in hospitality?
Not adverse to rolling up her sleeves and doing things like cleaning rooms during COVID lockdowns, Lindsey proves that hard work, dedication and integrity will serve you well in the industry. Most importantly and key to any long-term sales career, as Lindsey has shown, is her genuine care for good service and ensuring customers have the best time.

We hope you enjoy the episode.
Find out more about Mollie's and connect with Lindsey:

• Mollie's Bristol (website)
• Connect with Lindsey on LinkedIn

Find out more about the marketing strategy and mentoring services with the Visitor Elves.
This episode is sponsored by Hello Starling.

Hello Starling, is an award-winning Media Planning and Buying agency that specialises in delivering advertising campaigns with great results for visitor attractions and destinations.
They've worked with brands such as Bristol Zoo Project, Visit Shropshire, Visit Conwy, Visit Herefordshire and the National Tourism Office for Poland. If you want to be the centre of attention, visit hellostarling.com today.
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