Gillis Sales, a remote sales and training organization for hoteliers, has partnered with the IHG Owners Association to provide reduced pricing for members on the Gillis Dynamic Sales Solution—a turnkey remote sales program—as well as other resources to help hotel owners solve the ongoing sales staffing crisis.
The hotel industry is experiencing an unemployment rate that is three times higher than the workforce of the rest of the United States. Operational challenges of recruiting, hiring, training and managing sales personnel continue to be an issue. Gillis aims to provide solutions that address these challenges by providing hoteliers with an affordable and scalable solution.
The Gillis DSS solution provides remote sales support that is focused on revenue generation. In 2021, Gillis’ sales team generated $23 million (right times ROI) across its client portfolio. Association member discount pricing for the DSS program and value-added benefits will be provided to participating members. Additional benefits include a sales toolkit for the front desk to help capture incoming inquiries and group leads, a signed copy of the “Room to Grow” sales playbook and access to Gillis articles, online training and sales tools through the Association’s Member Center.
The Gillis sales team is fully versed in IHG's platforms, including Merlin, Meeting Broker and IHG RFP. IHG hotels account for 25 percent of the hotels Gillis supports in its portfolio (primarily Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn and the extended-stay brands).
“With today’s competitive employee environment, using a third-party sales company is becoming much more of a necessity," said Kurt Furlong, partner at Genuine Hospitality and 2019 chair of the IHGOA, in a statement. "Resources like these can help hotels stay focused on revenue and not be pulled into operations and other distractions. Additionally, with the high turnover rate all hotels are facing right now, using an outside sales partner like Gillis helps us keep a steady eye on our revenue goals without having to worry about gaps between hires.”