Director of Sales and Marketing Recruiting for Hotels
- Jeff Schmidt
- Oct 20, 2025
- 4 min read
Hire for pipeline math and mix strategy—not just relationships.
Scorecard should measure rate integrity, group/corp mix, pace, and conversion.
Run a 21-day sprint with pre-booked interviews and early backchannels.
Compensation should reward profitable mix and RevPAR index lift.
Standardize dashboards so gains survive leadership changes.
Quick resource: See our hotel hiring guide for frameworks, interview scorecards, and checklists.
Why DOSM searches miss (and how to avoid it)
Many hotels still hire DOSMs on charm and brand logos instead of owner outcomes. Your director of sales and marketing recruiting process should begin with the next two quarters’ gaps: RevPAR index, weekday compression, shoulder nights, event revenue, pace health, and channel costs. Build a scorecard that converts those gaps into bars you can measure.
Common drift points:
Overweighting key accounts without asking how they were priced and converted.
Mistaking activity for pipeline quality.
Ignoring rate discipline and displacement math.
Comp plans that pay volume over profitable mix.
Director of Sales and Marketing Recruiting: What Great Looks Like
Use this exact phrase in an H2 for on-page relevance and search alignment.
The five levers
Pipeline quality & pace. Active opps by segment, stage conversion, pace vs. target.
Mix management. Group/corp/retail balance, shoulder strategy, compression tactics.
Rate integrity. Protects ADR; uses displacement math; controls channel bleed.
Event revenue engine. Lead hygiene, proposal speed, and conversion of high-value events.
Marketing that moves needles. Measurable direct revenue: brand.com, CRM, paid search, partnerships.
Signals in their history
Visible RevPAR index lift and mix shift with rate integrity intact.
Pace rescue stories with concrete stage-to-stage conversions.
Channel cost management and OTA containment.
Clean CRM hygiene and credible forecast accuracy.
Interview architecture that surfaces real operators
Round 1: Pipeline & pace. Share anonymized pace and pipeline reports; ask for a 30-day rescue plan.Round 2: Rate & displacement. Present a compression week; have them defend ADR and group decisions using displacement math.Round 3: Marketing ROI. Review a last-click vs. multi-touch story; ask how they measure and adjust.Owner working session. Build a 90-day plan for your property: segment targets, cadence, dashboards.
DOSM scorecard (owner-outcome aligned)
RevPAR index: Demonstrates sustained index lift with clear levers (rate, mix, compression strategy).
Pace health: Stage conversion targets, rescue playbooks, and forecast accuracy within ±3%.
Rate governance: Displacement math in decisions; minimal down-trading.
Event revenue: Proposal turnaround <48h; win rate improvement quarter-over-quarter.
Channel efficiency: OTA containment; brand.com growth with healthy acquisition cost.
CRM hygiene: Accurate stages, next steps, and pipeline aging.
Team cadence: Weekly rhythm that produces predictable results.
Owner communication: Clear narrative from data to action to outcome.
Compensation benchmarks (tune to market, keys, and meeting space)
Asset profile | Typical base | Bonus target | Total cash range | Notes |
Select-service, limited meeting space | $95k–$125k | 15%–20% | $112k–$150k | Rate governance + local corporate |
Full-service, 200–350 keys | $125k–$165k | 20%–30% | $150k–$215k | Group/corp mix, event engine |
Resort/Conference, heavy meetings | $150k–$200k | 25%–35% | $188k–$270k+ | Compression weeks + displacement |
Area/Cluster DOSM | $160k–$220k | 25%–35% | $200k–$300k+ | Multi-property pipeline leadership |
Plan design tip: Tie upside to RevPAR index, ADR integrity, and event revenue conversion, not just roomnights.
21-day DOSM search sprint
Day 1–3: Calibration
Owner outcomes, property profile, comp bands, and non-negotiables.
Lock scorecard and interview cases (pace rescue, displacement math).
Day 4–10: Sourcing
Target branded/independent leaders with visible index wins and pace chops.
Backchannel early with prior owners and revenue leaders.
Day 11–15: Shortlists
5–7 screened, 3 finalists; include scorecards, references, comp expectations.
Owner working session: tradeoffs (rate vs. occupancy, groups vs. corporate).
Day 16–21: Decision
Working sessions with your real reports; comp negotiation; offer with a 90-day plan.
Start a search — we’ll send 3 vetted DOSM candidates in 5–10 business days.
Three mini case studies
Urban full-service, 300 keys. New DOSM rebuilt pipeline discipline and defended rate during compression. RevPAR index +6.5 pts in two quarters; OTA share −14%.
Convention hotel. Event engine overhaul: proposal SLA <24h, targeted follow-ups. Group conversion +9 pts; banquet revenue +12% YoY.
Airport select-service. Corporate account pruning + ADR guardrails. Mix improved; GOP flow-through +180 bps.
Practical tools you can deploy this week
Pace rescue cadence: Stage-to-stage conversion targets, weekly review, deal aging alerts.
Displacement math sheet: Standard model for group decisions; publish after each decision.
Proposal SLA: <48h with tiered follow-ups; track win/loss reasons.
Channel cost dashboard: OTA share, brand.com growth, paid ROI, and acquisition cost.
Frameworks and templates: hotel hiring guide.
Common failure modes (and fixes)
Volume over value. Fix: comp on RevPAR index, ADR integrity, and profitable segments.
Leaky pipeline. Fix: stage definitions, conversion targets, and weekly hygiene.
Compression waste. Fix: rate governance + displacement math every time.
Channel creep. Fix: enforce brand.com growth goals and paid thresholds.
How We Run the Search (21-Day Sprint)
Day 1–3: Calibration — Outcomes, profile, comp bands, cases.
Day 4–10: Sourcing — Shortlist from networks with proven index lifts.
Day 11–15: Shortlists — 5–7 screened, 3 finalists with scorecards.
Day 16–21: Decision — Working sessions, references, offer.
Ready to hire a Director of Sales & Marketing? Start a search today. We’ll present 3 vetted candidates in 5–10 business days with scorecards, references, and a 90-day plan.
