Case Study Overview
Position: Key Account Director, IHG Americas Sales, Canadian Division
Company: IHG – Intercontinental Hotel Group
Industry: Travel/Hospitality
Buyer Persona: Owen the Owner
Customer: Oil, Gas and Energy Companies in Western Canada
Author: Steve Bartlett
Publish Date: 18/07/2022
Introduction
- IHG hired Steve Bartlett to build a portfolio of National Accounts, focused on the Oil, Gas and Energy sectors in Western Canada
- The opportunity presented itself due to his 2 years of working with the sectors, as a Director, Global Accounts for the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and his 20+ years of on property experience
- Steve was able to grow the portfolio from 5 to 17 national accounts in his first 6 months on the job
The Story of IHG and the IHG Canadian Sales Team
IHG is a British multinational hospitality company headquartered in Denham, Buckinghamshire, England. IHG currently has over 6,000 hotels around the world, with 17 distinct brands, including the Holiday Inn family of brands, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, and Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts.
The IHG Canadian Sales team was looking to expand their footprint in Western Canada, by adding more national accounts, primarily in the Oil & Gas, and Energy sectors. The team was looking for a possible candidate that had experience managing accounts in those sectors, on a national basis.
Building a portfolio of National Accounts, primarily focused on the Oil & Gas and Energy sectors
The IHG Canadian Sales team was looking to grow their presence in Western Canada, by focusing on the oil & gas, energy, and natural resources sectors. The team was looking for an experienced seller, who could essentially jump right in and start to strategically add qualified accounts to their overall Canadian account base.
Why IHG chose Steve Bartlett
The IHG Canadian Sales Team came to the realization that they did not have a seller who was focused on the Western Canadian market, and were able to present the case to IHG Americas Sales. Once the position was approved, they started to plan the recruitment process.
Around that same time, Steve was attending the Global Business Traveller’s Association (GBTA) Canadian national conference in Toronto, when it was brought to his attention that IHG was looking for a Key Account Director, with a focus on the Western Canadian market. Once the position was finalized, Steve applied for the position, went through 3 interviews and was hired as a Key Account Director, home based in Winnipeg. Steve was chosen as the successful candidate, due to his success with selling to those sectors with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group and his extensive on property experience, throughout Canada and the US.
How Steve Bartlett Responded
Once Steve started his position as Key Account Director, he was partnered with the Business Development Manager (BDM) with the task of growing the current number of National Key Accounts in Western Canada. Steve and the BDM started planning their strategies in ensuring they did their due diligence on learning and understanding each potential client’s travel needs, as well as the company’s overall travel program. With this strategy now in place, they were able to start adding accounts to IHG’s Canadian Key Account base.
The Results
In Steve’s first six months with the IHG Canadian Sales Team, he and the BDM were able to grow the portfolio from 5 to 17 key accounts. They were so successful with the growth results, Steve was then given the opportunity to manage the manufacturing accounts as well, which included one of the top 3 revenue generating accounts for the team.
