Job Description

Journey with us! Combine your career goals and sense of adventure by joining our exciting team of employees. Royal Caribbean Group is pleased to offer a competitive compensation & benefits package, and excellent career development opportunities, each offering unique ways to explore the world.

We are proud to be the vacation-industry leader with global brands — including Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises — the most innovative fleet and private destinations, and the best people. Together, we are dedicated to turning the vacation of a lifetime into a lifetime of vacations for our guests.

Royal Caribbean Group’s Human Resources Team has an exciting career opportunity for a full time Senior Manager, Hotel Supplier Relations & Strategy, reporting to the Director, Travel Partnerships.

Position Summary:

This position leads and coordinates complex cross-functional Request for Proposals (RFPs) and is responsible for broad sourcing, process improvement initiatives, and driving cost savings.

Research suppliers from a variety of usual and unusual sources. Confers with suppliers to obtain the best available sourcing options to support all brands globally. Responsible for short, medium, and long-term planning & strategizing with the objective of meeting the business needs related to ship deployments plans and sourcing.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establishes accommodation optimization strategy to support all brands globally and manages contracted relationships directly with hotel properties/brands & technology platforms providers.
• This role will work closely with technology, finance, and operations teams to position Royal Caribbean Group accommodations solutions successfully, including recommending integration approaches, support platform providers, reporting, and analytics.
• Performs complex price and geolocation analysis of multiple variables. Expert use of analysis, forecasting, problem solving to develop strategies for dynamic market conditions.
• Negotiate the best available discounts via dynamic, static, and opaque rates programs as well as last room availability in markets where room nights are constraint.
• The candidate will work very closely with on-property revenue management teams, supporting and rolling out brand distribution strategies.
• He/she will also work very closely with Royal Caribbean Group Distribution teams to ensure properties are supported in terms of rate loading needs, channel rate and content accuracy, efforts to maintain parity across channels.
• Partner with third parties to ensure rates are loaded and flowing accurately, property positions are optimized, content is updated and accurate.
• Expert understanding of the hotel tech and distribution landscapes, including in-depth knowledge of all hotel channels, connectivity, revenue management systems, and CRS / PMS functionality.
• Candidate will be responsible in developing strategies on how to incorporate Royal Caribbean Group New Travel Platform with the direction of each brands’ aspirations for vacation packages.
• Responsible on mitigating attrition and risk associated with unused contracted hotel rooms.
• Develops a procurement and negotiation strategy based on multiple and often complex variables. Negotiates price, availability, payment terms, room blocks, and room delivery schedule.
• Interprets contracts, identifies risks, consults with internal subject matter experts on contract terms (e.g. Legal, Risk Management, Security, Privacy) and drafts language to incorporate feedback into contracts.
• Able to identify and explain contract terms and the associated risks to the relevant stakeholders.
• Facilitates timely resolution of contractual issues to minimize risk, including the impact of service disruptions on the organization while driving optimal savings for Royal Caribbean Group.
• Creates vision, clear direction and strategy for contract negotiations related to Accommodations.
• Functions as the lead negotiator for a variety of agreements, contract interpretations, new services and any other issues requiring contractual resolution, assessing risk of the requested changes and drafting appropriate language to address the situation.
• Data management to ensure contract details are communicated effectively, and files are updated.
• Analyzes and incorporates specific market data into negotiations, strategies and plans that correlate to the accommodations being procured.
• Communicates and presents clear strategies, plans and cost impacts to upper management.
• Collaborate with other Royal Caribbean Group discipline and procurement leaders to create strategy and evaluate categories of opportunity whilst maintaining compliance to evolving procurement and finance policy.
• Collaborate with counterparts in other continents to ensure alignment with brand standard and other discipline initiatives during design, development, sourcing, and implementation phases.
• Develop, maintain, and document multi-year continent sourcing procurement strategy, anticipating market conditions and company growth.
• Monitors and sustains procurement programs, including quarterly business reviews with key accommodation and technology suppliers, tracking and maintenance of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), monitoring of inventory risk, addressing contract issues, and working with direct properties to improve service levels / guest experiences.
• Serve as an escalation point for continent and headquarter disciplines, implement corrective actions as necessary.
• Performs other duties as required.
• This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee occupying this position. Employees will be required to perform any other job-related duties assigned by their supervisor or management.

Key Success Criteria

• Strategic approach to sourcing accommodations.
• Strong negotiator and contract management
• Drive Capital Efficiencies and ROI.
• Proven success in introducing major change to complex organizations.
• Responsible for implementing and driving change.
• Passion and tenacity for solving problems through creativity and resourcefulness.
• Excellent project/program management skills and ability to independently manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced dynamic environment .

Qualifications, Knowledge and Skills:

• 6 -8+ years of experience in hotel procurement (hospitality procurement).
• Seasoned in hotel contract negotiations
• Understanding of pricing categories and strategies offered by hotels
• Background in hotel relations/ commercial experience
• Experience with Hotel revenue management (preferred)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to articulate complex ideas in easy-to-understand business terms.
• Experience in providing direction and performing responsibilities via influence.
• Self-motivated, high-energy individual with a strong drive for accomplishment and high capacity for work, with the ability to focus and execute on multiple priorities at any given time.
• Outstanding strategic planning, consulting, and basic management financial skills.
• Experience evaluating business trends, developing, and successfully implementing new business programs and strategies that enhance multiunit business performance.

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