In our latest Getting to Know You feature, we speak to Lucy McNicoll – Interstate’s Sales Effectiveness Director.
Here, Lucy shares an insight into her role, as well as some little-known facts about her time in hospitality.
Tell us about your role and what it involves?
I am Sales Effectiveness Director for the UK3 region of Interstate Hotels & Resorts, looking after 29 hotels mostly Mercure and IHG branded, from Brighton to Inverness. I manage the sales team and work with the wider commercial team to ensure the best revenue results possible for our hotels.
My role involves training and coaching, assisting with advice on large business opportunities, making sure we are offering the best solutions to our customers and agents and that all the systems and tools are utilised to their full capacity to help us achieve our sales goals. I am also the brand lead for Accor, so I provide guidance and insight to our Accor hotels to ensure they make the most of the Accor tools and initiatives to drive performance.
What does a typical day in your role involve?
Every day is different! There’s a really good mix of future planning, day to day hotel team support, understanding and actioning business analytics. Presenting on various topics around learning and development to wide ranging audiences across the UK and International locations, ensuring we are up to date with industry and customer trends and partnership reviews with suppliers.
What’s your favourite part of your role?
I love working with my Commercial colleagues on new initiatives! It’s fantastic to bring a new concept to the wider team that drives revenue into out hotels. It is extremely rewarding to see my team members being successful and to celebrate their successes through their hard work and resilience, especially recently through the pandemic. I love seeing happy customers and helping them achieve what they require from our hotels in our ever-changing world!
What do you think makes Interstate stand out from the crowd?
Being nimble and adaptive really helps us keep ahead of the market and ensure our business is competitive, therefore offering our owners the best resources in the industry. Sharing news, information, and tools with team members to help them perform their roles to their best ability and working together collaboratively to share best practice across the portfolio of hotels.
Tell us something about you that not everyone knows
Working in hospitality has allowed me to travel all over the world and visit some amazing hotels. I got into hospitality at a young age, as I liked to cook – I started my career as a trained Chef. My first job was as a Chef in a summer camp in the Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA and I also got to travel to China as a result of working in events at a London hotel and I have been lucky enough to represent hotel portfolios at trade shows around the world.
I got into hospitality at a young age, as I liked to cook – I started my career as a trained Chef.
Lucy McNicholl, Sales Effectiveness Director
Team
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