Commercial Sales Lead

The Idle Rocks & St Mawes Hotel are located on the Roseland Peninsula in the heart of St Mawes, an idyllic spot voted as the best seaside town in the UK. Anchoring St Mawes reputation as a desirable Cornish location, these boutique hotels are considered the region's top luxury British retreats.

The Idle Rocks, the 19-bedroom Relais & Châteaux hotel encapsulates a blend of traditional coastal culture and contemporary design. Complete with an award-winning restaurant led by Executive Head Chef Guy Owen, a relaxing treatment room and unprecedented views across the water. Its location, accompanied by hospitality that is genuine and engaging, radiates a calming environment providing the perfect all-around escape for couples, solo travellers, and families alike. Winner of ‘Best Hotel of the Year’ & ‘Best Restaurant of the Year’ in both awards, Cornwall Tourism Awards 2022 and the South West Tourism Awards 2022.

We are looking for a Commercial Sales Lead to help us find new customers, build valuable partnerships and create commercial opportunities across the business.

Reporting directly to the General Manager, this is a hands-on role for someone who combines a natural flair for sales with commercial creativity, energy and initiative.

We’re not looking for a conventional hotel revenue manager whose focus is primarily on managing rates and occupancy. We’re looking for a commercial hunter — someone who enjoys being out in the market, opening doors, building relationships and turning ideas into revenue.

You’ll have the freedom to identify opportunities and the responsibility to pursue them.

Key Responsibilities

Outbound Business Development

• Own the proactive sales effort across our hotels and wider commercial proposition.
• Identify new customer segments, markets and sources of business.
• Develop and execute targeted outbound sales campaigns.
• Build a strong pipeline of corporate, leisure, group, event and partnership opportunities.
• Develop relationships with businesses, travel companies, agents, event planners and other potential commercial partners.
• Take opportunities from initial conversation through to conversion.
• Be persistent and creative in finding ways to win business.

Network & Partnership Building

• Build and maintain a high-quality network of contacts across Cornwall, the South West and relevant national markets.
• Identify brands, businesses, creators and organisations that could introduce us to new audiences.
• Develop mutually beneficial commercial partnerships.
• Represent the hotels at relevant networking events, trade events and industry opportunities.
• Look beyond traditional hotel channels to find new routes to market.

New customer development

• Identify audiences and markets we are currently under-serving.
• Develop propositions and campaigns designed specifically to reach them.
• Combine direct sales, partnerships, PR, social media and creative marketing to generate demand.
• Bring ideas to the business about new products, packages, experiences and reasons to visit.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activity and look for opportunities to do things differently.

Event & Function Sales

• Drive new business across weddings, private events, corporate events, celebrations and group bookings.
• Develop relationships with event organisers, local businesses and relevant agencies.
• Proactively sell our spaces, restaurants, accommodation and experiences.
• Create new event propositions and commercial opportunities where there is untapped demand.

Marketing, PR & Social Media

• Take a leading role in the commercial side of our marketing, PR and social media activity.
• Develop campaigns and content that generate awareness, engagement and ultimately bookings.
• Help shape how both hotels are positioned and presented to the market.
• Build relationships with media, influencers and relevant creators.
• Find imaginative and cost-effective ways to get the hotels in front of new audiences.
• Bring personality, style and creativity to everything we put into the market.

Commercial Performance

• Set clear commercial objectives and track the results of activity.
• Understand the economics behind different opportunities and prioritise those with the greatest potential.
• Use data to inform decisions without becoming constrained by it.
• Work closely with the General Manager and hotel teams to turn commercial opportunities into profitable business.
• Identify opportunities to increase spend and value across rooms, F&B, spa, events and experiences.

We’re less interested in finding someone who ticks every box than someone who has the right commercial instinct and attitude.

You might come from hospitality, travel, events, lifestyle, premium retail, media, marketing or another highly commercial environment. You may not have followed a conventional hotel career path — and that's absolutely fine.

What matters is that you can demonstrate that you create opportunities, win business and make things happen.

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Sales hungry — you genuinely enjoy winning business and are motivated by results.
• A natural relationship builder — you can open doors, build trust and turn contacts into opportunities.
• Creative — you see possibilities others might miss and can turn an idea into something commercially useful.
• Energetic — you bring pace and enthusiasm and don't wait to be told what to do.
• Self-motivated — once you understand the objective, you get on with finding a way to achieve it.
• Commercially sharp — you understand targets, margins, return on investment and what makes an idea commercially worthwhile.
• Confident and personable — you're comfortable representing the hotels and talking to everyone from local business owners to senior decision-makers.
• Curious and entrepreneurial — you're always looking for the next opportunity.
• Stylish and brand-aware — you understand that how we present ourselves matters.
• Hands-on — you're as comfortable making a call or attending a networking event as you are developing the strategy behind it.

Most importantly, you need to have drive.

We want someone who gets excited by the prospect of a target, sees an empty space in the market and wants to fill it, spots a potential partnership and picks up the phone, and comes into work thinking about what we could do next.

Why this role?

This is a rare opportunity to have genuine influence over the commercial direction of two independent boutique hotels.

You’ll have autonomy, access to the General Manager and the freedom to test ideas, build relationships and pursue opportunities. You’ll be judged on what you create and the commercial value you generate — not on how many hours you spend managing spreadsheets.

If you're a commercially hungry, creative and energetic sales person who wants the freedom to make their mark, we'd love to hear from you.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Opportunity to work in a beautiful seaside location
• Generous gratuity package after qualifying period
• Company pension after qualifying period
• A supportive, passionate team and a chance to shape a unique guest experience
• Additional benefits include extra annual leave 1-day per year capped at 5-years (after your first year of employ), discounted food, Be Our Guest to reward and retain staff, staff food provision whilst working, death in service benefit, EAP program, parking permit or ferry pass if applicable (for commuting staff)