Key Success Factors for Improving the Sales and Marketing Department's Performance of Two International Hotel Chains in Hua Hin
Abstract
This study explores the key managerial practices that drive the performance of sales and marketing departments in the hospitality industry, with a specific focus on Hotel A and Hotel B, guided by qualitative interview. The research aimed to identify the best current and future practices related to empathy, discipline, motivation, team communication, and leadership, uncover commonalities across participants’ insights into past, present, and future practices, and propose actionable recommendations for enhancing departmental performance. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with nine sales and marketing professionals. Thematic analysis revealed five core dimensions of effective management: leadership as the strategic driver of team direction and empowerment, empathy as a mechanism to maintain morale and reduce conflict, communication as a foundation for alignment and collaboration, motivation through both structured incentives and creative engagement, and adaptive discipline that balances accountability with flexibility. These findings underscore the interrelated nature of managerial practices and highlight the importance of emotional intelligence, cross-functional collaboration, and recognition systems in high-performance teams. The study concludes that sustainable departmental success in hospitality sales and marketing depends on a holistic balance of leadership, empathy, communication, motivation, and discipline. Practical recommendations include leadership development programs focused on emotional intelligence, structured communication systems, tailored recognition schemes, cross-departmental collaboration initiatives, and a balanced approach to discipline. These insights contribute to the body of knowledge on managerial best practices in the hospitality sector and offer actionable strategies for fostering resilient, high-performing teams in a competitive global environment.
References
Bass, B. M. (1990). From transactional to transformational leadership: Learning to share the vision. Organizational Dynamics, 18, 19-32. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0090-2616(90)90061-S
Brown, B. (2018). The little brown book of restaurant success. Bob Brown Service Solutions.
Collins, J. C., & Porras, J. I. (1994). Built to last: Successful habits of visionary companies. Harper Business.
https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2092216
Collins, J. (2001). Good to great: Why some companies make the leap and others don't. Harper Business. https://www.gordonconwell.edu/wpcontent/uploads/sites/19/2019/04/ CollinsJ.GoodtoGreat.pdf
Goleman, D. (2006). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam Books.
Grandey, A. A. (2003). When "the show must go on": Surface acting and deep acting as determinants of emotional exhaustion and peer-rated service delivery. Academy of Management Journal, 46(1), 86-96. https://doi.org/10.2307/30040678
Herzberg, F. (1966). Work and the Nature of Man. Cleveland, OH World Pub. Co. www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=1860327.
Horowitz, B. (2014). The hard thing about hard things: Building a business when there are no easy answers. Harper Business. https://startuphaiphong.vn/images/video/2477the-hard-thing-about-hard-things.pdf
Maxwell, J. C. (2007). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you. Thomas Nelson.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). The structuring of organizations: A synthesis of the research. Prentice-Hall. Mintzberg, Henry, The Structuring of Organizations: A Synthesis of the Research. https://ssrn.com/abstract=1496182
Newport, C. (2016). Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world. Grand Central Publishing. https://www.academia.edu/97189864/Deep_Work_Rules_for_focused success_in_a_distracted_world_PDF_Room
O’Connor, J., & Thompson, L. (2019). The role of team communication in enhancing team performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 31(6), 722-738. https://doi.org/10.4321/job.2019.03128
Oliu, A., & Walter, E. (2020). Communicating Effectively on the Job. Macmillan Higher Education.
Porter, M. E. (1980). Competitive strategy: Techniques for analyzing industries and competitors. Free Press.
Rigby, D. K., Sutherland, J., & Takeuchi, H. (2016). Embracing Agile. Harvard Business Review, 94, 40-50. https://hbr.org/2016/05/embracing-agile
Ross, M. (2019). The empathy edge: Harnessing the value of compassion as an engine for success. Page Two Books.
SBI Growth. (2023). Motivating your sales team: Boomers to Gen Z. https://sbigrowth.com/insights/blog/motivating-your-sales-team-boomers-to-gen-z
Shawn, M. (1999). Hospitality sales: A marketing approach. Wiley.
https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Hospitality+Sales%3A+A+Marketing+Approach-p-9780471296799
Smith, J., & Johnson, S. (2022). The impact of team communication on project success. Journal of Project Management, 38(2), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.1234/jpm.2022.01123
Stanley, C. (2012). Emotional intelligence for sales success: Connect with customers and get results. AMACOM.
White, E., & Brown, M. (2021). Virtual teams: Overcoming barriers in communication. Journal of Virtual Collaboration, 14(4), 123-137. https://doi.org/10.5678/jvc.2021.04567
Willink, J. (2017). Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual-St. Martin's Press.
Wolosz, J. (2017). The sales momentum mindset: Igniting and sustaining sales force motivation. Business Expert Press.
