Today, the family-owned group has 21 unique luxury country houses and coastal retreats, each hand picked for their individuality. Architecturally distinctive and quintessentially British, every hotel boasts an extraordinary location from Scotland to the Channel Islands, offering breathtaking views from vast countryside to expansive beaches, to lush woodlands.
Dedicated to creating unique and enchanting stays, curated personalised service runs through the heart of every hotel. Whilst each hotel is individual, each property fulfils the company values of family, individuality, community and care, with a team commitment to aiming higher and delight their guests with magical experiences that offer a true escape from the every day.
We are currently recruiting for a Head of Digital for Hand Picked Hotels to lead our digital marketing team at Hand Picked Hotels, this role will be based at our office in Sevenoaks in Kent.
This rare and exciting opportunity will focus on developing and implementing high-impact digital marketing strategies that will drive revenue and increase brand visibility. You will be a key influencer and be part of the senior leadership team shaping the future within Hand Picked Hotels.
- The Head of Digital will lead the Digital Marketing team to deliver Hand Picked Hotel’s business objectives and working cross-functionally to deliver on business revenue targets. The overall scope of the position is to design and deliver on an ambitious digital marketing strategy and ecosystem for Hand Picked Hotels and 21 hotels ensuring online traffic growth and ROI led performance, social and direct online marketing.
- The role reports to the CMO with CRM & Loyalty Manager and Website Content Manager.
- The role includes enhancing the performance of HPH websites and micro sites with the intention of improving the overall revenue for the HPH properties and other key financial and customer matrix including website analytics, SEO (organic ranking) and SEM (paid advertising) optimisation, content strategy, user experience optimisation, mobile optimisation, conversion rate optimisation and enhancement, performance monitoring, social media and email marketing integration, digital advertising, regular audits and competitor analysis.
- Conducting regular quality assurance audits on the hotels descriptive content, images, and hotels profile on owned, third-party booking platform, meta search engines and online channels (On-line Travel Agents) to ensure parity, accuracy and brand compliance.
- Monitoring, managing and guiding hotels efforts on online reviews on platforms like - but not limited to - TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google.
- Optimise the hotel's Google My Business listing for local searches and manage local online business directories and ensure HPH and Hotels accurate information.
- Actively manage the HPH and hotels email marketing function including B2B and B2C databases and CRM integration, list management, emailing calendar, opt-in processes, email campaign creation, responsive design, personalisation, automation, testing and optimization, compliance, legal & security, analytics and reporting and customer engagement.
- Implement and strategically utilise digital channels to promote loyalty and encourage repeat business.
About you:
- Must be able to demonstrate an excellent understanding of the luxury hospitality industry and have the ability to drive and support the transformation of the Hand Picked brand.
- A minimum of 3 – 5 years experience in a Senior or Head of Digital E-Commerce position.
- A degree in Hospitality Management or Advertising/ Communications graduate with preferable experiences in the luxury hotel industry or hospitality industry.
- Hands on, energetic and resilient, with the flexibility to be successful within a lean organisational structure; prepared to ‘roll up their sleeves’ as required.
- Broad digital expertise and knowledge of best practice web development, UX and digital and performance marketing
- Has CRO,SEO and CRM experience with a focus on driving continual testing and improvement programmes to drive acquisition and retention/ repeat bookings.
- Can demonstrate the ability to critically evaluate and challenge current work practices; is an innovator and able to think laterally.
- Must have excellent people leadership with a proven track record of leading teams, to achieve pre-agreed business targets.
- Confident with presenting at board level and to senior stakeholders and be able to articulate their strategy and the reasoning behind it.
- Be able to travel to the Sevenoaks office and all the hotels within the Group, as required.
Our Benefits include:
- A competitive salary package, discussed at interview stage.
- Company pension scheme with a generous employer contribution.
- Life assurance and family private medical insurance.
- Employee Assistance Program to support you with whatever life throws at you.
- Company Sickness Scheme Benefit.
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays.
- Forward career progression, with access to our In House and external training programs, including apprenticeships and other recognised hospitality industry courses which are all supported by our learning and development team.
- Discounted colleague stays in our hotels and on food & drink.
- Annual loyalty awards (like afternoon teas and overnight stays)
- Online retail discount platform offering thousands of savings with high street retailers and restaurants as well as a health and well-being platform.
- Opportunity to make lifelong friendships and be part of team that celebrates Diversity and Inclusion.
Hand Picked Hotels is an Equal Opportunities employer. Candidates must be eligible to live and work in the UK.