HSMAI Sales Acceleration Meeting highlights the human role in hotel performance in São Paulo

The Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), an international organization focused on the development of professionals in the hospitality industry, held another edition of the Sales Acceleration Meeting on June 26 at the Renaissance São Paulo Hotel. The meeting brought together sales, marketing, operations and technology executives from the national hotel industry, with a focus on commercial practices, loyalty and customer experience.

Performance is in attitude
In his opening speech, César Mors, CEO of Atendimento Ímpar and partner at Rede Fundamental, provoked the audience with insights on behavior and perception of value in sales. “People change social class and never return to a hotel that underestimated them,” he said. For him, selling is about creating connections: “Expensive compared to what? The price or the value delivered?”

César argued that salespeople need to move away from a passive stance and get emotionally close to customers. “It’s not about sending a proposal, it’s about presenting it. The difference is on WhatsApp: video, photo, empathy. Loyalty starts with intention.”

From enchantment to loyalty
In the panel moderated by Fernanda Pini, Sales Manager at Atrio Hotel Management, the debate revolved around the customer journey, with a focus on building lasting bonds.

Ícaro Chamon, Sales Manager at Malai Manso Resort, emphasized the value of personalization: “The brand is anchored in the experience that the person had with the attendant. It is necessary to teach geography, but also to connect the individual to the company.”

Maína Pietrobelli, Business Development Director Latam at Plusgrade, reinforced the need for relevant communication: “A relationship that works is not insistent. It’s about knowing the timing, diversifying channels and delivering meaningful content.”

Juliana Nogueira, National Sales Manager at Grupo Wish, shared a real-life case study about cultural adaptation: “We started hiring receptionists who were fluent in French when we realized the volume of guests from France. Information, trust and active listening help to build a robust commercial proposal.”

Distribution and strategy at the center
In her talk “Distribution Mandala”, Melanie Teixeira, Partner & Business Developer Director at Omnibees, discussed the complexity of channels and defended the strategic centrality of the CRS (Central Reservation System). “Selling a hotel room is one of the most difficult tasks. Distribution is still full of operational bottlenecks, but it can be the heart of business intelligence if well integrated”, she said.

Melanie addressed everything from offline bookings to overloading teams with operational tasks: “We need to free up professionals to sell, not just enter data.”

Operations and sales
Moderated by Fernanda Oliveira, Sales Director of Grupo Wish, the panel “From Promise to Delivery” brought together voices from operations and sales in search of convergence.

Flávia Camargo, Operations Director at ICH – Intercity Hotéis, defended the shared responsibility between the areas: “We are developing platforms to share data quickly and appropriately. It is not just about IBA or events, but about total revenue.”

Johannes Bayer, general manager of the InterContinental São Paulo, pointed to the need for trust and predictability: “Operations and sales need to look at the same indicators and predict, for example, operational blockages in advance.”

Leonardo Martini, Operations Director at Grupo Wish, reinforced the importance of human alignment: “The relationship of trust between sales and operations has been achieved. Today, everyone is proud and moving in the same direction. The competition is about who delivers the most.”

Between opportunity and chaos
In the panel “Wild Distribution”, moderated by Erilton Júnior, Sales and Marketing Manager at Blue Tree Hotels, the challenges of excessive exposure were the focus.

Daiane Nogueira, National TMC Sales Manager at Atlantica Hotels, highlighted the weakness of the control: “Excessive visibility is confusing. We can’t know where the customer is buying from.”

Anna Fernandes, Revenue and Distribution Manager at Staybridge Suites & Hotels, warned about the overload: “You can’t be on every channel. A partner isn’t just someone who distributes, they’re someone who contributes.”

Guilherme Machado, Regional Sales Manager at Intercity Hotéis, was blunt: “It’s chaos. Everyone promises, but few deliver. Distribution without a strategy becomes a maze.”

Data with soul
Mediated by Fernando Bacala, former director of the Renaissance São Paulo Hotel and current Regional Director of the Global Sales Organization Brazil, Costa Rica and Panama, the panel “Algorithmics with Soul” explored the fusion between technology and humanization in sales.

Thiago Souza, Head of Sales at Mavsa Resort, summed it up: “AI is not here to replace people, but to improve what we do best: connection.”

Cadu Cordeiro, Sales Architecture and Performance Manager at Totvs, reinforced the role of data in more human decisions: “We translate numbers into strategies with soul. Data is not cold when used to deliver authentic experiences.”

Alessandra Akaki, Revenue & Reservation Manager at Rosewood São Paulo, focused on events: “We are in our third year of operation. Our challenge is to help our clients reinvent the format of their event, not just host it.”

Final Case Study
Closing the day, Mirella Mateus, Sales Manager at Blue Tree Premium Alphaville, presented the Blue Tree Verbo Divino case study, reinforcing the impact of positioning in the automotive sector. “Our difference was understanding the customer’s language and positioning ourselves clearly. That makes all the difference.”

Report and photo: Mary de Aquino.