In Conversation with Sabatina Schmitt, Director Sales Corporate Travel & MICE:

Modern customer relationships, limited sales resources and why personal networks matter more than ever in B2B business

 

Sabatina, many independent hotels do not have their own dedicated sales team. What opportunities does a central Corporate Sales team create for them?

Sabatina Schmitt:
Many hotels simply do not have a dedicated sales professional who can focus exclusively on corporate clients, agencies and new business opportunities. By joining a hotel network such as ours, they become part of a large sales organisation, not just nationally, but internationally as well.

This opens doors to opportunities and contacts that individual hotels would often find difficult to establish on their own. 

 

You have been observing the market for many years. What has changed most significantly in business travel sales?

Sabatina Schmitt:
In the past, you could simply visit a company, meet with the travel manager or booking department and build relationships face-to-face. That is rarely possible today. Many employees work in hybrid environments or remotely, meetings need to be arranged well in advance, and decision-makers often have little time for spontaneous visits.

As a result, customer relationship management has evolved considerably. Today, success is much more about maintaining the right networks, being present at relevant industry events and meeting customers where they are actually accessible. 

 

Where do you meet these customers today?

Sabatina Schmitt:
Primarily at trade fairs, industry events, workshops and our own client events. These are places where travel managers, procurement professionals and event planners come together. For us, they are often the most effective way of connecting with a large number of relevant contacts in one location.

We also organise fam trips, hotel site inspections and showcase events. The advantage is clear: clients experience the hotels first-hand. In many cases, a prospective corporate client only becomes a booking partner once people have experienced the product for themselves. 

 

Can you give us an example?

Sabatina Schmitt:
Certainly. A great example is a recent fam trip we organised in Bavaria, featuring the Hotel Bayerischer Hof Miesbach, BW Premier Collection by Best Western, and the Feuriger Tatzlwurm Berghotel & Spa, BW Signature Collection by Best Western in Oberaudorf.

Both properties are well known within the industry. However, we repeatedly heard the same response from customers: “Yes, we know the hotels by name, but we have never actually visited them.”

We originally planned for ten participants, yet 18 attended in the end, including MICE and seminar organisers, corporate customers and leisure travel partners. This perfectly illustrates the strength of a central network. The hotels themselves could organise such an event. The real challenge is attracting the right decision-makers and bookers to attend. 

 

What surprises hoteliers most when they first encounter your sales approach?

Sabatina Schmitt:
The sheer number of opportunities and contacts created behind the scenes. Many initially think of traditional corporate sales activities. In reality, it is often about bringing people together, increasing visibility and opening doors.

Hotels frequently benefit from relationships and networks that have been built over many years. These cannot be replicated overnight. That is precisely why sales today are driven far more by partnerships and long-term relationships than by individual sales meetings.

 

Are there success stories that would probably never have happened without a central team?

Sabatina Schmitt:
Absolutely. We see them on a regular basis.

Often, we identify business opportunities through close collaboration with clients and partners. Sometimes we notice that a company is significantly increasing its travel activity within a particular region. We then engage with the customer, understand the background and can recommend suitable hotels.

These conversations frequently lead to new corporate agreements or additional business volume for individual properties. Many hotels would never become aware of these opportunities on their own because they simply do not have access to the same contacts or market insights.

 

Finally, what will successful Corporate Sales look like in the future?

Sabatina Schmitt:
Personal relationships will remain essential. However, they are built differently today than they were in the past.

Anyone who wants to succeed in the corporate segment must be present where customers and partners are active. At the same time, networks, partnerships and collaboration with the right industry influencers will continue to gain importance.

For hotels, this means that offering a great product alone is no longer enough. You must also ensure that the right decision-makers know about it. That is exactly where we support our hotels.