Director Experiences Sales

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts · Mumbai, India

About The Leela

The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts is India's leading luxury hospitality brand, renowned for combining world-class luxury with the warmth of Indian hospitality. Headquartered in Mumbai and owned by a Brookfield Asset Management-sponsored private real estate fund, The Leela operates thirteen award-winning hotels across key business and leisure destinations in India, with a strong pipeline of future developments.

Recognized multiple times as the World's Best Hotel Brand by Travel + Leisure USA World's Best Awards , The Leela offers immersive experiences rooted in Indian culture, heritage, wellness, and gastronomy. The brand is affiliated with Preferred Hotels & Resorts and is a member of the Global Hotel Alliance.

Why Join The Leela?

• Be part of an award-winning luxury hospitality brand.
• Work in an environment that values excellence, innovation, and creativity.
• Contribute to the growth of an iconic Indian luxury brand.
• Access strong career development opportunities.
• Create meaningful experiences inspired by India's rich cultural heritage.

Position Overview

Reporting To: AVP & Vice President – Sales

Location: The Leela Corporate Office, Mumbai

The Director – Experiences will lead the development and execution of The Leela's portfolio-wide experiences strategy, creating distinctive, destination-led offerings that enhance guest engagement, strengthen brand positioning, and generate incremental revenue. The role will work closely with Sales, Marketing & Communications, Revenue Management, Operations, F&B, Digital, Brand, and hotel teams to identify, curate, commercialize, and scale luxury experiences across the portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

Experience Strategy & Development

• Develop and implement the overall experiences strategy and roadmap across The Leela portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to create differentiated experiences across culture, heritage, wellness, gastronomy, art, celebrations, lifestyle, and leisure.
• Ensure experiences reflect each destination's unique character while remaining aligned with The Leela brand philosophy.
• Build a framework for evaluating, launching, and scaling experiences across hotels.

Experience Design & Curation

• Conceptualize signature experiences that are memorable, authentic, and commercially viable.
• Develop guest journeys and experience narratives.
• Curate bespoke experiences for VIP guests, celebrations, events, and luxury travelers.
• Establish relationships with artists, chefs, wellness practitioners, cultural experts, and local partners.

Commercialization & Revenue Growth

• Develop strategies to convert experiences into revenue-generating opportunities.
• Partner with Sales and Revenue Management to package experiences for leisure, corporate, MICE, weddings, celebrations, and luxury travel segments.
• Establish pricing, packaging, and commercial models.
• Drive upselling and cross-selling opportunities and monitor ROI.

Sales & Business Integration

• Integrate experiences into the overall sales proposition.
• Develop sales tools, presentations, collateral, and client-facing experience packages.
• Support business development efforts through compelling experience-led propositions for strategic accounts and high-value clients.

Partnerships & Collaborations

• Build strategic partnerships with luxury brands, cultural institutions, chefs, artists, wellness experts, and premium lifestyle organizations.
• Develop collaborations that enhance guest value while supporting commercial objectives.
• Ensure all partnerships align with The Leela's brand standards and positioning.

Signature Experiences & Brand IP

• Develop proprietary experience concepts and signature brand experiences.
• Identify successful property-level initiatives that can be replicated across the portfolio.
• Ensure consistency in quality, storytelling, and execution while preserving local authenticity.
• Continuously refresh the experience portfolio to maintain exclusivity and relevance.

Luxury Guest Experiences

• Design highly personalized offerings for VIPs, HNIs, UHNWIs, and discerning luxury travelers.
• Create bespoke experiences for milestone celebrations, repeat guests, and special occasions.
• Build experiences that foster emotional connections, loyalty, and repeat visitation.

MICE, Weddings & Celebrations

• Develop differentiated experience propositions for MICE, corporate incentives, weddings, and social events.
• Partner with Sales and Events teams to create customized itineraries and event experiences.
• Enhance guest engagement before, during, and after key events.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Revenue Management, Operations, F&B, Brand, Digital teams, General Managers, and Directors of Sales.
• Establish governance, quality standards, and operational processes for experience delivery.
• Share best practices and successful concepts across properties.

Marketing & Storytelling

• Support the creation of compelling narratives and content around experiences.
• Identify opportunities for PR, influencer engagement, social media, and brand collaborations.
• Develop annual experience calendars aligned with cultural, seasonal, and destination-specific opportunities.

Qualifications

• Graduate or Postgraduate degree in Hospitality, Business Management, Sales & Marketing, Luxury Brand Management, or a related discipline.
• 12-15+ years of experience in luxury hospitality, experiential marketing, luxury travel, lifestyle, events, brand partnerships, or related fields.
• Proven experience in conceptualizing, launching, and commercializing premium or luxury experiences.
• Strong understanding of luxury consumer behavior and market trends.
• Demonstrated ability to build strategic partnerships and external networks.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to translate creative ideas into revenue opportunities.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to identify unique destination attributes and transform them into compelling guest experiences.
• Strong execution capabilities, with experience managing initiatives from concept and partnership development through commercial launch, delivery, and performance measurement.

Key Performance Indicators

• Revenue generated through experiences.
• Incremental guest spend and commercial contribution.
• Number and quality of signature experiences launched.
• Uptake, conversion, and participation rates.
• Guest satisfaction and engagement scores.
• Repeat participation and loyalty indicators.
• Strategic partnerships established.
• Cross-property adoption of successful experiences.
• Contribution to luxury leisure, MICE, weddings, and celebrations revenue.
• PR impact and brand visibility generated.
• ROI of experience-led initiatives.

Key Competencies

• Experience Strategy & Innovation
• Luxury & Experiential Marketing
• Commercial Acumen
• Brand Storytelling
• Strategic Partnerships
• Luxury Consumer Insights
• Sales & Business Development
• MICE & Event Management
• Guest Experience Design
• Stakeholder Management
• Negotiation & Influencing
• Project Management
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Execution Excellence