ABOUT
Grace Markum
I'm passionate about delivering an outstanding customer experience.
My experience encompasses the worlds of hospitality, travel & tourism and higher education.
As a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) for 20 years, I served as a Vice President of Sales and Marketing (10 years) for 27 hotels, in 7 states, before becoming the President and CEO. Having worked my way up from hotel sales manager to President & CEO, through good economic times and recessions, I understand the challenges of providing outstanding customer service at every level.
The hotel franchises I've worked with have included include: IHG (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express); Sheraton (Four Points by Sheraton); Marriott (Renaissance, Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott); Choice Hotels (Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites); Wyndham (Wyndham Garden Hotels) and Best Western. By mirroring franchise brand standard audits or customizing secret shopping experiences, High Impact², Inc. can identify training opportunities, preparing your team to nail the franchise audit!
High Impact², Inc. has worked with 30 colleges and universities as they try to maintain student costs by increasing revenue from conference services. My corporate experience has come into play as higher education venues are competing against private sector competitors. Moreover, because I was a full-time faculty member at a University of Pittsburgh campus and managed the Continuing Education/Workforce Education Center at a Community College, I “get it.” I understand how to work with all parties to increase revenue.
Experience is the best teacher.
My career has included:
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Completing mystery shopper evaluations for hotels, restaurants, conference centers, and higher education meeting venues.
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Marketing for the pre-opening of 19 hotels, either as new properties or franchise conversions
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Trouble shooting at under-performing hotels, creating corrective action plans
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Sales coaching for individual sales offices and sales teams
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Developing standard operating procedures
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Developing marketing plan formats
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Creating Leadership Training Programs