Steven E. Combs
  • Associate Instructor, Parks, Recreation & Tourism
801-258-6769

Education

  • BA, Economics, Brigham Young University
  • MBA, Marketing, Westminster College

Biography

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

  • Hands-on General Management Experience with full P&L accountability.
  • Solid experience in communicating, training, mentoring and holding people accountable for performance.
  • Cross-functional Hotel Operations experience in Revenue Management, Front Office Operations, Sales & Marketing, and Accounting.
  • Teamwork Experience functioning at varied levels from Advisory Board Membership, Website Development Committees, Sales & Marketing Direction.
  • Experience interfacing and meeting needs of all stake-holders (owners, customers, employees) in hospitality operations.
  • Passion for hospitality.
  • Possession of a learning mentality.

 

EDUCATION

2000          M.B.A. Marketing Westminster College

1989          B.A. Economics, Brigham Young University

 

EMPLOYMENT

Acting Director of Sales & Marketing, 2008-Present, Grand America Hotels and Resorts, Salt Lake City, UT

·        In addition to concurrent duties as Director of Revenue Management supervised a team of 12 sales team members.

·        Responsible for selection and hiring of sales managers.

·        Directed Sales & Marketing effort to include management of and selection of trade shows and travel schedule of sales team.

·        Worked directly with creative services to develop marketing collateral and was responsible for marketing channel placement.

·        Completed total redesign of sales team bonus program.

·        Managed rate quoting process and associated contract negotiations.

·        Extensive review and approval of sales contracts.

·        Co-directed development of new website.

·        Other miscellaneous duties as directed by President of company.

 

Director of Revenue Management, 2000-Present, Grand America Hotels and Resorts, Salt Lake City, UT

·        Developed and implemented revenue management culture and processes to maximize revpar focusing primarily on one 775 room 5 Diamond Hotel and one 850 room 4 Diamond Hotel and secondarily on 4 other properties.

·        Managed all channels of distribution and relationships with suppliers and vendor partners, including GDSs, Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, TravelClick, Sceptre, Micros-Fidelio, and Opus 2.

·        Responsible for pricing product, transient and group, with respect to changing demand and competitive maneuvers.

·        Developed demand estimations and price/cross-price elasticities utilizing econometrics.

·        Developed budgeting and forecasting models for multiple hotels.

·        Extensive design and use of spreadsheets and pivot tables used to analyze operations and sales pace/performance on a consistent monthly basis.

·        Developed and maintained bonus compensation plan for all sales personnel.

·        Active participant of website development committee.

·        Project Manager for Fidelio Opera, Opus 2 Top Line Profit (now known as ORMS), and Opera Sales & Catering installation including complete system configuration entailing market segmentation, transaction codes, rate structure, etc.

·        Opening management team member of 775 room hotel with 75,000 square feet of meeting space.

Official “Olympic Family Hotel” for 2002 Olympic Winter Games.

Reservations Advisory Board, 2002-2003 Leading Hotels of the World, NYC, NY.

·        Board member contributing operations expertise, planning, fundraising, and assistance with annual meeting planning.

 

Corporate Director Revenue Management Development, 2000, Wyndham Int’l, Dallas, TX

·        Managed E-Commerce marketing and distribution for more than 170 hotels both domestic and international.

·        Negotiated contracts with Internet Travel Providers including Expedia and Hotels.com on behalf of over 170 hotels.

·        Liaison between corporation, hotels, and partners.

·        Evaluated numerous business models with respect to content, efficiency, and marketing strategy and made recommendations to senior management for national brand participation.

·        Analyzed, recommended, and secured inventory/pricing for all e-commerce partners.

·        Developed and deployed sophisticated demand forecasting models which were adopted as corporate standards nationwide.

 

Area Revenue Manager, 1996-2000, Red Lion/DoubleTree Hotels, Salt Lake City, UT

·        Primary Responsibilities for one property in UT and minor responsibilities for 4 properties in ID and MT.

·        Extensive forecasting responsibilities including daily, monthly, quarterly, and yearly revenues and occupancy.

·        Specification and development of various forecasting models.

·        Extensive rate analysis and adjustment.

·        Budget development responsibilities.

·        Using multivariate regression analysis, constructed accurate estimated demand curves and elasticity estimates.

·        Managed call center employees including, hiring, training, monitoring performance and evaluations.

 

General Manager, 1993-1996, Alamo Rent A Car, Anchorage, AK

·        Senior executive for Alamo Rent A Car in the State of Alaska, functioning with a great deal of autonomy.

·        Accountable for a 1,200 car fleet.  This included fleet size analysis, title management, receiving, mechanical repairs, body-work, preventative maintenance, mileage management, turn-back compliance, and retail of vehicles.

·        Management of underground fuel tanks, including management of a construction project replacing a 10,000 gallon tank, and all associated environmental regulations. 

·        Responsible for maintaining corporate brand standards and customer service levels.

·        Full profit/loss accountability for operations with over 20 million in assets and 6 million in sales.

·        Sole managerial accountability for 7 managers and 55 employees and all associated activities including but not limited to, I-9 Qualifications, Workers compensation management, Unemployment management and testifying before state labor boards.

·        Development of operating and capital budgets.

·        Reduced fleet by 33% over two years yet maintained flat revenue via creative daily/weekly pricing schedules.

·        Oversaw competitive bid process with Airport Authority for on-site operations resulting in premier selection of airport counter space.

·        Managed extensive airport operations remodel.

 

Station Manager, 1991-1993, Hertz Rent A Car, Anchorage, AK

·        Managed customer service operations at Airport.

·        Fleet vehicle management including preventative maintenance, mechanical maintenance, and body work.

·        Underground fuel tank management.

·        Revenue management duties including sales of auxiliary products.

·        Functioned as operation Safety Manager.

 

Manager/Marketing Associate, 1989-1991, Host-Marriott, Anchorage, AK

·        Relief manager for airport operations, including, 4 lounges, 4 snack bars, 2 restaurants, one cafeteria, kitchen and storeroom.

·        Conducted inventories, ordered food, verified cashier transactions, deposits, and banks.

·        Quality assurance and management of Food & Beverage operations and service personnel.

·        Implemented national branding campaigns.

·        Assisted in contract bid process with Airport Authority.

·        Assisted with preliminary remodel plans.