MARISSA FRIEDRICH Online Distribution Manager Germany & Poland Scandic Hotels
MARISSA LAURIEN FRIEDRICH *April 16, 1990 International University of Applied Sciences Bad Honnef Bonn & Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff (USA) PERSONAL INFORMATION International Hospitality Management (Double Degree) Graduated April 2014 Online Distribution Manager Germany & Poland at Scandic Hotels c/o Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz, Gabriele-Tergit-Promenade 19, 10963 Berlin (Germany)
CAREER 09/10-05/14 11/14-09/15 10/15-07/16 07/16-05/17 Since 05/17 Double Bachelor Degree at IUBH & NAU Corporate Leadership Trainee in Rooms Division at Grand Hyatt Berlin Area Revenue Analyst at Hyatt Services GmbH Revenue Manager at The Mandala Hotel Online Distribution Manager Germany & Poland at Scandic Hotels
WHILE STUDYING International Buddy Helping international students at IUBH settling at the university and in Germany Accompanying visits to municipal offices as a translator Supporting students in filling out required paper work Student Representative Representing the interests of my study course on all matters relating to the study programme and university life Act as a communication channel between the university s directors, decanes and students Contribute to institutional activities such as Open Campus Day Former Member of the HSMAI Arizona Chapter Organizing fundraising activities and networking events STAR Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics Revenue Management Certificate which accounts for a profound knowledge about the fundamental measures, formulas and methods used in Hospitality Revenue Management
SCANDIC HOTELS GROUP Largest Nordic hotel operator with a network of 230 hotels with almost 45,000 rooms in seven countries and annual sales of SEK 13.1 billion in 2016 Business travelers make up the main customer group and account for almost 70 percent of Scandic s revenue The majority of the Scandic hotels are certified for CSR and/or sustainability Most hotels are designed for people with special needs or a disability as well as for families with kids Scandic Hotels was named Finland s best place to work at the Great Place to Work in February 2017 With 2 million members, the loyalty program Scandic Friends is the biggest loyalty program in the Nordics
ONLINE DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Newly created position within Scandic Europe (Non-Nordics) to keep up with the quick development of the online distribution world Reporting to the Director of E-Distribution Germany & Poland Supporting 4 hotels in Germany and 2 hotels in Poland Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz (4-star hotel with 561 rooms) Scandic Berlin Kurfürstendamm (4-star hotel with 217 rooms) Scandic Hamburg Emporio (4-star hotel with 340 rooms) Coming in February 2018: Scandic Frankfurt Museumsufer (4-star hotel with around 300 rooms) Scandic Gdansk (4-star hotel with 143 rooms) Scandic Wroclaw (4-star hotel with 164 rooms) Overlooking a total revenue of 17,000,000 EUR per year OTA business makes up about 45 percent of the revenue of the hotels Goals: Improving RGI development by increasing ADR of OTA business Reducing total hotel distribution costs Increasing share of business on brand website by using the marketing effect, the knowledge about customer behaviour and technological edge of OTAs
TASKS & FUTURE PROJECTS Consulting the hotels Revenue Managers in regard to business made through Online Travel and Flash Sale Agencies Analysing performances per OTA Looking on business on the books and proactively propose suitable promotions to increase booking volume Informing Revenue Managers about enhancements and new technologies of the OTAs Searching for and analysing the potential of new online distribution or flash sale partners Continuously updating and improving content on OTAs to improve usability and keep in line with the newest findings on customer habits and preferences Maintaining listings/hotel profiles and promotions on MICE portals Developing promotions that can be distributed on rate parity level throughout most OTAs and brand website Frequent meetings with local OTA representatives and market managers to be develop long-term strategies to e.g. improve ranking and conversion according to the requirements of each individual OTA Monthly reporting including production analyses, booking patterns, cancellation ratios and customer review scores
TASKS & FUTURE PROJECTS Preparing and conducting trainings on OTAs for operational teams Analysing the performance of offers for different customer segments within each OTA (e.g. package offers at Expedia or opaque discounts on Hotelbeds) Increasing conversion of each OTA by e.g. displaying seasonal content Project 1: Increasing customer review score on Booking.com to 9.0 for all German hotels Analysing factors that influence customers to leave a negative review Internal audit in all operational departments to look for possible operational improvements that increase overall customer satisfaction Set up action plan together with department heads Project 2: Updating all MICE portals with data about new meeting concept Updating new meeting arrangements/packages and pictures Developing suitable promotions to increase conversion of request for proposals
ACHIEVEMENTS Improved visibility by an average of 73% compared to same time last year on Expedia within the last 90 days (booking date) Increased ADR of OTA business by 7.40 and total OTA revenue by 10.4% (June to mid September vs. STLY) Decreased cancellation rate on Expedia by 30% at 3 of 5 hotels Increase of 10 in room category Superior Family at Scandic Berlin Kurfürstendamm and 2 increase in room category King Superior at Scandic Wroclaw compared to previous months by enabling to book guests for 3 adults with a surcharge for the third person on OTAs Increased on the books rooms revenue by 20.7% and ADR by 18.1% for all hotels on Booking.com compared to STLY for next 12 months Reduced the number of customer complaints regarding surcharges for kids (extra bed and breakfast charges) Increased F&B revenue of one hotel by 61.8% compared to STLY by setting up a Value Add promotion that included a 15% discount on lunch and dinner at the hotel and free dinner for kids up to 12 years of age
THANK YOU The study program at IUBH is the foundation of my career and I am very thankful that my parents gave me this great opportunity. Without the profound knowledge that the professors at IUBH have passed on to us, I wouldn t be where I am now. I am graceful and honored to be nominated for the WHA for professional success and it would make me extremely proud to represent IUBH and Scandic Hotels in Paris. Marissa