Fractional Commercial Leadership

Senior hotel sales and commercial leadership without the cost or commitment of a permanent hire.

Turn your hotel's commercial strategy into measurable revenue growth.

Sales Leadership  ·  Business Development  ·  Key Accounts  ·  Commercial Strategy

13+ years across Hilton, Accor, IHG, Millennium & De Vere.

Led by Gurbir Singh Soni, a hotel commercial leader with 13+ years' experience across luxury and upscale brands including Hilton, Accor, IHG, Millennium and De Vere.

Book a 30-Minute Commercial Review
Track record across
HiltonUK
AccorEMEA & UK
IHGEMEA & UK
MillenniumAPAC & EMEA
De VereUK
Independent hotels
Bentley HotelMEA
Heston Hyde HotelUK
Atrium HotelME & EU
The Resident (formerly Nadler Hotels)USA, UK & EU
Who we help

Independent hotels, branded properties, groups and operators who need senior commercial leadership without a full-time hire.

The problem

Stalled sales, no commercial leadership, revenue left on the table.

What we deliver

Senior commercial leadership, with strategy turned into results.

Why appoint us

13+ years of hotel commercial leadership, with accountability for sales, accounts, pipeline and performance.

First Step

30-minute commercial review. No obligation.

The Problem

Where is your hotel's commercial performance getting stuck?

A reactive sales team with no proactive pipeline
Heavy OTA dependency eating into margin
No senior commercial leadership in place
Corporate and MICE accounts underdeveloped
No clear commercial action plan or accountability
A new opening or repositioning with no commercial strategy behind it
The Solution

Senior commercial leadership without permanent headcount.

Fractional commercial leadership means bringing in a senior operator — on a flexible, defined-term basis — to do the work a full-time hire would do: setting strategy, running sales activity, developing accounts, and holding the numbers to account. You get the leadership without the cost, timeline or risk of a permanent appointment, and a clear handover once the engine is running.

Services

Commercial momentum, wherever your hotel needs it.

01

Fractional Sales Leadership

Cover a commercial leadership gap immediately while you recruit, restructure or decide what the hotel actually needs long term.

02

New Business Development

Identify, target and convert corporate, MICE, group, leisure and strategic accounts.

03

Key Account Growth

Protect existing revenue while developing new opportunities within high-value accounts.

04

Commercial Audit & Strategy

Review sales structure, account production, pipeline, CRM, market mix and commercial activity.

Flagship Service

Fractional Commercial Leadership

Need senior commercial leadership without committing to a permanent appointment? Soni Hospitality provides experienced hotel commercial leadership on a flexible basis — as Fractional DOS, DOSM or Commercial Director support depending on the hotel's requirement — working alongside your GM and operational team to develop strategy, lead sales activity, build key accounts and convert new business.

  • Build a qualified corporate and MICE pipeline
  • Increase production from existing key accounts
  • Identify and convert new revenue opportunities
  • Create sales accountability and measurable activity
  • Reduce reliance on passive/OTA-driven demand
  • Rebuild commercial momentum
  • Give the GM/owner visibility over pipeline and performance
  • Leave behind a repeatable sales process
Who We Work With

Built for hotels that need commercial momentum.

Independent Hotels

Owners and GMs looking to strengthen commercial performance without adding permanent headcount.

Branded Hotels & Hotel Groups

Interim leadership, commercial restructuring, openings and performance improvement.

Hotels in Transition & Growth

New openings, repositioning, leadership gaps, underperformance and changing market conditions.

Owners, Operators & Asset Managers

Commercial reviews, strategic action plans and hands-on execution.

Testimonials

What GMs, peers and clients say.

"Consistently demonstrates strategic leadership and deep market insight."

James Billing
General Manager, Grand Millennium Auckland

"Strong leadership, exceptional sales ability, and an impressive understanding of the luxury market."

Julio de Carvalho
General Manager, Hilton Torquay

"Dedication, responsiveness, and commitment to building strong client relationships."

Ketan Patel
Senior Director, Sales EMEA & APAC (Corporate Client)

"A direct approach to people, and a friendly personality."

David Lopez Alonso
Managing Director, Axis & Globe Travel

"His capability is exceptional, and his career will continue to grow to great heights."

Ian Mitchell
Co-Founder & CEO, SaaS company

"Knows how to build strong relationships and turn them into business and revenue."

Eric-Enno Snel MIH
General Manager, Sundays (formerly Mercure Winchester & Staines-upon-Thames)
Read the Full Track Record on LinkedIn
Why Soni Hospitality

Operator-led, not theory-led.

Hotel operator, not generic consultant

13+ years inside hotel commercial environments.

Execution-led

Sales strategy translated into daily execution.

Commercially accountable

Accountability for pipeline and production.

Flexible leadership

Senior commercial capability without the immediate commitment of a permanent appointment.

When To Bring Us In

The moments that call for commercial leadership.

01

Commercial Leadership Gaps

No dedicated commercial leadership or limited sales resource.

02

Hotel Groups

Temporary support during leadership changes, openings or restructuring.

03

Underperforming Sales Teams

A fresh commercial assessment, training and action plan.

04

New Openings / Repositioning

Build the commercial plan and account strategy before and after launch.

05

Hotels Entering New Markets

Develop corporate, MICE, groups and strategic account opportunities.

How It Works

Discovery → Baseline → Engagement → Handover.

DISCOVERY

Discovery, property by property

Vision, current commercial setup, real numbers, systems in use, and how the team actually works today — not the org chart version.

BASELINE

Fair baseline, set together

No performance target is imposed before both sides agree what "now" looks like. This protects owners who've been burned by sales teams before, and protects the engagement itself.

ENGAGEMENT

Fractional leadership, on a fixed term

Typically a 3–4 month initial engagement with regular reviews and a per-property plan, structured to extend into a longer association where it's earning its keep.

HANDOVER

Handover-ready, not dependency-built

Systems and training are left with your team, so the improvement doesn't disappear the day the contract ends.

Gurbir Singh Soni

Gurbir Singh Soni

Gurbir Singh Soni brings more than 13 years of hotel commercial leadership experience across luxury and upscale brands including Hilton, Accor, IHG, Millennium and De Vere. His experience spans corporate, MICE, groups, leisure and strategic account development across UK and international markets.

Soni Hospitality was created to make that experience available to hotels that need senior commercial leadership, but don't necessarily need — or want — another permanent headcount position.

Let's talk about your hotel's commercial performance.

30-minute conversation. No obligation.

gurbir@sonihospitality.com LinkedIn