Role Purpose
The Senior Hospitality Lead is responsible for the strategic and operational delivery of all premium hospitality account management activities across Aramco Stadium's premium hospitality portfolio, including the Directors Lounge, Pearl Lounge, VIP Suites, and premium event experiences.
The role acts as the primary relationship owner for premium hospitality clients following the sales process and serves as the central liaison between OVG Premium Sales, OVG Food & Beverage, Stadium Operations, IL QADSIA and hospitality customers.
Using Salesforce as the primary CRM platform, the Senior Hospitality Lead will oversee client onboarding, premium guest servicing, event-by-event hospitality planning, VIP management, guest satisfaction measurement, service recovery processes, and hospitality renewal strategies.
The position will ensure that every hospitality guest receives a seamless, world-class premium experience from first contact through post-event engagement while driving customer retention, loyalty, and incremental revenue growth.
Success Profile
A successful Senior Hospitality Lead will create a premium hospitality programmer where every suite holder, VIP guest, sponsor, partner and lounge member experiences a seamless, personalized and service-led journey. The individual will use Salesforce, customer insight data and collaborative stakeholder management to maximize guest satisfaction, retention and revenue while ensuring Aramco Stadium delivers a best-in-class hospitality operation comparable with the world's leading sports and entertainment venues.
Key Responsibilities
Premium Account Management
- Own all premium hospitality relationships after contract execution.
- Develop long-term relationships with premium suite holders, corporate partners and hospitality members.
- Serve as the senior point of contact for premium clients.
- Deliver annual account reviews and renewal planning meetings.
- Identify account growth and upsell opportunities.
- Manage client retention programmes.
- Ensure contractual hospitality obligations are fulfilled.
Hospitality Operations
Lead hospitality planning and delivery for:
- Directors Lounge
- Pearl Lounge
- VIP Suites
- Executive Suites
- Boardroom Suites
- Premium Concert Hospitality
- International Events
- Corporate Hospitality Programmes
Responsibilities include:
- Capacity planning
- Guest management
- Hospitality service design
- Matchday readiness reviews
- Operational coordination
- Service recovery management
Salesforce Ownership
Act as the business owner for hospitality CRM activities.
Responsible for:
- Customer account management
- Hospitality entitlement tracking
- Event planning workflows
- Service case management
- VIP guest profiles
- Reporting dashboards
- Customer journey tracking
Ensure all hospitality interactions are accurately recorded within Salesforce.
Matchday & Event Delivery
Oversee delivery of hospitality operations before, during and after events.
Coordinate:
- Guest arrival experience
- Accreditation
- VIP movements
- Ticket fulfilment
- Guest communications
- Lounge operations
- Suite servicing
- Valet parking
- Special guest arrangements
Act as senior escalation point during all events.
VIP Experience Management
Manage services for:
- Government officials
- Royal protocol guests
- Club executives
- Sponsors
- Board members
- International guests
- Commercial partners
Ensure relevant protocol requirements are met at all times.
Hospitality Planning Process
Lead the event planning cycle:
Six Weeks Prior
- Attendance forecasting
- Guest communication
- Hospitality planning launch
Four Weeks Prior
- Catering requirements
- Dietary planning
- Premium package adjustments
Two Weeks Prior
- Ticket allocation
- Parking allocation
- VIP confirmation
Event Week
- Final operational readiness
- Stakeholder meetings
- Hospitality briefing sessions
Food & Beverage Coordination
Act as primary hospitality contact for OVG Food & Beverage.
Responsibilities include:
- Hospitality attendance forecasts
- Menu review and approval
- Dietary requirement management
- Service standard monitoring
- Post-event catering reviews
Work closely with catering leadership to maintain premium hospitality standards.
Hospitality Feedback & Customer Insight
Lead the hospitality guest feedback programme through Salesforce and Merkle.
Oversee:
- Post-event surveys
- Customer satisfaction scoring
- NPS measurement
- Customer sentiment analysis
- Complaint investigations
- Service recovery programmes
Translate guest feedback into actionable improvement plans.
Stakeholder Management
Develop strong relationships with:
- OVG Premium Sales
- OVG Food & Beverage
- IL QADSIA
- Stadium Operations
- Guest Services
- Security
- Commercial Sponsors
Represent hospitality requirements across all stadium operational planning forums.
Leadership Responsibilities
- Lead and coach the Hospitality Lead.
- Establish hospitality operating procedures.
- Develop hospitality service standards.
- Conduct performance reviews.
- Deliver training and onboarding programmes.
- Create a culture of service excellence.
- Champion continuous improvement initiatives.
Knowledge & Experience
Essential
- Minimum 5-7 years hospitality, premium service or account management experience.
- Experience in sports, entertainment, venue, hotel, aviation or premium guest environments.
- Experience managing VIP and corporate client relationships.
- Experience working within CRM systems.
- Experience leading operational teams.
- Experience managing service recovery and customer complaints.
Desirable
- Stadium or arena experience.
- Premium hospitality experience.
- Salesforce CRM experience.
- Experience working with ticketing systems.
- Experience using customer insight platforms such as Merkle, Qualtrics or Medallia.
- Experience supporting major events, concerts or international sporting events.
Skills & Competencies
Leadership
- Team leadership
- Coaching and mentoring
- Decision-making
- Influencing skills
Commercial
- Relationship management
- Customer retention
- Upselling
- Stakeholder engagement
Operational
- Event planning
- Project management
- Process improvement
- Service delivery
Technical
- Salesforce CRM
- Microsoft 365
- Data analysis and reporting
- Dashboard interpretation
Personal Attributes
- Customer obsessed
- Detail-oriented
- Calm under pressure
- Professional and discreet
- Highly organized
- Solution focused
- Strong communicator
