Driftwood Hospitality Management

Carol Davies is senior vice president of commercial strategy at Driftwood Hospitality Management, where she leads sales, marketing, revenue management and e-commerce for 85+ hotels. A hospitality veteran with over 30 years in multi-hotel leadership, she has driven strategic growth across branded, boutique and resort portfolios.

In this feature, Davies shares how she built Driftwood’s integrated commercial structure and introduced a proprietary group pricing tool, while prioritizing profitability and speed. She discusses scaling hospitality businesses responsibly, leading with transparency and operating as one voice and one team to drive sustainable growth.

From Property to Commercial Leadership

At Driftwood Hospitality Management, I started as the regional director of sales and marketing. I came to the company with over 20 years of property experience and was the first above-property leader hired from outside. That meant bringing a fresh perspective into a growing organization.

As the company grew, it became apparent we needed to scale differently; the old ways just wouldn’t hold. Over the first few years, I introduced new platforms, budgeting discipline and more structure. After about three years, they asked me to lead the sales team. I started to oversee revenue management as well as sales.

That was the shift. It was around then that what I would call a ‘commercial phenomenon’ started in the industry. People started using the term ‘commercial’ instead of calling it sales and marketing. I could see where things were headed.

Back then, we were paying third parties to handle SEO and paid search. I believed we could do it better ourselves, save on ownership money and have real accountability.

One of the first significant decisions I pushed was bringing e-commerce in-house. From there, we built deliberately. I added marketing leadership to support the field and strengthened revenue management. Over four to five years, we developed a structure where sales, revenue, e-commerce and marketing operate under one commercial strategy.

Today, I oversee all regional directors of sales and revenue management under a dedicated VP leading an 18-member team along with our in-house e-commerce and marketing teams. Together, we operate as a fully integrated commercial organization.

Profitability in a Shortened Window

The impact of the integrated structure shows most clearly in how we evaluate and manage group businesses. Group dynamics have changed dramatically. In some markets, the booking window has shrunk from six months to about 60 days. When timelines compress like that, profitability decisions need to be made quickly and with precision.

To support that, our revenue team developed a proprietary group pricing tool. Instead of waiting until the end of the day to complete the daily value review (DVR), our sales managers can input the request for proposal (RFP) details and receive the best possible rate quickly, based on total profitability.

“For hospitality businesses to grow responsibly, sales, revenue, marketing and e-commerce shouldn’t operate in silos anymore.”

Total profitability is the key. Just because a group has significant food and beverage revenue doesn’t mean it’s profitable. This is why the tool evaluates concessions, seasonality and margins based on the hotel’s most recent profit and loss reports. It tells us whether the whole piece of business actually works.

If it doesn’t, we can quickly evaluate alternate dates and go back to the client with booking options that make sense for both sides—for the customer seeking value and flexibility, and for the hotel protecting margins and long-term performance. When we have important clients on the property, that alignment allows us to deliver red carpet customer service while still protecting profitability.

That kind of transparency builds trust. Clients understand when you’re thoughtful and not just chasing revenue, which builds loyalty over time.

Breaking Silos Across Commercial Teams in Hospitality Sales

For hospitality businesses to grow responsibly, sales, revenue, marketing and e-commerce shouldn’t operate in silos anymore.

About a year ago, we removed silos across our commercial teams to strike the right balance between data-driven strategies and relationship-based selling. We combined our sales meetings and revenue calls into one commercial call. The general manager starts with profitability forecasts for the next 30, 60 or 90 days. Sales reviews pipeline activity before moving straight into revenue strategy. Everyone hears the same information at the same time.

It sounds simple, but it changed everything. Sales understands why specific dates are protected. Revenue understands what’s developing in the pipeline. Sales can flag high-priority clients early. We’re not reacting in separate lanes anymore. You still preserve the human connection. Sales is still building relationships. But now everyone understands the strategy behind the scenes.

Transparency, Communication and Leading by Example

From a leadership standpoint, I believe in transparency, communication and collaboration. I would describe my style as servant leadership. I don’t think people should follow directions because of a title. If I ask my team to learn something, I make sure I educate myself on it too. If I say I will do something, I do it.

We invest heavily in learning and development because I want my team to see that I’ll roll up my sleeves when needed. My job is to enable department heads so they can support their teams effectively. When leadership models that behavior, it trickles down across the organization.

We very much believe in the idea of “one voice, one team.” That means shared accountability and making sure everyone understands why decisions are made.

Prioritizing Continuous Learning and Mentorship

For anyone who wants to move into enterprise-level leadership, my advice is to find a mentor. It doesn’t have to be just one person. I’ve had mentors in both sales and revenue who shaped how I think and lead. But if you're not open to constructive criticism, then it's not going to work. You have to keep learning endlessly. So much is changing in this industry, and if you’re not continuing to grow, you’ll fall behind.

At the same time, leaders shouldn’t be afraid to develop the next generation. That’s their responsibility.  For instance, I have the mindset that I should be training the next VP of sales. Leaders should keep in mind that if we’re not preparing the next generation to lead, then we’re not truly building anything sustainable.