ShareAmy Infante, Founder and Co-Founder, GitGO, HSMAI Sales Advisory Board Member
Kim Snow, VP Commercial Strategy, Ambridge, HSMAI Sales Advisory Board Member
Commercial alignment remains one of the hospitality industry’s most discussed challenges, yet many organizations still struggle to turn strategy into execution. Sales, revenue management, marketing, and distribution teams often share the same goals but operate with different priorities, metrics, and communication rhythms. The result can be slower decision-making, unclear accountability, and missed revenue opportunities. This interactive workshop combined practical discussion with hands-on exercises designed to help participants identify alignment gaps, establish accountability, and build operating processes that drive results.
A key theme of the session was that most execution issues are not caused by poor strategy. More often, they stem from three common challenges: too many priorities competing for attention, unclear ownership of critical outcomes, and meeting structures that prioritize reporting over action. When commercial teams lack clarity around what matters most and who is accountable for results, execution naturally slows and opportunities are missed.
To address these challenges, participants were introduced to the C.O.R.E. Framework—Clarity, Ownership, Rhythm, and Execution. Presented as the minimum operating rhythm a commercial team needs, the framework holds that when any one element breaks down, execution slows, regardless of how strong the strategy is. The framework provides a practical approach for aligning commercial teams around a focused set of priorities, clearly defining accountability, creating a consistent operating cadence, and connecting actions to measurable business outcomes. Through interactive exercises, attendees explored how simplifying priorities and structuring decision-making can improve organizational effectiveness and accelerate results.
The first exercise focused on building a commercial scoreboard. Teams were challenged to narrow their metrics to a focused set of five to seven KPIs, assign a single owner to each, and balance results measures (lagging indicators such as RevPAR Index, Total Revenue, Net ADR, or GOPPAR) with driver measures (leading indicators such as group pace, lead-to-definite, website conversion, or negotiated production). For every KPI, teams defined what it measures, who owns it, how often it is reviewed, and the trigger that flags it as off-track. A guiding test kept the exercise grounded: if a KPI turns red, does the team know what decision to make on Monday morning? If a metric does not change a decision, it does not belong on the scoreboard.
The workshop also examined the importance of decision rights. Many commercial initiatives stall because teams are uncertain who owns a decision, who provides input, and who is responsible for implementation. Establishing clear accountability models, using a simple tool such as RACI or DACI to make the accountable role explicit, reduces friction, improves collaboration, and increases organizational speed. Participants worked through exercises focused on KPI selection, ownership mapping, and communication cadence design to help translate these concepts into practical applications.
The communication rhythm exercise gave teams a practical cadence to use: a short Weekly Pulse focused only on off-track items and the decisions they require, a Monthly Review for trends and cross-functional alignment, and a Quarterly Reset to reconfirm priorities, reallocate resources, and decide what to stop doing. The governing rule was simple: meetings exist to decide and unblock, while routine reporting moves to pre-reads and automation. Green metrics do not need discussion, and if something is not a decision or an obstacle, it belongs in an email.
Finally, the session explored how AI can support execution by reducing the time spent gathering information, preparing reports, and identifying performance trends. As technology automates more routine analysis, leaders have greater opportunity to focus on coaching teams, removing obstacles, making decisions, and driving action.
Recommended Next Steps
- Build a focused scoreboard of five to seven KPIs that balances lagging results with leading drivers, and name one owner for each. Format every commitment as Action, Owner, and By When.
- Map one real decision or KPI using RACI (or DACI) so the accountable owner is clear and handoffs across sales, marketing, revenue management, and distribution stop creating friction.
- Choose one meeting to change or eliminate, move its reporting to a pre-read, and set a date for your first Weekly Pulse.
- Pick one AI use case to pilot in the next 30 days that saves preparation time or improves decision quality.
Ultimately, the session reinforced a simple but important truth: strategy establishes direction, but execution rhythm determines results. Organizations that create clarity around priorities, ownership, and decision-making are better positioned to move faster, adapt more effectively, and deliver stronger commercial performance.