In our latest Getting to Know You feature, we chat to Toby Crutchley – Group Revenue Development & Distribution Manager at Interstate Hotels & Resorts.

Tell us about your role and what it involves?

My role within Interstate involves supporting on three key areas of the business across the UK.

Firstly, I support the delivery of the projections for new opportunities, along with my colleague John Banks. This involves conducting market studies for each location and drawing up projections of five-year profit and loss forecasts, as well as delivering presentations on occasion, or providing the supporting documentation for others to present.

So, for us we are budgeting almost 365 days a year, but it is fascinating work as it exposes you to many different markets across the UK.

Secondly, with our Revenue Analyst, we provide analytical studies and reporting for the group, predominantly supporting the commercial team. This involves reporting of market data in locations where we have hotels and the wider UK and Europe area, event analysis and development of support tools and training to name but a few focus areas.

Thirdly, I am also the corporate contact for our distribution partners in Online Travel Agents (OTA), Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and web partners such as TravelClick. I focus on reporting, communication and specialising in OTA and GDS channels and their respective marketing and content elements.

What does a typical day in your role involve?

As you’d expect, there isn’t really such a thing as a typical day – which is what makes my role so interesting!

Every day is varied, depending on the work in play at the time, but quite often I will be bouncing from development to analytics to distribution, or general support of our area revenue team.

What’s your favourite part of your role?

I hate to be bored and this role doesn’t allow that to happen.

In my work, I have to have something that piques my interest, which is why analytics and distribution were the key areas that I gravitated towards. I am strongly proficient in the use of Microsoft Excel and turning data tables into useful information is a key goal. I can think of nothing better than having to find a solution to a problem and extracting data into something useful, either for myself or our team. It’s very satisfying.

What have been the highlights of your last year with the company?

It has to be seeing so many hotels open, from development projects that we had worked on maybe a year or two before.

It’s a long process in development, and sometimes you have to wait a while before you see the fruits of your labour, but the feeling when you see another Interstate managed hotel open its doors to the public is fantastic.

Another definite highlight would be visiting Barcelona last year for the Direct Booking Summit. Attending this event allows us to stay abreast of current thinking in distribution and to layer that into what we do as a company in driving performance for our owners. It also gave me an opportunity to meet TravelClick, a distribution partner for over 10 years, at their offices. It was great to see where they work and put faces to names of people you have spoken to for many years.

What, in your opinion, makes Interstate stand out from the crowd?

I think that our flexibility and our approach to management is what sets us apart from the crowd. Additionally, the fact that we have many brands within our management, as well as several independent hotels, gives us a great perspective on what works and what doesn’t, allowing us to better inform hotels and owners and help them tailor their business. And lastly, the team. In my opinion, I work with the best specialists in the industry. We are an open and honest team, that work well together and achieve great results. We work hard, but also get a chance to socialise and relax.