What exactly does a Fractional Director of Marketing do for an independent Hotel?

A Fractional Director of Marketing provides the strategic marketing leadership that most independent hotels cannot justify hiring full-time. In practice that means building and owning the marketing strategy, setting the direction for all channels, leading the marketing team, aligning marketing with revenue, sales and distribution and commercial goals. Making the senior decisions that need experience and confidence to get right. I am not an advisor sitting outside the business, I am working part of your commercial leadership team for the days I am with you on site or remote and fully invested in your business.

How is Fractional Director of Marketing different from a marketing consultant?

A consultant typically comes in, assesses a situation, produces a set of recommendations and leaves you to implement them. A Fractional Director of Marketing is operationally involved in your business. I lead the team, I sit in commercial meetings, I own the strategy and I am accountable for how it performs. The line is between advising and doing. The Fractional Director of Marketing does both, at senior level on a part-time basis.

Do I need a team in place before hiring a Fractional Director of Marketing?

Ideally yes. The Fractional Director of Marketing model works best when there is a team to lead and develop. If you have a marketing co-ordinator, a small marketing team, or even one person doing marketing alongside other responsibilities, that is enough to start. If you have no marketing resource at all, the Embedded Marketing Partner is likely the better fit, as I take on the execution role directly rather than leading someone else who does it.

How do you work alongside an existing team without disrupting what they do?

The first priority is always to understand what the team is already doing well and build on it, rather than arriving with a predetermined plan and disturbing what is there. I am there to develop the team's capability, not replace it. Most marketing teams I work with describe the engagement as energising rather than disruptive. They finally have a clear direction, clear priorities and someone senior to escalate to when the decisions get hard.

Can a Fractional Director of Marketing help with pre-opening or rebranding?

Absolutely. Pre-opening and rebranding are two of the most demanding marketing situations an independent hotel faces; the pace is intense, the stakes are high and the decisions made in those first months shape everything that follows. I have led pre-opening sales and marketing for more than 20 properties across 3 continents. If your hotel is launching or repositioning, this is exactly the kind of engagement where senior fractional leadership makes the biggest difference.

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Senior Marketing Leadership

Fractional Director of Marketing

EXPLORE WHAT IS INCLUDED

Your team is good. They just need the right person leading them.

As a Fractional Director of Marketing, I provide the senior marketing strategy and commercial leadership your hotel needs, without the full-time salary, the employment complexity or the overhead. A few focused days a month, working with your team, setting direction and building the capacity that delivers long-term growth.

Two women conversing in a hotel lobby, one holding a tablet and the other with a rolling suitcase and a tote bag.

Four people engaged in a discussion in a bright room with large windows, including a woman speaking and holding papers, a man with arms crossed listening, and two women listening attentively.

This is built for independent hotels and small chains that have invested in their team but have no senior marketing leadership setting the direction. You have the resource, I bring the strategy, the experience and the commercial thinking to make it count.

LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR HOTEL

What a fractional Director of Marketing engagement actually looks like.

Every engagement is shaped around your specific hotel, your team and your goals. But here is the typical shape of how it works.

MONTH 1. On-site, in the business, meeting your team.

I visit your property or your properties if it is a small chain. I meet the team, understand the operation, review the commercial set up and spend real time getting under the skin of the business. This is not a flying visit, it is a proper strategic immersion. By month the end of month one, I have built a clear marketing strategy and a 6-month plan that is realistic for your resources and goals.

ONGOING. Monthly strategy sessions, team leadership and commercial direction.

Each month I work with your team in person or via teams, depending on what is needed. Strategy reviews, campaign direction, channel performance analysis, team coaching and commercial alignment with revenue, distribution and sales. I make the decisions that need senior thinking. I develop your team’s capability alongside those decisions so they grow stronger over time, not more dependent

AS NEEDED. Training, development and course correction.

If your team needs to build specific skills such as marketing, SEO, paid media, content strategy, OTA management, revenue Alignment; I will train them. In the context of your own hotel and with your data. And when the market shifts or something is not working, I adapt the strategy. This is what senior experience is for.

What your hotel gets from a Fractional Director of Marketing engagement.

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A senior marketing strategy built around your specific hotel, team and commercial goals.

Monthly in-person or calls via Teams for strategy and review sessions.
Commercial alignment across marketing, revenue, sales, distribution and operations.
Team coaching and capability development built into every session.
Channel performance oversight across all digital and direct booking channels.
Campaign direction, brand positioning and audience strategy.
Honest, direct reporting including what is not working and what needs to change.
Full accountability for the marketing direction of your hotel.
A strategic partner available between sessions for urgent decisions.
Maximum 3 clients at any one time and your strategy never gets shared or diluted.

The engagement details.

Minimum term: 9 months. Real strategic change does not happen in 90 days. Nine months is the timeframe in which a clear strategy becomes embedded, your team starts to perform differently and the commercial results begin to shift.
Days per month: Typically 2 to 3 days agreed on the size and complexity of your hotel or serviced apartment group.

Availability: Maximum 3 clients at any one time.

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ENQUIRE TO CONFIRM AVAILABILITY

Is the Visibility Audit right for you?

This is the right choice if…

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This is not the right fit if…

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You are an independent hotel, a small chain with a marketing co-ordinator or small marketing team already in place.

You are a general manager or owner who wants senior strategic direction without the cost or commitment of a full-time director.

You have tried executing marketing without a clear strategy and the results have been inconsistent.

You want your team to grow in capability over time, not just be told what to do.

You are serious about long-term direct booking growth and willing to invest in the leadership to make it happen.

You want marketing, revenue, distribution, sales and operation properly aligned with shared commercial goals.

If you have no marketing team or co-ordinator in place. The Embedded Marketing Partner is likely better suited.

You want a quick tactical execution rather than a strategic direction.

You are not willing to give your Fractional Director of Marketing a genuine seat at the commercial table.

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Still not sure which engagement is right?

That is exactly what the free discovery call is for. Book 30 minutes and we will work it out together.

CONTACT ME

Your questions about the Fractional Director of Marketing/Senior Leadership role.

A Fractional Director of Marketing provides the strategic marketing leadership that most independent hotels cannot justify hiring full-time. In practice that means building and owning the marketing strategy, setting the direction for all channels, leading the marketing team, aligning marketing with revenue, sales and distribution and commercial goals. Making the senior decisions that need experience and confidence to get right. I am not an advisor sitting outside the business, I am working part of your commercial leadership team for the days I am with you on site or remote and fully invested in your business.
A consultant typically comes in, assesses a situation, produces a set of recommendations and leaves you to implement them. A Fractional Director of Marketing is operationally involved in your business. I lead the team, I sit in commercial meetings, I own the strategy and I am accountable for how it performs. The line is between advising and doing. The Fractional Director of Sales does both, at senior level on a part-time basis.
Ideally yes. The Fractional Director of Marketing model works best when there is a tea to lead and develop. If you have a marketing co-ordinator, a small marketing team, or even one person doing marketing alongside other responsibilities, that is enough to start. If you have no marketing resource at all, the Embedded Marketing Partner is likely the better fit, as I take on the execution role directly rather than leading someone else who does it.
The first priority is always to understand what the team is already doing well and build on it, rather than arriving with a predetermined plan and disturb what is there. I am there to develop the teams’ capability, not replace it. Most marketing teams I work with describe the engagement as energising rather than disruptive. They finally have a clear direction, clear priorities and someone senior to escalate to when the decisions get hard.
Absolutely. Pre-opening and rebranding are two of the most demanding marketing situations an independent hotel faces; the pace is intense, the stakes are high and the decisions made in those first months shape everything that follows. I have led pre-opening sales and marketing for more than 20 properties across 3 continents. If your hotel is launching or repositioning, this is exactly the kind of engagement where senior fractional leadership makes the biggest difference.

Other services.

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The Visibility Audit.

One time, no commitment and the implementation is done by you and your team.

LEARN MORE

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The Embedded Partner.

9 months commitment, fully embedded in your business and I am fully responsible for a function and the implementation.

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