Careers

I begin my morning by reviewing the previous day’s booking performance. How did we compare vs. both the prior year and expectations? I’ll examine the booking distribution and check how the previous day compared to our forecast, taking note of under- or over-performance. 

Then, I gauge booking pace on each of the next 90 arrival dates. I manage pricing by market segment and room category, based on whether the pace is falling or accelerating. Send recap of performance to manager, make note of any anomalies. I also review group booking info sent by the property sales team: That involves comparing requested blocks to our forecast and historical demand. Again, looking at the numbers—that’s the fun part.

This is my chance to go over our weekly performance with the lodge leadership teams. Together, we recap how each lodge is actually performing, taking into account all the relevant factors. This allows us to brainstorm new opportunities, as well as ways to refine our current approach. After we align with property leadership on strategy, we end by reviewing recent test results. 

Next, I get to review recent promotions Great Wolf has run, in a meeting with the email, marketing, brand, and CRM teams. We measure impact by each of the ways we’ve publicized the promo. We’ll preview upcoming promotion plans, incorporating any recent learnings into those campaigns in creative ways. The meeting ends with building and assessing those upcoming offers in our database.

This is the coolest part of my day: Here, I’ll look at the booking distribution of reservations created since the morning, to ensure pricing aligns with expectations. In other words, I get to see the impact of my work in real time! It’s an awfully satisfying final responsibility to wind down a day in the office.