Meet Katie Anderson, Sales Director at ROH
Very few can list Olympic medalist, world-record holder, and former professional swimmer on their resume, but for ROH’s Director of Sales, Katie Anderson, those are just a few of the impressive titles that help her stand out from the pack. Having experienced first-hand the exceptional level of perseverance and determination required to achieve monumental goals, Katie uses her expertise to work with our partners, helping them stay ahead of the competition and achieve long-term success. Discover more about her journey from swimming to sales and how she champions our properties and their team members.
What is your role at ROH?
I am the Sales Director at ROH. I work with our sales team to drive opportunities across independent locations and operating groups. My ultimate goal is to help our sales team sign on new relationships so we can help properties drive their own success in the form of increased conversion, revenue, and collaboration across their teams.
What were you doing before you came to ROH and what made you want to transition into sales?
Before ROH, I worked in sales for a startup legal tech company, but sales has always been in some aspect of my day-to-day. I love the highs, lows, and challenges of connecting needs to solutions with prospective clients. I was an athlete all of my life, and sales is the closest thing to parallel athletics. The high of winning a deal, because you put in every last ounce of effort, is pretty addicting. I am also no stranger to rejection, and failure, which as we all know, relates to both sales and athletics!
Give us your best elevator pitch for ROH, and how ROH is different from every other business in the hospitality world.
ROH is an all-purpose platform that provides value and benefit to every department within the property’s hemisphere. ROH has become a cross-functional superpower for properties and operating groups that leverage it to its full potential.
Our marketing arm, Carats & Cake, provides targeted awareness and exposure, and our AI ROHbot provides efficiencies and automation for the sales team. Our unique contracting and payment experience provides a seamless process and up-leveled experience for the customer, and our transparent and standardized reporting and data insights give finance and leadership the data they need to be effective leaders.
Finally, the ROH platform allows for collaboration across all departments so that each property operates symbiotically leading to improved employee retention, more revenue, and happier customers.
Are there any ROH platform features that excite property teams most when you are talking to them?
This is a hard one! There are so many. The two that stand out are our AI "ROHbot" and our ROH rewards program/marketplace. The "ROHbot" automates the mundane and time-consuming aspects of the job so that property team members can focus on the customer experience—what matters most! The marketplace provides rewards and gifts for a hardworking team. Who doesn’t love gifts for a job well done?
What does “winning” mean to you now as a leader?
Winning means coaching and supporting my team to be as successful and fulfilled as they can in their role. It’s about providing them with the specific tools and guidance they need personally since every person on the team learns differently, has different motivations, and a different "why."
How is ROH a leader in the hospitality industry?
ROH is an innovator because we are constantly evolving and listening to our clients. We are also EXTREMELY hands-on. Our team of ROHd warriors visits our partners to help them learn in person, hear their feedback, and collaborate as part of the team. Many of our team members have been in the hospitality industry for years. They get it, they understand the day-to-day struggles, and they use ROH to help make everyone’s lives better—from the property team members to the clients to the leadership teams.