Sales marketing in hospitality tackle tough challenges in 2025, from efficiency pressures to digital market shifts. A survey by PHRI and Horwath HTL found that over 70% of hotel and restaurant businesses plan to reduce their workforce by up to 30%. This reduction reflects the combined impact of government efficiency policies and rising operational challenges.
Meanwhile, digital competition continues to intensify. Online booking platforms dominate the market. Guest expectations keep shifting toward personalized, data-driven experiences. The Indonesia Tourism Outlook 2024/2025 from the Ministry of Tourism urges digital transformation. It notes that AI and big data are essential for sales marketing success and long-term business resilience.
These urgent issues, especially in sales and marketing, took center stage at the Sales and Marketing Conference 2025. The event was hosted by Marclan International as part of its strategic effort to address these challenges. As a hospitality and third-party hotel management company, Marclan organized the event to foster innovation and improve cross-property collaboration.
A Collaborative Space Across Properties
Day 1 Sales & Marketing Conference 2025
The conference served as a platform to strengthen collaboration among sales and marketing teams across Marclan properties. At the same time, it expanded participants’ knowledge through expert-led sessions. Held under the theme “Unlock Game-Changing Strategies in Hospitality Sales and Marketing”, the event focused on developing practical skills. These included how to navigate a hospitality industry that is increasingly digital, fast-paced, and competitive.
Throughout the program, participants took part in presentations, open discussions, and expert talks. These sessions encouraged them to re-evaluate how they engage with audiences, build brand stories, and manage distribution and revenue more effectively.
“In today’s fast-evolving hospitality landscape, synergy is key,” said Chandra Himawan, Head of Marketing and Communication at Marclan International. “This conference is a concrete step to unify our sales and marketing strengths across all properties. It allows us to move forward with greater clarity and adaptability.”
Inside the Sales and Marketing Conference 2025
Day 2 Sales & Marketing Conference 2025
The two-day conference took place on July 9–10, 2025, across two Marclan properties in Jakarta. On day one, held at Hotel Des Indes Menteng, Marclan Collection, each property presented its sales and marketing performance for the first half of the year. They also shared strategic plans for the next quarter. This day served as both a reflection point and an opportunity to align upcoming goals.
The second day continued at Sari Pacific Jakarta, Autograph Collection. Six guest speakers delivered insights and best practices from their fields. These sessions aimed to enhance participants’ capabilities through data-backed content and practical, applicable knowledge. The main focus of this day was knowledge enhancement, delivered through relevant and applicable materials designed to improve team competencies in sales and marketing, all based on real industry data and practices.
Latest Insights in Hospitality Sales Marketing
Day 2 Sales & Marketing Conference 2025
The knowledge-sharing sessions began with Venny Wong, Country Manager of D-EDGE Indonesia. In her session “Boost Hotel Direct Bookings”, she explained how smart distribution and tech-driven approaches could help increase direct reservations. She discussed strategies and solutions using efficient distribution management and technology-based approaches.
Following that, Husein Anis, AI Consultant, shared his session “Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Sales & Marketing”. He demonstrated how AI supports digital marketing through personalization and automation, ultimately improving sales performance.
The next session featured Ika Kusuma Permana Sari, Assistant Deputy for Community Capacity Building at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. She shared Indonesia’s tourism landscape and development outlook for 2025. Her insights helped participants shape marketing strategies that are responsive to national trends.
Meanwhile, from a sales perspective, Julius Natanael, Head of Contracting at Kliknbook International, presented “Expanding Market Coverage in Indonesia and Surrounding Regions.” He emphasized the need to deeply understand local and regional market characteristics and to build flexible expansion strategies that can adapt to evolving market dynamics.
Still within the theme of booking and distribution, Indra Sudarmanto, Regional Manager at Traveloka, led the session “Capturing the Indonesian Market.” He discussed how to use data-driven insights into consumer behavior to build more targeted and competitive strategies.
The day’s final session was led by Herry Tjiang, a food photographer, who delivered “Hotelier Photography with a Mobile Phone”. He demonstrated how strong visual storytelling can be created with just a mobile device. This approach enhances marketing campaigns, especially in the F&B and hospitality sectors. To close the session, participants practiced the techniques through a hands-on mobile photography workshop.
Real-Time Case Study Challenge
Case Study Challenge
To conclude the conference, participants were invited to join a case study simulation themed around F&B Promo Campaigns. In this session, teams applied insights from previous sessions, including AI integration and mobile content creation.
In a time-limited setting, teams collaborated to formulate and present creative marketing strategies. This final session tested not only their understanding of the material but also their agility, team synergy, and presentation skills. The case study became a tangible test of how these new approaches could be translated into real marketing outcomes. It also fostered cross-property learning and idea-sharing.
Strengthening Performance Through Collaboration
Marclan Sales & Marketing Conference 2025
The Sales and Marketing Conference 2025 provided participants with insights they could apply immediately. It also laid the groundwork for more structured and transparent collaboration across Marclan teams.
“We hope each participant returns to their property with the tools and knowledge they need to support their performance in the second half of 2025. This conference was not just about exchanging strategies, but also aligning our direction and preparing our teams to tackle the market’s challenges more effectively,” said Dhani Banguriwu, Head of Sales and Revenue, Marclan International.
As the hospitality industry continues to evolve with shifting consumer behavior, the dominance of digital channels, and advancements in distribution technology, this forum provided an essential space for unifying understanding and building collective readiness. Beyond professional learning, the conference also strengthened trust and collaboration—two core pillars that continue to drive Marclan’s long-term growth.
