Flavia Oliveira, 36, works in Santa Cruz, California, as director of sales and marketing at Hotel Paradox, an Autograph Collection. As a 2019 40 Under 40 honoree, Oliveira discusses her passion for the events industry.
What I do: I am responsible for the daily sales efforts and responsible for the overall positioning of the hotel, brand communication and the development of customers for the property including, rooms, dining outlets and events.
How I got here: I started as an intern at a hotel in Brazil while I was going to college. Within a year, I got promoted to full-time employee. After my bachelor’s degree, I took the challenge to do a post-graduation abroad in Switzerland, and my life completely changed after that. I had the opportunity to join Marriott International and explore all departments in a hotel until I landed in sales in 2011. Moving from Europe to the U.S., I ended up in the San Francisco Bay Area with my first CVB role with Visit Oakland in 2017. In January 2019, I joined the Hotel Paradox, an Autograph Collection team as its sales head.
Greatest career accomplishment: In 2015, I was nominated for the President Circle Award recipient with Marriott International.
Impressive stats: In 2018, I helped Visit Oakland increase its revenue generation by over 364 percent year-over-year.
Specific improvement I’ve made: I partnered with our chef and director of operations and came up with seasonal, specialty menus. They were targeted to off-season groups with ingredients and selections to retain our profit margin and also to update beverage packages to supply the social events with an easy way to work within their budget. These have been hugely successful and easier to sell.
