Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Affiliations
References
Timeline
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Chelsea Drake

Chelsea Drake

San Antonio,TX

Summary

Luxury travel sales leader with over 13 years of experience in driving significant revenue growth and enhancing brand visibility across diverse sectors, including safari lodges and five-star hotels. Expertise in developing wildlife-focused, conservation-oriented travel experiences in Africa, Asia, and South America. Proven ability to combine data-driven sales strategies with educational initiatives and compelling marketing narratives to create high-performing sales pipelines.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience

Work History

North America Sales Representative, Eastern U.S. & Canada

andBeyond
04.2022 - Current
  • Lead sales strategy for luxury safari and expedition travel to Africa, Asia and South America across Eastern U.S. and Canada, specialising in wildlife expeditions and high-touch adventure travel.
  • Build and nurture agency relationships across Virtuoso, Signature, Ensemble, Internova, Travel Edge and TravellerMade consortia; design go-to-market plans for destination management services, private jet, expedition cruise and tailor-made journeys.
  • Drove revenue growth and market share by forging new agency partnerships, launching advisor incentives and leading FAM trips, events and trade show activations; recognised with significant performance bonuses and retainer increases.
  • Secured a preferred partner relationship with a key agency in January 2024, boosting total sales from just over $125 K in 2023 to more than $2.38 M YTD 2025—an increase of over 1 800%. Africa revenue surged from $150 K in 2023 to $850 K in 2024 and over $2.18 M YTD 2025; Asia revenue rose nearly 50% year over year and South America bookings climbed around 46%.
  • Promoted and sold safari, Galápagos, Amazon and South Asia portfolios across multiple consortia, driving brand awareness and building top-producing pipelines.
  • Reviewed monthly performance against targets set by regional teams.
  • Champion andBeyond’s ethos of care of the land, care for wildlife and care for community through storytelling, educational training and values-based travel experiences.

Opening Team, Senior Leisure & Entertainment Sales Manager

Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection
01.2020 - 03.2021
  • Opened and established a Forbes Five-Star luxury estate, crafting the leisure and entertainment sales strategy from the ground up across Texas and national markets.
  • Generated more than $5 M in annual leisure revenue while expanding local market share by 30% in the first year through close partnerships with top travel advisors and luxury consortia.
  • Secured preferred-partner status across Virtuoso, Signature, TravellerMade and AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts, designing bespoke experiences and FAM trips that kept the estate top of mind for advisors.
  • Achieved a 15% month-over-month increase in leisure bookings between July 2020 and February 2021 through targeted campaigns, storytelling and pandemic-era pivot strategies.
  • Led pre-opening activities encompassing training, brand alignment and revenue-generating strategies; positioned the hotel as a market leader in market share, ADR and RevPAR.
  • Trained, coached, and mentored junior sales personnel to ensure success in their roles.

Area Luxury Leisure Sales Manager

The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New York
09.2012 - 01.2020
  • Led the luxury leisure sales strategy for two flagship Ritz-Carlton properties (Central Park and Battery Park), nurturing relationships with elite travel advisors across the U.S. and Canada.
  • Delivered $10 M+ in annual leisure revenue by forging and maintaining top partnerships with Virtuoso, Signature and AMEX Fine Hotels & Resorts, while balancing negotiation and yield management to maximise profitability.
  • Outperformed sales targets for 10 consecutive quarters, generating $2.5 M+ in incremental revenue and achieving 132% year-over-year growth across domestic and international segments in 2019.
  • Spearheaded the post-renovation repositioning of the Central Park property, boosting market share by 30% and re-establishing the hotel as New York’s premier leisure destination.
  • Recognised as Marriott International’s 'Lead Seller' in Q2 and Q4 of 2019 for consistently securing high-value bookings and exceeding performance benchmarks.

Area Sales Coordinator & Front Desk Agent

Marriott
Albany, USA
02.2010 - 08.2012
  • Held progressive roles culminating in Area Sales Coordinator; managed both sales and front desk operations for multiple properties.
  • Impacted revenue growth by creating a database of 5000 prospective clients through rigorous lead generation, resulting in thirteen closed deals within Q4 2011.
  • Ranked first among 47 Columbia Sussex properties for 'Most Memorable Guest Arrival Experience' (June 2011).

Education

Bachelor of Business Communications -

SUNY Oneonta
12.2010

Skills

  • Luxury travel sales and destination management
  • Advisor relationship management
  • Strategic partnerships and negotiations
  • Safari and expedition expertise
  • Sustainable tourism practices
  • Data-driven sales strategies
  • Event planning and FAM trips
  • Yield management techniques
  • Cruise sales expertise
  • Hospitality leadership skills
  • Sales strategy development
  • Relationship management principles
  • Revenue growth initiatives
  • Market analysis proficiency
  • Destination expertise knowledge
  • Customer engagement strategies

Affiliations

  • Launched the first U.S.-based Wildlife Ranger Challenge campaign in partnership with Wild Impact, raising funds to support marine rangers in Mozambique and Zanzibar.
  • Organized and promoted a personal 5K to fundraise the campaign by leveraging professional networks and social media to drive awareness and contributions.
  • Engaged industry peers and community connections to amplify visibility of frontline conservation efforts.
  • Member, San Antonio Masters Swim Program: Lead social initiatives for the group

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

North America Sales Representative, Eastern U.S. & Canada

andBeyond
04.2022 - Current

Opening Team, Senior Leisure & Entertainment Sales Manager

Commodore Perry Estate, Auberge Resorts Collection
01.2020 - 03.2021

Area Luxury Leisure Sales Manager

The Ritz-Carlton Hotels of New York
09.2012 - 01.2020

Area Sales Coordinator & Front Desk Agent

Marriott
02.2010 - 08.2012

Bachelor of Business Communications -

SUNY Oneonta

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