NEW JERSEY (April 17)– A veteran hospitality sales executive is offering high-impact sales and marketing services at affordable rates to clients in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.
Last week, award-winning former Marriott sales manager Jennifer Sena launched SENA Sales & Marketing Corporation to assist hotels, resorts and allied members of the hospitality industry to tap consumer and corporate markets in the lucrative Eastern Seaboard, West Coast and Canadian metro markets.
“It is an honor to realize a vision I have been developing for years and to leverage my experience and skills to serve this dynamic industry,” said Sena.
Speaking from her New Jersey offices, Sena, a self-proclaimed “island girl” with roots in the Cape Verde Islands, said the launch of the business is a tribute to her late father, Jose Sena, who spent much of his life in the U.S. uplifting members of the Cape Verdean and wider immigrant community as they settled in their adopted homeland. “In the spirit of ‘Papa Cruja,’ I believe it’s my responsibility to do the same thing entrepreneurially–to help individuals and businesses accomplish their objectives in a fast-paced, demanding environment.”
The art of networking comes naturally to Sena. At 2 years old, she would go from one table to another saying hello to everyone when dining out with her family. From the beginning of her career at Prudential Financial, she learned the importance of first impressions, as well as innovation and leadership. Working as a human resources recruiter in the financial services industry taught Sena that sales skills are essential for success in all areas of life. Special assignments with direct marketing companies led to several awards.
In 2003, Sena assumed a sales position at Wyndham Worldwide. Within a year, she was recruited by Marriott International and shortly thereafter received the 2004 Northeast Sales Rookie of the Year award. Sena has also promoted a wide-range of hotel products, from airport hotels to large convention properties.
In 2010, the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau recruited Sena as a national sales manager, representing hotels with more than 14,000 rooms and destination management companies focused on clients in New Jersey, on the West Coast market and in Canada. Sena’s success in the burgeoning New York and New Jersey markets led to service as an in-market national sales manager with Caesars Entertainment, selling their nine Las Vegas casino hotels.
Sena attended Saint Peter’s University, where she pursued a major in business management and a minor in psychology. She completed a certificate program at New York University in meeting and conference planning and event marketing. She also earned the Travel Institute’s “Destination Specialist: Caribbean” designation, and is currently studying for a certified travel counselor designation.