Property The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary, Kodagu, Karnataka

Reports To

Head of Sales (functional); General Manager (on property); dotted line to Corporate Marketing & Communications

Direct Reportees

Digital Marketing Executive; Content & Social Media Executive (as the team scales)

Location

On-property, Kodagu, with periodic travel to Bengaluru and key feeder markets

1. ROLE PURPOSE The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary is a luxury; experiential forest resort set within the coffee and forest landscapes of Kodagu. Its promise is not a room with a view; it is a way of being in the forest: unhurried, rooted in Kodava culture and nature, and shaped by the standards of service that The Leela is known for.

The Marketing & Communications Manager is the custodian of that promise in the public domain. The role owns how the sanctuary is positioned, described, seen and talked about, across brand, content, digital, public relations, trade collateral and guest communication, and ensures that every touchpoint reads as unmistakably luxury, authentic and experience-led.

This is a hands-on, builder’s role. The incumbent will shape the property’s marketing identity during a defining growth phase, working in lockstep with the sales organization to turn brand equity into enquiries, bookings and repeat guests.

2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Brand Positioning & Strategy

- Develop and execute the annual marketing and communications plan, with a calendar, budget and measurable goals aligned to the property’s revenue strategy.
- Safeguard the brand voice, visual identity and storytelling pillars of The Leela Coorg, ensuring consistency with The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts brand guidelines and ownership expectations.
- Articulate and continually refine the sanctuary’s differentiation versus competing luxury and nature-led resorts in Coorg, Wayanad, Kabini and other regional and national benchmarks.
- Build segment-specific messaging for leisure, weddings and celebrations, MICE and corporate retreats, golf, travel trade and high-net-worth and community networks (such as YPO chapters and alumni groups).

B. Content & Storytelling

- Lead a content engine that brings the sanctuary’s signature experiences to life: forest immersions, coffee and spice heritage, Kodava cuisine and culture, wellness, golf, and curated journeys.
- Commission and direct photography, film, drone and 360° content; maintain a living, rights-cleared asset library with explicit usage guidelines.
- Write and edit long-form and short-form copy for the website, brochures, itineraries, press materials, proposals, newsletters and guest-facing collateral to a consistently high editorial standard.
- Partner with the culinary, spa, experiences and engineering teams to identify stories worth telling and capture them in real time.

C. Digital Marketing & Social Media

- Own the property website and booking journey from a content and experience perspective, working with the central digital and e-commerce teams on SEO, UX, conversion and analytics.
- Plan and manage performance marketing across search, social and display, with disciplined tracking of cost of acquisition, return on ad spend and direct-booking contribution.
- Direct the social media strategy, content calendar and community management across Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and emerging platforms, with an emphasis on quality and brand integrity over volume.
- Manage email, CRM and WhatsApp communication programmes for prospects, past guests and trade partners, including segmentation, automation and campaign reporting.
- Oversee online reputation: review platforms, ratings, response standards and recovery actions in close coordination with Operations.

D.



Public Relations & Media Relations

- Build and maintain relationships with national and international travel, lifestyle, hospitality, wedding and business media, as well as influential editors, writers and creators.
- Plan and execute press and influencer visits, launch moments, milestone announcements and thought-leadership opportunities, tracking quality of coverage and earned media value.
- Prepare press releases, fact sheets, spokesperson briefings and Q&A; documents; act as the first line of media response and escalate sensitive matters to leadership.
- Identify award, ranking and listing opportunities (such as travel and hospitality honours) and lead submissions.

E. Sales Enablement & Partnerships

- Create and keep current the sales toolkit: property deck, fact sheet, rate and package collateral, MICE and wedding brochures, FAM trip materials, site inspection collateral and proposal templates.
- Design integrated campaigns with the Head of Sales and the Bengaluru, inside and property sales teams to support priority segments, seasons and need periods.
- Develop co-marketing programmes with airlines, banks and card partners, golf associations, luxury lifestyle brands, travel trade partners and local cultural and community institutions.
- Support trade events, roadshows, sales missions and exhibitions with planning, collateral, branding and post-event lead follow-up.

F. Events, Experiences & Guest Communication

- Conceptualise and market signature events, seasonal festivals, culinary and cultural programmes and limited-edition experiences that drive demand in softer periods.
- Ensure in-property communication (signage, in-room collateral, digital guest directories, welcome notes and itineraries) is on-brand, well written and beautifully produced.
- Work with the guest relations and experience teams to capture guest stories, testimonials and user-generated content, with proper consent.

G. Planning, Budget & Performance

- Prepare, manage and report against the annual marketing budget, with transparent vendor selection, negotiation and cost control.
- Build monthly and quarterly dashboards covering web traffic, enquiries, conversion, channel contribution, social and PR performance, and campaign return; present insights and recommendations to leadership.
- Conduct periodic market, competitor and guest-perception reviews to inform positioning, pricing communication and campaign priorities.
- Manage agencies and freelancers (creative, PR, digital, photography, film) with clear briefs, timelines and quality benchmarks.

3. KEY INTERFACES

Internal

General Manager and Executive Committee; Head of Sales and sales teams (Bengaluru, inside, property); Reservations and Revenue; Culinary; Spa & Wellness; Experiences; Guest Relations; Front Office; Engineering and Projects; Finance; HR

Corporate The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts corporate marketing, digital, PR and e-commerce teams; ownership group representatives where required

External

Creative, PR and digital agencies; media, editors and creators; photographers and filmmakers; travel trade and OTA partners; airline, bank and brand partners; local artisans, cultural custodians and community partners

4. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Essential

- Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Journalism, Mass Media,



Hospitality or a related field; MBA or postgraduate diploma in Marketing or Communications preferred.
- 8 to 12 years of progressive experience in marketing and communications, with at least 4 years in luxury hospitality, premium resorts, luxury lifestyle or experiential travel.
- Demonstrated track record of building brand awareness and driving revenue-linked outcomes for a luxury or upper-upscale property, ideally including a launch, repositioning or ramp-up phase.
- Exceptional written and verbal communication; a strong editorial eye and the ability to produce polished copy at speed.
- Working command of digital marketing: SEO and SEM, paid social, email and CRM, analytics tools and marketing automation.
- Established relationships with leading travel, lifestyle and business media in India.

Desirable

- Experience with resort, wellness, wedding or MICE marketing, and with remote or destination properties.
- Familiarity with Karnataka’s tourism landscape, Kodava culture and the Coorg and Western Ghats travel ecosystem; knowledge of Kannada, Hindi or Kodava is an advantage.
- Experience working with a large hotel brand’s corporate marketing structure and brand standards.
- Hands-on understanding of photography, film and design direction.

5. CORE COMPETENCIES

Brand Stewardship

Protects luxury positioning with taste, restraint and consistency; says no to what does not belong.

Storytelling

Finds the human, cultural and natural stories behind the product and tells them with craft.

Commercial Orientation

Links every campaign to enquiries, conversion, revenue and direct-booking growth.

Collaboration

Works as one team with Sales, Operations and Corporate; earns trust across levels.

Ownership & Initiative

Builds from first principles, comfortable without a ready-made playbook; follows through without being chased.

Analytical Thinking

Uses data, guest insight and market intelligence to make and defend decisions.

Project Management

Delivers multiple campaigns, vendors and deadlines with calm and precision.

Cultural & Environmental Sensitivity

Represents local culture, communities and the forest setting with respect, accuracy and care.

6. INDICATIVE PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Focus Area

Indicative Measure

Review Cycle

Brand & Reach

Share of voice, branded search growth, social reach and quality engagement, brand-health indicators

Quarterly

Demand Generation

Qualified enquiries by segment, website conversion rate, direct booking share, cost per acquisition

Monthly

Earned Media

Number and quality of placements in priority titles, sentiment, hosted visits converted to coverage

Quarterly

Sales Enablement

Timeliness and quality of collateral; sales team satisfaction; proposal turnaround support

Quarterly

Reputation

Review ratings and response time across key platforms

Monthly

Budget Discipline

Spend versus plan; agency efficiency; return on marketing investment

Monthly

Targets will be set jointly with the Head of Sales and General Manager at the start of each financial year.

7. WORKING CONDITIONS

- Based on-property in Kodagu, a remote forest setting; accommodation or relocation support as per company policy.
- Flexible hours with weekend, festive-season and event-driven demands, typical of luxury hospitality.
- Travel to Bengaluru, metros and trade or media events as required.

8. WHY JOIN US

This is a rare chance to shape the story of a new luxury forest sanctuary from the ground up, backed by a heritage luxury brand and a committed ownership group, in one of India’s most distinctive landscapes. The role offers genuine ownership, direct access to senior leadership and the satisfaction of building something designed to last.

📌 Marketing Communications Manager (Karnataka)
🏢 The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts
📍 Karnataka