At an independent hotel, the person who says yes is the general manager. At a hotel group, it's a purchasing manager or a director of operations, and the owner signs off on anything big. Either way you reach them by phone or email, not through the front desk, and you win by offering a sample in one guest room for a month instead of a brochure. Below are the scripts for each role, plus the follow-up after the sample.
A note on who this is for. Rocketship finds business buyers, so this page is about vendors who sell to hotels: linens, amenities, cleaning supplies, mattresses, signage, laundry, maintenance, uniforms, software. It is not about getting guests to book rooms. Hotels buy by property standard and by season, which is the main difference from selling to restaurants or facility managers in offices.
Who answers at the front desk and who sits in the back office
The front desk agent is not your buyer and can't be talked into forwarding anything. Their job is guests. Call between 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Checkout is clearing and check-in hasn't started. Avoid 3 to 6 p.m., Monday mornings and Friday afternoons.
Behind the desk, learn these titles: general manager (GM), director of operations, executive housekeeper, chief engineer, food and beverage director, and at larger or group-run hotels, a purchasing manager. Housekeeping and engineering recommend; the GM approves; the owner or management company signs off on capital items such as mattresses or a laundry replacement. Many franchised hotels also have to meet the brand's standards, so ask "does your brand have an approved vendor list for this?" early. A product that isn't on it may need a waiver, which changes your timeline.
Triggers that put a hotel in a buying mood
Four triggers are worth chasing. A renovation or property improvement plan from the brand, which is a dated list of upgrades the owner has to finish. A slow season, when rooms can be taken out of service for tests. A failed brand inspection or a run of low reviews on one subject, such as bedding or noise. A new GM, who usually reviews suppliers in the first 90 days. You can see most of these from public review sites, local news, permit records and LinkedIn job changes.
The call script for a general manager
Keep it under 30 seconds before asking a question. You are asking for an answer, not a meeting yet.
"Hi, is this Dana? This is Luis Ortega at Calder Linen Supply, here in Columbus. I'm not a guest, so I'll be quick. We supply bath towels and sheets to hotels around 100 to 150 rooms. I saw the Harbor Pointe Inn is mid-renovation. Is somebody already handling linens for the new rooms, or is that still open?"
If open: "Would it be useful if I put a full set in one room for 30 days at no charge, so your housekeepers and guests can judge it? You'd only decide after that." If handled: "Understood. When does that contract come up? I'll check back a month before." Write the date down. If the answer is "send me something," say "I will. What's the best email, and is it you or your purchasing person who decides?"
The walk-in script for a purchasing manager
Purchasing managers at groups see vendors in person on a schedule, often by appointment only. Call first and ask for a 15-minute slot, then bring one sample, not a catalog.
"Thanks for the time, Rina. I'll keep to 15 minutes. You buy for six properties, so I'll skip the pitch and ask three things. What do you pay per set of sheets now? How many weeks of lead time do you need when a property is renovating? Who signs off on a vendor change: you, the GM at each property, or ownership?"
Why these three: price lets you see if you're near, lead time is where hotels get hurt, and the sign-off answer tells you who else to email. Variation for a chain-owned hotel: ask for the corporate or regional purchasing contact instead, and don't try to go around them.
The email to send after the call
Subject: 30-day linen test for the Harbor Pointe renovation
Hi Dana, thanks for the minute today. As we said, I'll leave one full set of bath towels and sheets in a room you choose, for 30 days. After that I'll collect them, or you can tell me what to quote for the 118 rooms. I'll call your executive housekeeper on day 10 to hear what she thinks, if that's okay with you. Reply with the room and the start date, or tell me this isn't the time.
Luis Ortega, Calder Linen Supply, luis@calderlinen.example, 2100 Morse Rd, Columbus, OH 43229. To stop hearing from me, reply "stop."
Cold email is fine, if the From line and subject are accurate and the address and opt-out are present (CAN-SPAM). Rocketship finds hotels and the people with these titles, sends from your own Gmail, and follows up on its own. You can see the pattern in how to cold email the owner instead of the gatekeeper.
A voicemail that names the next call
"Hi Dana, Luis Ortega from Calder Linen Supply, 614-555-0142. I saw the Harbor Pointe renovation and I'd like to put a free set of towels and sheets in one room for a month. Nothing to sign. I'll try you Thursday around 11:30 and also send an email."
Name the day and time of your next try. It gives them a reason to pick up.
The follow-up after a sample room
The sample room is where the sale is made or lost, so run it on a calendar. Day 1: leave a one-page sheet with your name, the room, the end date and the three things you'd like noticed (softness after washes, drying time, guest comments). Day 10: call the executive housekeeper, not the GM, and ask one question: "How do they hold up in your wash?" Day 21: email the GM two things the housekeeper said, in her words. Day 28: call to book 15 minutes.
"Dana, on day 28 I'd like to hear what your team thought. If it was good, I'll price all 118 rooms with a delivery date that fits your renovation. If it wasn't, I'd like to know why, and I'll take the set back either way."
Quote with a start date tied to the renovation schedule, and say what lead time is, in weeks. If you don't hear back, our guide on following up after a meeting covers a short follow-up that doesn't read as nagging.
What to log after each property
Track these for each property: GM name, role of the person who answered, trigger (renovation, slow season, new GM), sample-room date, housekeeper feedback, contract end date, next call date. A sample room that ends with a contract end date in the log is a lead for next year even if you lose now. Hotels re-bid on a cycle, and a call a month before it is worth more than ten cold ones. You can also look at how to find local business leads for building the first list.
If the same notes apply to a nonprofit buyer instead, see how to sell to nonprofits. For hotels, once the sample works you'll also want pest control and flooring sold the same way, as in commercial flooring contracts.
Hotels are a list-building job first. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required. Answering your existing number works on Launch, with call minutes bought as you go ($15 for 50), and a dedicated line is $5 a month. See the AI workers.