Open to opportunities

Lisa Sugimoto

@lisasugimoto

I build scalable hospitality operations and growth engines, rebuilding teams and systems end-to-end as COO and Marketing leader.

Japan

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a leadership role where I can own operations and growth end-to-end—rebuilding systems, scaling teams, and using data to drive direct bookings and service quality in a fast-moving hospitality environment.

I’m an operations and marketing leader who rebuilt a four-property hospitality business from the ground up—hiring six teams in sequence, replacing the technology stack, and standing up finance and compliance systems from zero. I promote quickly because I turn messy, unstructured processes into reliable execution systems.

As Chief Operating Officer (concurrent with Marketing Manager), I developed 50+ SOPs, implemented operational and compliance standards, and built an end-to-end guest journey (booking → messaging → property access → digital T&Cs). I streamlined front desk and workflows through a centralized Operations Dashboard, and led full property rebranding with OTA listing optimisation to strengthen demand.

On the growth side, I built the marketing function end-to-end—organic content, paid acquisition, local discovery, and analytics infrastructure. I drove 20%+ YoY portfolio revenue growth across four properties and increased the direct channel mix from ~1.5% to ~11.4%, delivering 800%+ growth in commission-free bookings.

I’m hands-on about measurement and improvement: I led paid acquisition across Meta and Google (scaling ROAS from ~3x to 5–6x) and launched a Marketing Intelligence Hub that integrates paid and organic data with automated anomaly detection on ROAS, conversion drops, and spend gaps. My approach is leadership-through-systems: hire, document, automate, and continuously raise service quality.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Hotel Portfolio Operator

LH Sydney Pty Ltd

Feb 2025 - May 2026 (1 year 3 months)

Operated a four-property hotel and hostel portfolio in Sydney CBD, coordinating day-to-day execution across the business.

Operations Management Team Leadership Service Delivery Process Implementation

Marketing Manager

LH Sydney Pty Ltd

Feb 2025 - May 2026 (1 year 3 months)

Built the company’s marketing function end-to-end across organic content, paid acquisition, local discovery, and analytics. Drove 20%+ YoY portfolio revenue growth and a large increase in direct booking revenue.

Marketing Strategy Organic Content Paid Acquisition Marketing Analytics TikTok Instagram YouTube Meta Ads Google Ads Google Business Profile Direct Bookings

Chief Operating Officer

LH Sydney Pty Ltd

Feb 2024 - May 2026 (2 years 3 months)

Rebuilt operational, technical, financial, and legal functions from scratch, including hiring teams, establishing controls, and implementing documented procedures. Led automation of the guest journey and operational workflows, and implemented company-wide SOPs and rebranding.

Operations Operations Team Building SOP Development Financial Control Quality Control Risk Management & Compliance

Operations Manager

LH Sydney Pty Ltd

Oct 2023 - Feb 2024 (4 months)

Transitioned into operations leadership by implementing early operational reforms, automating manual tasks, and building training and baseline procedures. Coordinated renovation and maintenance projects to keep properties operational and revenue-generating on schedule.

Process Automation Reception & Housekeeping Checklists Contractor Management Maintenance Planning

Sales

LH Sydney Pty Ltd

Apr 2023 - Dec 2023 (8 months)

Built the first scalable sales operation by converting ad-hoc outreach into a templated, repeatable sales workflow. Closed 695+ bookings and implemented structured inbound and outbound processes including cold-calling systems and sales documentation.

Sales Processes Lead Generation Cold Calling Objection Handling Negotiation Booking Management

Front Desk Receptionist

LH Sydney Pty Ltd

Feb 2023 - Apr 2023 (2 months)

Managed guest check-ins, check-outs, and complaint handling, and supported property listing and booking inspections. Coordinated property maintenance activities with contractors.

Check Out Complaint Handling Listings Inspections Maintenance Scheduling

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Waseda University

Bachelor's Degree, International Relations

2020 - 2024

Activities and societies: Minor: Peace & Conflict Resolution; Study abroad: Korea University (Campus Asia Program), Aug 2021–Aug 2022.

Earned a Bachelor's Degree in International Relations with a minor in Peace & Conflict Resolution. Completed a study-abroad term at Korea University (Campus Asia Program) from Aug 2021 to Aug 2022.