STEP INTO THE ARENA
Preparing hotel owners, leaders, teams and companies to thrive in the commercial arena
Hello
I’m John Thompson, the founder of Into the Arena.
I bring more than 30 years of executive commercial experience across hotel and hospitality businesses in Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the USA and Europe.
An experienced Chief Commercial Officer, I have led commercial functions responsible for more than $400 million in annual revenue across portfolios of more than 60 hotels. My leadership experience spans sales, marketing, revenue management, digital, distribution and customer contact centres.
Having led commercial teams at Hilton, Thistle Hotels, IHG, Minor Hotels and Salter Brothers Hospitality, I combine executive leadership, consulting, coaching and training expertise to help organisations build commercially focused cultures that deliver stronger business performance.
As a consultant, I have also served in interim executive positions, as a management consultant, a trainer, a coach and a trusted adviser to leaders in organisations ranging from global hotel brands to emerging businesses across the UK, Europe, USA and Australasia.
ABOUT Into The Arena
Philosophy
I believe meaningful progress and success is achieved by those who step into the arena; those who lead with conviction, embrace challenge and work together to create lasting impact.
Into the Arena’s philosophy is inspired by Theodore Roosevelt's belief that "the credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena". I believe true leadership is not about observing from the sidelines. It is about taking responsibility, making decisions, inspiring others and creating positive change.
In my experience, the highest-performing organisations are built by leaders who understand that commercial success is everyone's responsibility. Leaders who create commercially focused cultures where every leader, every team and every individual understands how the organisation creates value, recognises their role in commercial success and takes ownership of delivering stronger business performance.
That is the culture I help organisations create, build and sustain
Approach
Every arena is different, every leader and every team faces a unique set of pressures, opportunities, and expectations.
That is why my work begins with understanding your context: your culture, your challenges, and your goals.
From there, I design practical, people-centred initiatives that drive measurable change.
My approach combines proven frameworks with experiential learning. I coach, challenge, and partner with you to build the confidence, clarity, and capability to perform when it matters most.
Whether in leadership development, management training, or strategic alignment, my goal is simple; to prepare you, your team, and your organisation to win in your arena.
CORPORATE SOLUTIONS
Interim & Fractional Commercial Leadership
Commercial leadership gaps create uncertainty, reduced performance momentum and slower decision making.
Into the Arena provides experienced interim Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sales support, enabling organisations to maintain momentum whilst recruiting permanent executives or navigating periods of transformation. We also provide on-going fractional commercial leadership on a part-time basis.
Leadership Development and Facilitation
Strong organisations are built by exceptional leaders.
Drawing upon three decades of executive leadership experience, Into the Arena develops confident, commercially focused leaders capable of building high-performing teams.
Commercial Capability Development
Commercial performance is everyone's responsibility.
We develop commercially aware organisations where operations, finance, sales, marketing, revenue management and reservations work together towards common commercial objectives.
Organisational Transformation
Many businesses already have capable people.
The challenge lies within disconnected systems, duplicated processes and outdated ways of working. Into the Arena helps organisations redesign commercial processes, improve collaboration and introduce AI and automation that enables teams to spend more time creating value.
Team Performance
High-performing teams do not happen by accident. They are intentionally developed.
Into the Arena combines executive coaching with behavioural profiling to help leadership teams improve communication, trust and accountability.
Commercial Project Leadership
Important strategic initiatives often fail because organisations lack the capacity to lead them whilst maintaining day-to-day operations.
Into the Arena provides experienced project leadership to maintain momentum and deliver successful outcomes.
Hotel Owner Advisory
Hotel owners require commercially independent advice.
Drawing upon decades of management / operator-side executive experience, Into the Arena supports owners in understanding whether commercial performance is genuinely being maximised.
HOTEL OWNER SOLUTIONS
Hotel Commercial Health Check
Understand how your hotel is really performing.
When you are close to the day-to-day operation, it can be difficult to know whether performance is genuinely being maximised. I undertake an independent review of your hotel to identify strengths, risks and opportunities .
Revenue, Sales & Marketing Performance
Generate better business, not simply more business.
Hotel performance is not just about occupancy. The right combination of price, market segment, distribution channel and customer can make a significant difference to profitability.
Owner Advisory
Independent advice when you need another experienced perspective.
Independent and first-time owners frequently have important decisions to make without access to an experienced hotel commercial executive.
Into the Arena can act as an independent adviser to the owner, providing practical commercial guidance without the cost of employing another senior executive.
Hotel Opening, Repositioning & Improvement
Get important projects right the first time.
Opening, acquiring or repositioning a hotel requires dozens of commercial decisions, often while the owner is managing many other priorities.
Owner & Team Capability
Build a business that becomes less dependent on outside support.
Sometimes the greatest opportunity is not changing the strategy. It is helping the people running the hotel understand the commercial impact of the decisions they make every day.
EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
CONSULTING, COACHING, TRAINING AND ADVISORY EXPERIENCE
INSPIRATION
