Head of Reservations
North Berwick - UK
Job Summary
Central Reservations Hybrid Based
We are looking for an experienced and commercially focused Head of Reservations to join our Central Reservations leadership team.
This is an exciting opportunity to lead one of our established fully home-based reservations teams with responsibility for delivering outstanding guest service developing a high-performing remote team and driving booking conversion and revenue performance across our hotel portfolio.
Our Central Reservations operation supports both hotel accommodation and specialist golf reservations. The exact area of responsibility for the successful candidate will be determined following the recruitment process taking into account their experience strengths and skillset.
The Opportunity
As Head of Reservations you will provide dedicated leadership to a home-based reservations team creating an engaged collaborative and accountable culture despite colleagues working remotely.
This is a role that combines people leadership commercial performance and operational delivery.
You will be expected to understand what drives reservations performance use data to identify opportunities and ensure your team delivers a knowledgeable responsive and guest-centred booking experience.
Working closely with our other Head of Reservations and colleagues across Operations Revenue Sales and Marketing you will also play an important role in developing our wider Central Reservations function as our portfolio grows.
What Youll Be Doing
You will:
- Lead coach and develop a fully home-based reservations team.
- Create a strong remote team culture through regular communication one-to-ones coaching and performance management.
- Set clear objectives service standards and individual accountabilities.
- Drive booking conversion revenue opportunities upselling and cross-selling.
- Use enquiry booking and performance data to identify trends lost business and opportunities for improvement.
- Ensure guest enquiries and bookings are handled promptly accurately and consistently.
- Build strong product knowledge and a confident consultative sales approach within the team.
- Plan resources and team coverage around changing and seasonal levels of demand.
- Monitor performance against agreed KPIs including conversion response times quality productivity and revenue.
- Resolve complex or escalated guest and operational issues.
- Work collaboratively with hotels and colleagues across Revenue Sales Marketing Finance and Operations.
- Maintain effective processes controls and business-continuity arrangements.
- Support new systems processes products and hotel openings.
- Work closely with the other Head of Reservations to share best practice build resilience and continually improve the overall reservations operation.
What Were Looking For
We are looking for an established reservations hospitality sales or customer contact leader who combines strong people leadership with a commercial mindset.
As this is a home-based operation proven experience of successfully leading engaging and performance-managing a remote or home-based team is essential.
You should also bring:
- Significant experience within hotel reservations hospitality sales contact centres golf travel or a comparable specialist booking environment.
- Leadership experience within a service-led and commercially focused team.
- A track record of improving booking conversion revenue productivity or service quality.
- Strong coaching and people-development skills.
- The ability to create engagement collaboration and accountability within a remote team.
- Confidence interpreting performance data and turning it into clear actions.
- Strong communication organisation and stakeholder-management skills.
- A guest-focused approach combined with strong commercial awareness.
- Sound judgement when handling escalated guest people and operational matters.
- The ability to remain calm organised and effective when priorities and demand change.
Experience of golf reservations golf travel or complex itinerary-based bookings would be advantageous but is not essential.
Why Join Us
This is an opportunity to take a senior leadership role within an established Central Reservations operation while helping us shape its next stage of development.
Youll have the opportunity to lead and develop your own team influence how we work improve commercial performance and collaborate with hotels and senior stakeholders across a growing portfolio.
If youre an experienced reservations or hospitality leader who is passionate about developing people delivering excellent guest experiences and driving commercial results wed love to hear from you.
Required Experience:
Director
About Company
With enviable views of the Firth of Forth and Bass Rock, Marine North Berwick rises from the East Lothian landscape to offer guests a quietly elegant escape.