Reservations Manager at Kempinski Hotels

The incumbent of this position is responsible for the efficient functioning of the Reservations department.

Key Responsibilities:

Optimize opportunities and Reduce Risk 

• Ensure On the day inventory is perfectly correct (block not picked-up, out of Order rooms, Early departures, stay extension) and review overbooking levels of the day with Revenue Management 
• Ensure all day arrivals are fully confirmed and guaranteed as well as perfectly accurate (Price, Rate code, Segment, Source, Profiles, Billing instructions, Guests request and comments…)
• Check the reservations made the previous day.
• Check of arrival tomorrow and recheck of VIP Arrivals Today
• Check Deposit not received for arrival next week
• Control no show and late cancellation charges.
• Maintain all reservation standards.
• Keep department informed of all changes in systems or procedures.
• Ensure that the team is aware of the internal credit policy.
• Monitor reservation pick-up for the coming months – review data on an ongoing basis.

Increase Sales

• Ensure Reservations Team is fully aware of all prices, promotions and packages available for each period within the available booking window.
• Ensure the system is setup in a way that displays the Rates to be proposed first, as well as all the relevant information on screen for reservation agents to be more efficient.
• Ensure Reservations Team has a perfect knowledge of the Rooms and Hotel Product as well as of the area and what is happening in town.
• Be aware of what is happening at competitor’s hotel and keep a good work relationship with them.
• Ensure Reservations Team is fully trained on Sales and Upselling techniques
• Maintain an internal upsell / cross sell programme for the Reservations department (benefits / team competition).
• Ensure offers are proactively followed up
• Ensure emails are being answered in a timely manner, as per Company Standard and on the approved templates.
• Ensure the necessary templates are available and reviewed on a regular basis.

System Setup and Management

• Manage room inventory by room category to achieve optimum results in occupancy, average rate and revenue.
• Assist Revenue Management in setting system closures, restrictions and rate availability according to strategy in place
• Ensure all sellable contracted rates are loaded in all systems for ease of use by Reservations.
• Ensure all internal package breakdowns are loaded and in line with financial department.
• Ensure all cancellation and deposit policies are loaded in all systems according to strategy.
• Ensure PMS and all distribution Channel reflect correct availability and prices.
• Ensure Commission codes are correctly setup and commissions sent and followed up on a weekly basis as a minimum

Communication, Culture and development:

• Attend the Revenue Meeting, Sales Meeting, Front Office Meeting and Department Heads Meeting
• Follow up on lost business, cancellations, regrets & Denials and bring information about price resistance and other relevant information to the knowledge of the Revenue Management Team.
• Maintain good working relations with other departments and keep close contact with regular guests, ensuring their needs are identified, and relayed to concerned departments for service delivery.
• Organise regular training on Systems, data entry standard, sales technics etc. for Reservations, Front desk and Sales agent. 
• Ensure good contact and cordial working relationships with Competitor hotels, keep a close eye on market developments (renovation, special campaigns, theme events etc.) Share this information with colleagues.
• Stay up to date with system development, updates and enhancement as well as industry practices.
• Attend all webinar sessions organized by Regional Offices and Corporate Offices. 
• Share Best practices and relevant Market Insights with Management and colleagues.

Leadership & Team Management

• Ensure there is a fully trained backup person for each of the tasks described in the checklist for Business continuity plan.
• Participate in staff recruitment, organise on-the-job and monthly training for all staff, supervise and manage performance in order to ensure clients’ satisfaction and adherence to Kempinski service standards.
• Set goals, mentor and motivate the team. Conduct regular performance evaluation. 
• Assist in developing a career path for direct reports.
• Schedule employee planning in line with expected business volume to maximize productivity while remaining fair for each employee.

Other

• Perform any other duties as assigned by management.

Desired Skills and Qualifications:

•  University/College/Tertiary level education in a hospitality field.
• Previous experience in a similar position working with luxury hotels is required.
• 3 years experience in event & group sales, reservations or sales preferred.
• Opera central systems knowledge.
• Knowledge of either Fidelio V6 or Opera PMS is imperative.
• A proven track record of increasing revenue streams or strengthening the performance of a property.
• Experience with reporting and market performance reports.
• Ability to work and communicate in a multinational environment.
• Detail orientated and hands on.
• Effective ability to supervise, motivate, train and develop team members.
• Demonstrate self-confidence, energy and enthusiasm.
• Ability to investigate systems malfunctions or user-input errors.
• Ability to analyse data, make meaningful conclusions and base sound decisions and strategies on these.
• Knowledge of industry-specific terminology such as ADR, RevPAR, on-the-books, etc.
• Ability to adapt to a frequently changing market environment. Be proactive and able to “think outside of the box”.
• Able to work in a fast paced environment and can multitask.
• Ability to remain calm and composed under pressure.

Apply Before 02/15/2023