Reservation Manager

🎯 Role Definition

As a pivotal leader within our commercial team, the Reservation Manager is the strategic force behind our property's booking engine. You will oversee the entire reservation process, from initial inquiry to final confirmation, ensuring seamless operations and maximum profitability. This role involves not only leading and developing a team of reservation agents but also collaborating closely with Sales, Marketing, and Revenue Management to implement strategies that enhance occupancy, drive Average Daily Rate (ADR), and elevate the overall guest booking journey. You are the guardian of our inventory and the architect of our first impression.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Reservation Supervisor
Senior Reservation Agent
Front Office Supervisor

Advancement To:

Director of Revenue Management
Director of Front Office
Assistant General Manager

Lateral Moves:

Front Office Manager
Guest Relations Manager
Sales Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead, manage, and motivate the reservations team to achieve departmental goals, providing ongoing training, coaching, and performance evaluations to foster a high-performance culture.
Oversee the daily operations of the reservations department, ensuring all incoming calls, emails, and online bookings are handled promptly, accurately, and with a high level of personalized customer service.
Develop and implement robust reservation strategies in collaboration with the Director of Revenue Management to maximize room occupancy, ADR (Average Daily Rate), and RevPAR (Revenue Per Available Room).
Manage and maintain the property's rates, availability, and content across all distribution channels, including the Property Management System (PMS), Central Reservation System (CRS), GDS, and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).
Ensure absolute rate parity and integrity across all booking channels to maintain brand standards and optimize revenue streams without channel conflict.
Monitor reservation trends, analyze booking patterns, and produce detailed daily, weekly, and monthly reports for senior management to inform strategic pricing and inventory decisions.
Handle escalated guest inquiries, complaints, and complex reservation issues with professionalism and efficiency, ensuring guest satisfaction and turning challenges into loyalty-building opportunities.
Manage all group bookings, room blocks, and allotments, working closely with the Sales and Events teams to ensure accurate forecasting, billing, and seamless execution.
Conduct regular quality assurance checks and audits on reservations to ensure the accuracy of guest information, booking details, and adherence to payment and cancellation policies.
Train the reservations team on sophisticated upselling and cross-selling techniques to enhance the guest experience and generate significant ancillary revenue.
Maintain a deep and current understanding of the hotel's products, services, promotions, and local attractions to provide knowledgeable and compelling assistance to potential guests.
Act as the primary liaison between the reservations department and other hotel departments, such as Front Office, Sales, and Housekeeping, to ensure smooth communication and guest flow.
Systematically manage and audit no-shows, cancellations, and waitlists to optimize inventory in real-time and minimize potential revenue loss.
Control and monitor departmental expenses, ensuring operations stay within the allocated budget while continuously seeking opportunities to improve efficiency and service quality.
Stay current with emerging hospitality industry trends, new reservation technologies, and competitor activities to identify opportunities for improvement and innovation.
Ensure all reservation staff are fully trained on emergency procedures and policies related to data privacy and payment card security (e.g., GDPR, PCI-DSS).
Develop, refine, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the reservations department to ensure consistency, efficiency, and quality in all tasks.
Oversee the accurate and timely processing of travel agent commissions and corporate account billing, maintaining strong partner relationships.
Champion a positive, collaborative, and results-driven work environment that promotes teamwork, accountability, and a relentless commitment to excellence.
Prepare and present the reservations and revenue forecast as a key contributor to the hotel's annual budgeting and long-term strategic planning process.
Manage key relationships with external partners, including corporate travel managers, destination management companies (DMCs), and OTA market managers, to drive preferred business.
Lead the implementation and management of new reservation-related software or system upgrades, ensuring a smooth transition and comprehensive team training.

Secondary Functions

Assist the Revenue Management team with competitive analysis, market intelligence gathering, and demand forecasting projects.
Support the Front Office team during peak check-in/check-out periods or in handling complex guest situations that require management intervention.
Collaborate with the Marketing team to provide operational insights for promotional campaigns and ensure the accurate implementation of special offers and packages in the booking systems.
Participate actively in hotel-wide management meetings, representing the reservations department and contributing to overall operational strategy and guest experience initiatives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced proficiency in hotel Property Management Systems (PMS), such as Opera, Fidelio, or similar enterprise-level platforms.
Expertise with Central Reservation Systems (CRS) like SynXis, iHotelier, or Windsurfer, and a deep understanding of their functionality.
Strong, hands-on experience managing Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and the extranets of major Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).
Solid understanding of core revenue management principles, including forecasting, displacement analysis, pricing strategies, and yield management.
Proficiency in data analysis and reporting using Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, v-lookups) and familiarity with business intelligence (BI) tools.
Practical knowledge of channel management software and its application in maintaining rate parity and inventory distribution.
Experience with sales and catering systems (e.g., Delphi) for managing group blocks and rooming lists.
Strong financial acumen with experience in departmental budgeting, labor management, and P&L analysis.
Thorough understanding of PCI-DSS compliance standards and data security protocols related to guest information.
Excellent typing speed and accuracy for efficient and precise data entry and guest communication.

Soft Skills

Exceptional leadership and team development abilities with a talent for motivating and mentoring staff.
Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal) for interacting with guests, staff, and management.
Strong analytical and strategic problem-solving capabilities.
Impeccable attention to detail and organizational skills.
A deeply ingrained customer-centric mindset with a passion for delivering outstanding service.
High level of resilience and ability to perform under pressure in a fast-paced environment.
Commercial awareness and the ability to think strategically about business opportunities.
Polished negotiation and conflict resolution skills.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent required.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Hospitality Management
Business Administration
Tourism or Revenue Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-5 years of progressive experience in a hotel reservations or front office environment, with at least 1-2 years in a supervisory or management capacity.

Preferred:

Previous experience as a Reservation Manager in a luxury, boutique, or large-scale full-service hotel environment is highly desirable.