Reservations Manager

Directly oversee the on-property Guest Experience Planners and Group Rooms Coordinators and provide support to the Director of Revenue Management and Operational leaders throughout the resort.

QUALIFICATIONS:           

• This role is based on property.
• 2-5 years of customer-facing experience in the hotel/hospitality industry is required.
• Experience in Reservations or Front Office is preferred. 
• A minimum of 2 years of supervisory experience is preferred. 
• Demonstrate the ability to foster a positive work environment through teaching, training, and coaching hourly associates, ensuring accountability among team members.
• Must have proficiency in Microsoft Excel and be able to work efficiently in various electronic database programs. Experience in OPMS, ORS, Amadeus/ Delphi/ FDC Salesforce, OTA Extranets, ideas G3, and SQL Server reporting is preferred.
• Understands theory and practice of managing and balancing house inventory and Group Block management.
• Ability to analyze and interpret complex spreadsheets.
• Detail-oriented and resourceful with the ability to perform critical analysis and investigate systems issues.
• Proficiency in delivering concise and well-organized presentations.
• A proactive self-starter with excellent organization skills, manages time well, correctly prioritizes and is flexible.
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines.
• Capability to effectively manage and collaborate with external departments and colleagues.
• Strong interpersonal skills and possession of a full understanding of professional business ethics, decorum and social skills.
• High school diploma required; college degree preferred.
• Appropriate professional appearance and demeanor.
• Demonstrates self-confidence, energy, enthusiasm and is proactive in daily business routines.

JOB DUTIES:

• Manage on-property Group Rooms Coordinators and Guest Experience Planners.
• Assist with Guest Experience Planner or Group Rooms Coordinator job duties, as needed.
• Conduct a daily reservation stand up meeting to share relevant Omni and resort news, practice Forbes Service Energizers, and discuss and coordinate which tasks the team is prioritizing each day.
• Provide ongoing coaching and development for Guest Experience Planners and Group Rooms Coordinators, with a focus on Forbes standards, POE training, and continued growth and progression within their roles and careers.
• Champion Forbes service standards and maintain expertise on Forbes reservations, Guest Services, Spa and Golf Reservations, and Digital standards. Actively coach Reservations Team and assist with overall resort accountability in pursuit of property Forbes certification.
• Maintain comprehensive knowledge of all resort systems and ensure the Reservations team is proficient in their use.
• Ensure the Guest Experience Planners and Group Room Coordinators are well trained and receive ongoing training as needed on all systems including, but not limited to, Opera Cloud, FDC, Extranets, ResortSuite, ForeTees, ResortPass, Agilysys, Open Table, SharePoint, and SQL Server reporting.
• Provide the Reservations team with property special event information on an ongoing basis; work with Marketing to create and distribute Know Before You Go communication to guests in attendance.
• Lead all Resort Homes reservation and pre-arrival efforts, including developing and maintaining SOPs, creating guest resumes, coordinating with Operations, and ensuring the Guest Experience Planner team is equipped to deliver a seamless and elevated guest experience.
• Partner closely with Operations to ensure a seamless and elevated guest experience for all Resort Homes bookings.
• Build, cancel, and update Group blocks and enter rooming lists in ORS, as needed.
• Participate in daily Operations (GEM) meetings and relay pertinent information that impacts other departments.
• Conduct monthly ATGT meetings with the Reservations team.
• Have individual weekly 1:1s with the Guest Experience Planners and Group Rooms Coordinators.
• Oversee departmental outings quarterly.
• Oversee accurate input of reservations into Opera.
• Maintain agent scorecards and call tracking for Guest Experience Planners and provide reporting for incentive payout in a timely manner at the conclusion of the month.
• Proactively communicate revenue promotions and initiatives to relevant departments to ensure a seamless guest experience.
• Serve as the main point of contact for all ESP and leisure travel agent/ Consortia reservations.
• Maintain No Show, Early Departure, and Cancellation revenue reports.
• Work closely with the DORM to create and maintain all SOPs/LSOPs and training manuals pertaining to the Reservations Team, Opera, and ancillary revenue systems.
• Support the DORM with reporting, including, but not limited to, providing daily/weekly reports (Daily Detail, RevMerch reports, 14- Day Operations report, Groups Approaching Cutoff reports, Flash report, etc.) based on the timeline identified by the DORM.
• Ensure Group Rooms Coordinators and Guest Experience Planners have comprehensive knowledge of all resort accommodations and offerings, including guestrooms, Resort Homes, golf, spa, outlets, packages, and meeting space, and are equipped to effectively upsell room upgrades and dynamic packages.
• Proactively load new ‘Events,’ large groups, and market information on the Daily Detail and be able to effectively read group sales contracts.
• Conduct proactive research on significant transient demand events in the market monthly.
• Load FDC Agreed totals on the Daily Detail on a weekly basis and ensure group rates/no walk clauses are continuously loaded onto the Daily Detail.
• Maintain strong communication lines and relationship with Omni CCC for packages, hotel detail, special promotions, access exclusion management, etc.
• Build Transient golf group blocks for Barton Creek in Opera.
• Produce and distribute 14-day operations forecast weekly; load into OnTrack.
• Confirm that the operational team has all the tools needed to quickly identify and execute package offers flawlessly on an ongoing basis.
• Serve as the primary liaison with all operational departments, actively participating in "staff" and "ops" meetings, and acting as the representative for the reservations department. Ensure timely dissemination of pertinent meeting materials to reservations department staff.
• Monitor deposits due and the deposit ledger to ensure compliance with Omni standards.
• Attend monthly credit meeting to ensure group billing, no show revenue and special package rates are posting correctly, and individual deposits are being collected or refunded in a timely manner.
• Investigate patterns in package element absorption issues, routing issues, and OTA billing and deposit policy issues. Collaborate with Front Office, Accounting, and other relevant Operational leaders to mitigate and resolve recurring billing issues.
• Send Finance Booking.com accrual at the beginning of the month for the previous month.
• Provide support with maintaining the Expedia Partner Central portal and the OTA Inbox.
• Maintain walk rate agreements with local hotels and communicate to the Front Office, DORM, General Manager, and DOSM.
• Assist and advise on strategic balancing and complimentary upgrading or outreach and downgrading as needed for inventory management and hotel straight-line availability.
• Meet monthly with the Director of Front Office.
• Meet bi-weekly with the Director of Rooms.
• Participate in the monthly Leadership & Issue Prevention meeting, offering insights and notifying Operational Leaders about concerns regarding availability, high demand, upcoming groups with challenging or unique requirements, or guest profiles.
• Represent the department in labor meetings, providing operational insight and supporting staffing and labor planning decisions.
• Train new CSM/ Sales/ Catering Managers on property room block policies, strategies, and how to run the Client Facing Group Rooming List and Pickup report.
• Provide directional feedback on group block pick-up and slippage.
• Audit group resumes prior to the group arrival. Audit routing, notes, and other details to ensure flawless group rooming list maintenance. Ensure the Group Rooms Coordinators are well versed in these areas.
• Ensure that all definite group bookings and addendums are accurately entered as they are received for a 5-year horizon; all groups with a 1-year horizon are to be completed within 1 business day of turnover.
• Create group web links and send to clients if Group Rooms Coordinators are unable to do so.
• Support the company in technical/ systems transitions aimed at supporting the management of room revenue and ancillary revenue as they occur.
• Work with Convention Services and Reservations as needed to ensure effective and efficient management of group inventory daily – review and provide approval or feedback on cutoff date extensions and additions to inventory.
• Monitor the FDC Integration Activity report and Room Block Discrepancies tool daily to review and resolve message issues and inconsistencies between FDC and Opera.
• Ensure robust interdepartmental communication, especially with the Convention Services, Sales, Catering, Front Office, and Accounting teams, remains consistent.
• Establish and uphold an efficient and professional working environment characterized by open and proactive communication; act as the on-site liaison for the DORM, observing and reporting as needed.
• Ensure timely acknowledgment of all calls and emails from internal and external customers.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for VIP reservations and lead communication efforts with VIP teams and coordinators to ensure a seamless and elevated guest experience.

Tools and Equipment:

Computer and printer/ copier, telephone, pen/pencil

Working Environment:

• Interior of hotel, in normal office conditions. This position does not permit work-from-home days.