Reservations Manager

Job description

Company Description

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is a 5-star Abu Dhabi beach resort with a stunning setting on Abu Dhabi Creek. Our luxurious urban hideaway offers unparalleled panoramas over the glittering white-marble minarets of iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Alongside exquisite restaurants and bars, Fairmont Abu Dhabi boasts 366 spacious rooms, suites and a villa. Designed with discerning business and leisure guests in mind, our incomparable facilities include a private beach, pool, meeting rooms, and a magnificent ballroom for lavish celebrations.

Job Description

·  Oversee and manage the day-to-day operations of the hotel's reservations department, ensuring smooth and efficient processes.
·  Develop and maintain the department schedule whereby there is appropriate coverage to handle reservation calls, minimizing loss of calls, and ensuring a high level of conversion into bookings.
·  Supervise and train reservations staff, providing guidance, support, and ongoing performance feedback.
·  Handle complex guest inquiries, resolve issues, and provide solutions to maximize guest satisfaction without loss in revenues.
·  Ensure exceptional customer service by promptly responding to guest inquiries, requests, complaints and ensuring there is not loss of business.
·  Collaborate with other hotel departments to ensure seamless guest experiences and effective communication.
·  Maintain positive relationships with guests, travel agents, corporate clients, and other stakeholders.
·  Anticipate guest needs and personalize service to enhance the guest experience.
·  Handle reservation changes, cancellations, and special requests in a professional and efficient manner.
·  Generate regular reports on reservation statistics, occupancy, and revenue performance.
·  Foster a positive and collaborative work environment within the reservations department.
·  Coordinate with other hotel departments, such as front office, sales, and marketing, to ensure seamless operations.
·  Conduct regular meetings with the reservations team to communicate updates, goals, and performance expectations.
·  Conduct annual reviews, recommend appropriate succession plan for Employee(s) development to ensure the sustainability of the reservation department.
·  Monitor reservations and revenue systems and ensure accurate and up-to-date availability, rates, and inventory across all channels.
·  Develops Action Plans to reach daily / monthly / yearly KPIs.
·  Completes all rooms forecasting to accurately project demand and pick up for groups and transient, both short and long term.
·  Maintains records pertaining to market segments, transient pace numbers, forecasts, and other rooms’ data.
·  Coordinate updates/stay restrictions or rate changes to reflect the hotel selling strategy in response to the market demand.
·  Records competitive set pricing and yield strategies and completes analysis on the market and its opportunities based upon the competition and previous history.
·  Develop and implement strategies to optimize room revenue and occupancy levels.
·  Analyse market trends, competitor pricing, and demand patterns to make informed decisions in collaboration with  Director of Revenue Management.
·  Makes sure rate plans are correctly indexed / loaded and distributed to all channels

Qualifications

·  Experience in the relevant position
·  Knowledge of Microsoft Windows computer programs:
·  Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal required
·  Strong interpersonal and problem solving abilities
·  Highly responsible & reliable
·  Ability to focus attention on guest needs, remaining calm and courteous at all times
·  Strong team player who can work independently in a fast-paced environment
·  Dynamic, willing to learn
·  Have good sales and presentation skills
·  Ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time
·  Management experience would be an advantage.
·  Strong analytical, organizational and creative thinking skills