Event Planning Executive (1-year FTC), The Savoy Hotel in City of Westminster

The Savoy is one of the world's most iconic hotels. We are the original British luxury hotel, opened in 1889, and have a reputation for outstanding service excellence. We blend our rich history with innovation, and have played host to royalty, world leaders, and legends of the stage and screen. Today, we pride ourselves on creating special memories for our guests by delivering the very best in five-star luxury hospitality.

Our award-winning, colleague-centric culture truly differentiates us in the luxury hospitality marketplace. We offer competitive salaries and benefits, along with outstanding career development opportunities globally within Fairmont.

Your purpose will be:

• Through engaged planning with each client, create a memorable and innovative event, exceeding expectations on each occasion.
• To anticipate the needs of your organiser/clients, suggest authentically local ideas, provide support to your client through each step of the planning process.

Focus of the position is to plan residential groups & events and to drive upselling within the department and across the hotel.

You will be accountable for:

• Organise/disseminate information to all departments through e-mails, memos, event orders, directives, resumes and rooming list in a professional and timely manner.
• Build creative menus, mindful of food costs, labour cost and kitchen capabilities.
• Confirm final details with the client and transfer these details into a Banquet Event Order.
• Create floor plans for the best use of space for each event and to ensure banquet and client are in agreement prior to set up.
• Obtain guarantees of food and beverage events for Banquets and Kitchen.
• Reconfirm and adhere to all details in Sales Contract, including Deposit Schedules, Room Cut Off Dates, Rooming List Due Dates.
• Responsible for sufficiently ‘washing’ room block and food and beverage covers in order to ensure a more accurate forecast.
• Follow billing instructions in line with hotel policies.
• Yield bedroom and meeting space daily to ensure optimum potential through the use of Delphi Sales & Catering & Opera Cloud.
• Conduct pre-conference meetings to ensure key departments are fully aware of relevant details pertaining to group upon their near arrival.
• Conduct and/or attend daily meeting to review event contracts to ensure last minute changes are communicated with Banquets, Kitchen and Stewarding.
• Fully aware of any industry trends.
• Attend weekly/monthly departmental communication meetings, also sales and operations meetings as required.
• Attend the post conference follow up, conducted by the Sales Manager, to address strengths and weaknesses of an event while soliciting return business.
• Establish good business and social relationships with the industry and participate in activities related to public relations to further increase sales leads for the department as well as the hotel.
• Responsible for following the guidelines/deadlines as detailed in the Conference Services and Catering checklist.

What you will need for this role:

• At least 1 year experience in the Hospitality Industry.
• Outstanding communication skills, both written & verbal.
• A confident & dynamic speaker, able to communicate and interact effectively with all levels of an organization.
• Enthusiastic and positive personality with the ability to build trusting relationships with others.
• Proven organizational skills, works well on their own. Able to set and meet deadlines with quality results.
• Minimum of two years of administrative experience preferred.
• Excellent customer service skills, superior interpersonal skills, results-oriented and highly self-motivated.
• Able to multi-task and work under pressure.
• Knowledge of meeting space capacities pertaining to health and safety procedures and terminology of meeting room set ups.
• Food and beverage knowledge is an asset.
• Good understanding of all hotel departments, particularly housekeeping, front office, banquets and kitchen.
• Working knowledge of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Knowledge of Delphi Sales & Catering & Opera Cloud.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Please note that we believe in flexibility and multi-skilling, and you may be asked to do different tasks from time to time to enable us to meet the needs of our guests and colleagues.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary and additional service charge.
• Life insurance and pension.
• 31 days of holiday (including public holidays).
• Exclusive discounts at Savoy, Fairmont, Raffles, and Accor hotels (friends & family rates included).
• 50% off at American & Beaufort Bars, Afternoon Tea, spa, florist, and select Gordon Ramsay restaurants.
• 20% off at other Gordon Ramsay restaurants and Restaurant 1890.
• Free stay for two at The Savoy after successful probation.
• Colleague restaurant, gym, interfaith prayer room and wellness room.
• Laundry services.
• Cashback for wellbeing/healthcare expenses; HSF & Perkbox.
• Employee assistance program.
• Virgin Active and The Gym Group membership discounts.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Season ticket loan for commuting.
• Annual optician reimbursements of £100.
• Local discounts for F&B and retail.