Reservations Manager in London

The Reservations Manager will lead City Relay’s commercial reservations function as a standalone department, having been separated from the Guest Experience team to give it dedicated leadership and strategic focus. The role exists to maximise the revenue City Relay earns from each property under management by increasing the proportion of direct bookings and building a pipeline of corporate and extended-stay clients. This is a commercially driven, outward-facing role. The Reservations Manager owns the full booking journey from enquiry through to confirmation, and is accountable for the revenue quality and channel mix of the portfolio.

Strategic Objectives:

• Increase direct booking share. City Relay earns a direct booking fee on reservations made through its own channels. Growing the proportion of direct bookings relative to OTA bookings directly improves revenue per property and reduces dependency on third-party platforms.
• Build a corporate and extended-stay pipeline. Secure bookings from corporate travellers and relocation clients with lengths of stay exceeding 90 nights. These bookings deliver higher occupancy certainty, lower turnover costs, and stronger gross margins for landlords and for City Relay.

Key Responsibilities:

• Direct Booking Growth: Own and optimise the direct booking channel, including the City Relay website, direct enquiry handling, and repeat guest engagement. Develop and execute campaigns, promotions, and pricing strategies that incentivise guests to book direct rather than through OTAs. Build and maintain a CRM process for past guests and enquirers to drive repeat direct bookings. Work with the operations team to ensure the direct booking experience is seamless from enquiry to check-in.
• Corporate & Extended-Stay Business Development: Identify, prospect, and build relationships with corporate travel managers, relocation agents, insurance providers, and serviced accommodation brokers. Create and maintain a pipeline of corporate leads, tracking activity from first contact through to confirmed booking. Develop competitive rate cards and flexible terms with the revenue manager for stays of 90+ nights that are attractive to corporate clients while protecting City Relay’s margins. Negotiate and close corporate agreements, ensuring terms are documented and handed over cleanly to operations. Attend industry events, networking functions, and relevant trade shows to raise City Relay’s profile in the corporate travel market.
• Reservations Management: Manage all inbound reservation enquiries with a focus on speed, accuracy, and conversion. Coordinate with the property management and housekeeping teams to confirm availability, pricing, and property readiness. Handle booking amendments, cancellations, and special requests professionally and in line with City Relay’s policies. Maintain accurate booking records in the property management system and flag any discrepancies. Manage the workload of the reservations agents and provide coaching, management and training.