Dakota Hotels are looking for a highly organised, commercially focused, and relationship-driven Entertainment & Media Reservations Executive. You will play a pivotal role in managing bookings, developing client relationships, and maximising revenue opportunities within a fast-paced sector that spans music, touring, theatre, film, television, commercial production, luxury travel, and lifestyle businesses.
This is an exciting opportunity for someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, enjoys building relationships, and has exceptional attention to detail.
CONTRACT AND PAY RATE
- This role carries a permanent contract
- Working 40 hours per week
- Typically shifts are 09:00-17:30
- Flexibility is required in line with business needs, including occasional evening and weekend work to support client events, trade shows, networking opportunities, and sales activity.
- We offer a competitive salary, which will be discussed during the recruitment process.
This is a fully on-site role based at either our Manchester City Centre or Glasgow City Centre hotel, with occasional travel to other Dakota properties as required. Remote or hybrid working is not available for this position.
PRIMARY ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES
We are looking for an experienced reservations professional to manage group and entertainment bookings across the Dakota portfolio. Reporting directly to and assisting the Executive Director of Sales and working closely with sales and hotel operational teams, key responsibilities will include:
- Managing all group and entertainment enquiries from initial enquiry through to arrival.
- Producing accurate quotations, managing provisional bookings, and confirming group reservations.
- Manage complex bookings involving multiple stakeholders and third-party agencies, ensuring seamless execution and consistently high service standards.
- Act as the key liaison between hotels, agents, clients, and the Reservations team, ensuring timely, accurate, and professional communication at all times.
- Deliver exceptional service to a fast-paced global client base, building trust through responsiveness, precision, and a client-focused approach.
- Manage multiple clients expectations and properties simultaneously while maintaining exceptional organisation and attention to detail.
- Manage amendments, riders, and arrival details, ensuring accurate communication with hotels while continuously optimising revenue opportunities.
- Maintain and develop a robust sales pipeline and reports for the Entertainment & Media segment, ensuring daily updates and structured follow-up activity.
- Support the planning and coordination of familiarisation trips, exhibitions, trade shows, networking events, and client engagements.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with new and existing clients to drive repeat business and long-term partnerships.
APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS
The successful applicant will have/be:
- Minimum two years' experience in reservations, sales or events roles.
- Experience handling group, event or entertainment bookings is highly desirable.
- A proactive, confident, and personable approach, with outstanding relationship-building skills.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines independently.
- Ability to thrive under pressure while managing multiple clients expectations, properties, and tasks simultaneously.
- Commercially aware, with a natural ability to upsell in a subtle and brand-appropriate way.
- Able to demonstrate having researched our brand and a genuine desire to be part of the Dakota team.
- An enthusiastic individual who will promote our culture of positivity.
- Be task oriented with a great pride for the work they do and attention to detail.
- Flexible with shift patterns and available around the needs of our business.
- Successful candidates must demonstrate having researched our brand and a genuine desire to be part of our team.
WHAT WE OFFER
In addition to being part of a culture infused with positivity and opportunity for ongoing development, tangible benefits you could enjoy when you join our team include:
FINANCIAL
- Special discounts on stays and dining at any Dakota
- Bonuses to recommend a friend to join our team and every time you are mentioned on Trip Advisor
- Additional holiday day on the first anniversary of your employment
- Meals on duty and uniforming
WELLBEING
- Access to our Employee Assistance Program which includes free private mental health support and counselling sessions, video GP consultations and private prescription services, as well as access to daily rewards to be cashed out for shopping vouchers
- Support from our inhouse Mental Health Champions
- Family-friendly flexible working options
- Participation in meaningful initiatives such as Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee Morning and the Walk for Wellbeing, Supporting causes that matter while connecting with colleagues
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
- Accredited, certified compliance training given on employment
- Access to a suite of external, certified resources via our Learning Management System
- Supportive continuous professional development culture with an annual appraisal and objectives, or a Personal Development Plan
- Opportunities to undertake both internal and external training courses, including potential for in-house Apprenticeships
Full terms on our benefits can be found in our Handbook.
ABOUT DAKOTA HOTELS
Dakota is a growing UK-based lifestyle brand, known for our stylish hotels, bustling brasserieGrillsand upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in South Queensferry, and Glasgow, in Eurocentral. We have now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, andNewcastlewith morein our pipeline.
Dakota is synonymous for delivering attentive and genuine guest service. We attract hard-working individuals who are passionate about working to the highest standards and have been voted within The Caterer’s Top 15 Best Employers in Hospitality for the last five years in a row. We were also featured within the Top 10 employers in the 2024 Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UK, as well as being awarded the Spotlight Award for Best Places to Work for LGBTQIA+ employees.
As recent winners of The Cateys ‘People Team of the Year’,we have award-winning internal training programmes within Dakota Academy fostering continuous development and ongoing training. As a result, over 75% of our leaders have been promoted internally and, for four consecutive years, a member of our team has won a prestigious Acorn Award awarded byThe Caterer to the ‘Top 30 under 30’in the industry,demonstratingour success in developing talent.
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