Assistant Reservations Manager

Assistant Reservations Manager

Would you like to join the Team at the Titanic Hotel Belfast and continue to build and grow your career?

We are currently looking for an Assistant Reservations Manager to join us!

At Titanic Hotel Belfast, we look for people who are friendly, welcoming and full of life, people who are always finding ways to make every guest’s experience enjoyable. Titanic Hotel Belfast opened its doors for business in September 2017. This luxury 119-bedroom hotel was created in the former headquarters of Harland & Wolff, builders of Titanic, and provides the perfect destination for anyone travelling to the Titanic Quarter on business or for pleasure. The Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices, the earliest parts of these historic buildings, date from the 1880s and, over the following 100 years, played an essential part in the design of many of the world’s most famous ocean liners, the creation of the ‘floating hotel’ and influenced the design of many of today’s cruise ships. Belfast is the birthplace of Titanic and this heritage hotel is a sister to our award-winning Titanic Hotel, Liverpool. The hotel has been restored and operated by Harcourt Developments, an international property development company with over 50 years of experience repairing and renovating listed heritage buildings.

Job purpose:

To lead the day-to-day reservations operation, supervise the reservations team and Group Reservations Agent, and take ownership of the accurate handling and conversion of individual and group enquiries. Support revenue strategy, protect inventory and deliver excellent guest and client service.

About the role

Main responsibilities/Key tasks:

• To lead the day-to-day reservations operation, allocating workloads, monitoring response times and ensuring that all systems, procedures and reservations audit requirements are completed.
• To set and monitor service standards for the team, resolving escalated guest and client enquiries and ensuring accurate, timely reservations communications.
• To assist with ensuring that you and your team are fully conversant with the facilities, services and special promotions offered by the hotel and to pass this information on to the guest whenever the possibility arises in order to maximise hotel sales.
• To maintain strong working knowledge of Opera Cloud and other hotel systems, ensuring accurate reservations records, rates, inventory and reporting; knowledge of HotSoft is beneficial.
• To coach and develop the reservations team and Group Reservations Agent, giving clear objectives, feedback and support to improve performance.
• Ensure that communication procedures are effective and efficient on a day to day basis enabling the operation to plan and deliver all customer service requirements.
• To work with Revenue, Sales and Events, Finance and operations on pickup, group forecasts, availability and weekly and monthly reporting.
• To develop team capability in revenue capture, packages, payment processes and upselling, while protecting the guest experience.
• To represent reservations at relevant revenue and top-line meetings, supplying pickup reports, group pipeline updates, competitor intelligence and operational recommendations.
• To directly supervise the Group Reservations Agent, assign priorities, review workload and standards, and provide coaching and performance feedback.
• To oversee the full group reservations process from enquiry and quotation through provisional holding, contracting, deposits, rooming lists, amendments and final handover.
• To maintain accurate group blocks and inventory controls, monitor cut-off and release dates, pickup and wash, and promptly escal… risk to Revenue/Reservations Manager.
• To partner with Sales and Events on group rates, terms, room allocations and special requirements, ensuring commitments reflect approved commercial strategy and available capacity.
• To review group booking accuracy, billing instructions and payment arrangements before arrival, and coordinate clear handovers to Reception, Housekeeping, Finance and Food and Beverage.
• To monitor group enquiry response times, conversion and lost business, producing regular pipeline and performance updates and identifying opportunities to improve results.
• To assist with ensuring the team advise Housekeeping and operations of any special requirements and VIP guests within the daily/weekly communication meetings, ensuring all guest requests are met.
• To possess a strong knowledge of the products and ensure that the team share this understanding, so that a flexible and informed selling approach can be offered.
• To ensure the team follows the company credit policy, payment terms and deposit procedures, escalating exceptions for approval.
• To set and monitor upselling and conversion objectives for the team, using approved incentives where appropriate.
• To build a consensus and negotiate mutually beneficial solutions to problems.
• To carry out Duty Management functions when required.
• To attend and contribute to daily/weekly team meetings.
• To plan and manage rosters, timesheets, lieu time and holidays to maintain appropriate individual and group reservations coverage.
• To be fully conversant with disciplinary procedures and all other relevant human resources practices e.g. sickness/absenteeism.
• To ensure each new team member receives a departmental induction within the first week and attends company orientation within the first four weeks.
• To conduct regular one-to-ones, appraisals and performance conversations in line with company procedures.
• To support recruitment and take responsibility for training, development and appropriate staffing levels, combining hands‑on leadership with forward planning.
• Continuously analyse actual standards observed against department standards. Demonstrate a pro‑active approach to delivering company and operational standards and actively challenge deviation.
• To report risks and opportunities, including group wash, release dates, capacity constraints and booking trends, to the Revenue/Reservations Manager with practical recommendations.
• To be able to act with initiative, planning for the future and possible consequences. Being pro‑active in getting things done and exceeding expectations of both guests and colleagues where possible.
• To assist with developing interactive customer relations and to be aware of any possible future requirements. To relay such information and ideas via the Reservations Manager to the Operations Manager for the enhancement of customer expectation.
• To support - with initiative and commitment - the overall objectives of the business in terms of both revenues, costs and team work – whilst developing your personal competency levels.
• To have a thorough knowledge of and adherence to the law with regard to the following company regulations:
  • Fire regulations and procedures
  • Health and safety regulations
  • First aid procedures
• To be a good example of the company dress code and appearance standards – ensuring that your team fully comply with these.
• Familiarise yourself with our Core Values TITANIC which link to the desired behaviours that we expect all our employees to display
• To undertake special duties or work outside the normal daily/weekly routine but within the overall scope of the position at the request of the Executive Team.

About the company

Titanic Hotel Belfast is located in the former headquarters of Harland & Wolff, builders of Titanic, and provides the perfect destination for anyone traveling to Titanic Quarter on business or for pleasure.

Belfast is the birthplace of Titanic and this heritage hotel is a sister to our award-winning Titanic Hotel Liverpool. The hotel is operated by Harcourt Developments; an international property development company with over 50 years experience restoring and renovating listed heritage buildings.