What’s in it for you:

We’re a team of people-focussed individuals, creating an environment where our guests and team always feel comfortable and able to be their best. You’ll also receive:

• 1 free night stay at any of our properties per year, with generous employee discount thereafter

• Competitive salary and discretionary bonus scheme

• Pension scheme

• Loyalty rewards and referral bonuses

• Company sick pay scheme

• 2 paid volunteer days per year and annual fundraisers for charities aligned to our core pillars

• Additional annual leave with length of service

• Cycle to work scheme use of gym facilities in our hotels

• Access to activity workshops we host for our guests and the community

• Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family

• Regular social activities including monthly people & planet focused engagement activities

• Personal development programmes and opportunities to grow as we do

Purpose of the role 

This role will function across both our Lamington and room2 brands, managing the overall operation of the central reservations department across properties including Lamington Serviced Apartments, room2 Southampton, room2 Chiswick, room2 Hammersmith, room2 Belfast and future properties to be added in our goal to reach 5000 keys by 2030.

Primarily you will take responsibility for management of the central reservations team who will cover all inbound reservation enquiries, dealing with agents and guests, hosting property show-arounds, chasing and converting enquiries, invoicing and group bookings. You will be responsible for creating and implementing effective procedures that maintain the standard of guest experience within the department to company standard, ensuring the department is well-manned and all work functions are covered. You will also assist the guest experience team to ensure guests have truly memorable and seamless stays.

Key Responsibilities

People 

• Manage reservation agents(s) to ensure timely and accurate responses to enquiries, both direct and via agents.

• Escalation point of contact for key bookers/agents when required. Develop and enhance relationships.

• Report and achieve monthly reservation KPIs.

• Drive revenue, enquiry volume and improved conversion to meet targets.

• Work closely with the GM and the operations team, to ensure best-in-class experience for our guests.

• Work closely with the entire commercial team and ensure pricing and distribution guidelines from the revenue team are understood and implemented.

• Identify opportunities and provide price suggestions/feedback to the Revenue Manager.

• Regularly review long-stay enquiries, to ensure follow-up and adjustment of rates to meet client requirements and win business.

• Support the revenue team in escalating any pricing parity issues. Develop relationships with account managers across OTAs to grow performance.

• Attend external agent and client events to improve knowledge and develop industry relationships.

• Ensures compliance with cancellation and rate terms and guests charged accordingly.

• Drives up-selling of premium apartment/room types, onsite products, and cross- selling of sister properties.

• Ensure that all company, agent and guest profiles in MEWS are updated and accurate.

• Management of the central reservations team, including rota, performance management and ongoing development feedback.

• Provide support/cover for the team as required.

• Recruitment of team members into the reservations department.

• Be the MEWS and Thynk/Salesforce onsite expert, system trainer and provide ongoing suggestions for product improvement.

• Drive reservation department efficiencies and process enhancements.

• Showcase best practices and examples to the team and organisation.

• Create SOPs and provide training where required.

Places 

• Consistently works towards Direct book targets by engaging the reservations team to engage guests and encourage sign up for the room2 members' program, called “The Hometel Club”,  and explain the benefits of booking directly with us.

• Working closely with the commercial team, i.e. Sales, Marketing and Revenue, to drive efficiencies, challenge the status quo and create best practices for Lamington group and room2 that support the future growth and scale of the reservations department.

• Develop, enhance and maintain reservation processes to ensure accurate data input for reporting purposes and guest communications.

Planet

• Ensure all projects drive key business messages of hometel and sustainability 

• Liaising with local influential partners in the area of each property aligning with sustainability goals,  identifying revenue-generating sponsorship/partnership opportunities.

What’s in it for you:

We’re a team of people-focussed individuals, creating an environment where our guests and team always feel comfortable and able to be their best. You’ll also receive:

• 1 free night stay at any of our properties per year, with generous employee discount thereafter

• Competitive salary and discretionary bonus scheme

• Pension scheme

• Loyalty rewards and referral bonuses

• Company sick pay scheme

• 2 paid volunteer days per year and annual fundraisers for charities aligned to our core pillars

• Additional annual leave with length of service

• Cycle to work scheme use of gym facilities in our hotels

• Access to activity workshops we host for our guests and the community

• Employee Assistance Programme for you and your immediate family

• Regular social activities including monthly people & planet focused engagement activities

• Personal development programmes and opportunities to grow as we do

Purpose of the role 

This role will function across both our Lamington and room2 brands, managing the overall operation of the central reservations department across properties including Lamington Serviced Apartments, room2 Southampton, room2 Chiswick, room2 Hammersmith, room2 Belfast and future properties to be added in our goal to reach 5000 keys by 2030.

Primarily you will take responsibility for management of the central reservations team who will cover all inbound reservation enquiries, dealing with agents and guests, hosting property show-arounds, chasing and converting enquiries, invoicing and group bookings. You will be responsible for creating and implementing effective procedures that maintain the standard of guest experience within the department to company standard, ensuring the department is well-manned and all work functions are covered. You will also assist the guest experience team to ensure guests have truly memorable and seamless stays.

Key Responsibilities

People 

• Manage reservation agents(s) to ensure timely and accurate responses to enquiries, both direct and via agents.

• Escalation point of contact for key bookers/agents when required. Develop and enhance relationships.

• Report and achieve monthly reservation KPIs.

• Drive revenue, enquiry volume and improved conversion to meet targets.

• Work closely with the GM and the operations team, to ensure best-in-class experience for our guests.

• Work closely with the entire commercial team and ensure pricing and distribution guidelines from the revenue team are understood and implemented.

• Identify opportunities and provide price suggestions/feedback to the Revenue Manager.

• Regularly review long-stay enquiries, to ensure follow-up and adjustment of rates to meet client requirements and win business.

• Support the revenue team in escalating any pricing parity issues. Develop relationships with account managers across OTAs to grow performance.

• Attend external agent and client events to improve knowledge and develop industry relationships.

• Ensures compliance with cancellation and rate terms and guests charged accordingly.

• Drives up-selling of premium apartment/room types, onsite products, and cross- selling of sister properties.

• Ensure that all company, agent and guest profiles in MEWS are updated and accurate.

• Management of the central reservations team, including rota, performance management and ongoing development feedback.

• Provide support/cover for the team as required.

• Recruitment of team members into the reservations department.

• Be the MEWS and Thynk/Salesforce onsite expert, system trainer and provide ongoing suggestions for product improvement.

• Drive reservation department efficiencies and process enhancements.

• Showcase best practices and examples to the team and organisation.

• Create SOPs and provide training where required.

Places 

• Consistently works towards Direct book targets by engaging the reservations team to engage guests and encourage sign up for the room2 members' program, called “The Hometel Club”,  and explain the benefits of booking directly with us.

• Working closely with the commercial team, i.e. Sales, Marketing and Revenue, to drive efficiencies, challenge the status quo and create best practices for Lamington group and room2 that support the future growth and scale of the reservations department.

• Develop, enhance and maintain reservation processes to ensure accurate data input for reporting purposes and guest communications.

Planet

• Ensure all projects drive key business messages of hometel and sustainability 

• Liaising with local influential partners in the area of each property aligning with sustainability goals,  identifying revenue-generating sponsorship/partnership opportunities.