Reservations Manager

Fairmont Bab Al Bahr is a 5-star Abu Dhabi beach resort with a stunning setting on Abu Dhabi Creek. Our luxurious urban hideaway offers unparalleled panoramas over the glittering white-marble minarets of iconic Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque. Alongside exquisite restaurants and bars, Fairmont Abu Dhabi boasts 366 spacious rooms, suites and a villa. Designed with discerning business and leisure guests in mind, our incomparable facilities include a private beach, pool, meeting rooms, and a magnificent ballroom for lavish celebrations.

• Oversee and manage the day-to-day operations of the hotel's reservations department, ensuring smooth and efficient processes.
• Develop and maintain the department schedule whereby there is appropriate coverage to handle reservation calls, minimizing loss of calls, and ensuring a high level of conversion into bookings.
• Supervise and train reservations staff, providing guidance, support, and ongoing performance feedback.
• Handle complex guest inquiries, resolve issues, and provide solutions to maximize guest satisfaction without loss in revenues.
• Ensure exceptional customer service by promptly responding to guest inquiries, requests, complaints and ensuring there is not loss of business.
• Collaborate with other hotel departments to ensure seamless guest experiences and effective communication.
• Maintain positive relationships with guests, travel agents, corporate clients, and other stakeholders.
• Anticipate guest needs and personalize service to enhance the guest experience.
• Handle reservation changes, cancellations, and special requests in a professional and efficient manner.
• Generate regular reports on reservation statistics, occupancy, and revenue performance.
• Foster a positive and collaborative work environment within the reservations department.
• Coordinate with other hotel departments, such as front office, sales, and marketing, to ensure seamless operations.
• Conduct regular meetings with the reservations team to communicate updates, goals, and performance expectations.
• Conduct annual reviews, recommend appropriate succession plan for Employee(s) development to ensure the sustainability of the reservation department.
• Monitor reservations and revenue systems and ensure accurate and up-to-date availability, rates, and inventory across all channels.
• Develops Action Plans to reach daily / monthly / yearly KPIs.
• Completes all rooms forecasting to accurately project demand and pick up for groups and transient, both short and long term.
• Maintains records pertaining to market segments, transient pace numbers, forecasts, and other rooms’ data.
• Coordinate updates/stay restrictions or rate changes to reflect the hotel selling strategy in response to the market demand.
• Records competitive set pricing and yield strategies and completes analysis on the market and its opportunities based upon the competition and previous history.
• Develop and implement strategies to optimize room revenue and occupancy levels.
• Analyse market trends, competitor pricing, and demand patterns to make informed decisions in collaboration with  Director of Revenue Management.
• Makes sure rate plans are correctly indexed / loaded and distributed to all channels

• Experience in the relevant position
• Knowledge of Microsoft Windows computer programs:
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal required
• Strong interpersonal and problem solving abilities
• Highly responsible & reliable
• Ability to focus attention on guest needs, remaining calm and courteous at all times
• Strong team player who can work independently in a fast-paced environment
• Dynamic, willing to learn
• Have good sales and presentation skills
• Ability to manage multiple tasks at the same time
• Management experience would be an advantage.
• Strong analytical, organizational and creative thinking skills