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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Booking Assistant

💰 $ - $

HospitalityTravelCustomer ServiceAdministrationReservations

🎯 Role Definition

A Booking Assistant is the frontline reservations professional responsible for managing incoming booking requests, optimizing inventory and rates across booking channels, providing exceptional guest and client communications, processing payments and changes, and ensuring accurate records in property/booking management systems. This role requires strong customer service, system knowledge (PMS, channel managers, booking engines and/or GDS), attention to detail, and the ability to work under time pressure to maximize bookings and minimize errors.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Front Desk Receptionist transitioning into dedicated reservations work.
  • Customer Service Representative in travel or hospitality.
  • Travel Agent or Sales Support handling bookings.

Advancement To:

  • Reservations Supervisor / Team Lead
  • Reservation Manager or Sales & Revenue Coordinator
  • Revenue Manager or Distribution Manager
  • Operations Manager or Front Office Manager

Lateral Moves:

  • Concierge or Guest Services Coordinator
  • Channel Manager / Distribution Specialist
  • Corporate Travel Booker or Group Sales Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Respond to inbound booking inquiries (phone, email, chat, and direct booking engine) by accurately capturing guest details, requirements, and preferences, confirming availability and delivering clear, timely confirmations and pre-arrival instructions.
  • Manage and process reservations across multiple distribution channels (Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb, OTAs, direct website bookings), ensuring rates, inventory and restrictions are consistent and updated in the PMS and channel manager to minimize overbookings.
  • Create, modify and cancel bookings in the Property Management System (PMS) or reservation platform, following cancellation policies and recording all changes with audit-quality notes to maintain traceability and compliance.
  • Accept and process payments and pre-authorizations (credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, Stripe, and other payment gateways), reconcile transactions daily, and escalate disputed charges or suspicious activity per PCI and company policy.
  • Perform group bookings and block reservations coordination: contract terms, payment schedules, rooming lists, special requests, and liaise with events/conference teams to ensure seamless delivery.
  • Manage rate loading and basic yield actions in coordination with revenue management: apply promotional codes, corporate rates, negotiated contracts, and manual overrides with full documentation and manager approval where required.
  • Handle complex itinerary creation for multi-destination travel or multi-room reservations, coordinating internal teams (housekeeping, F&B, transportation) and external suppliers (tours, transfers, suppliers) to meet guest requirements.
  • Proactively upsell and cross-sell ancillary services (room upgrades, late checkout, transfers, breakfast packages, experiences) during the booking process to increase revenue and improve guest satisfaction.
  • Monitor availability and pick-up across all channels, execute manual room moves or rate adjustments to prevent overbookings and maximize occupancy for short-notice demand.
  • Manage special requests (accessibility needs, dietary requirements, early check-in, pet policies) by coordinating with operational teams and confirming feasibility with clear communication to the guest.
  • Maintain and update the channel manager and PMS content (room descriptions, photos, policy text, rate plans) to ensure consistent brand messaging and SEO-optimized listings across online travel agencies.
  • Handle no-shows, late arrivals, and reservation disputes: apply no-show fees, release rooms per policy, and produce documentation for revenue recovery and reporting.
  • Prepare and distribute accurate confirmation emails, vouchers and e-documents for guests and third-party partners, ensuring compliance with company templates and GDPR/data-protection requirements.
  • Respond to post-stay queries, refunds and adjustment requests, completing refund workflows, credit notes and liaising with finance for chargebacks and reconciliations.
  • Track and report key booking KPIs daily/weekly (pick-up, cancellations, ADR, RevPAR contribution from direct vs. OTA channels) and present findings to reservations and revenue teams to inform short-term pricing decisions.
  • Train and mentor new reservations staff on systems, SOPs, escalation pathways and guest-handling best practices to maintain consistency and accuracy across the team.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects to optimize the booking funnel: improve confirmation flows, test new booking engine features, and advise marketing on rate/value proposition for limited-time offers.
  • Maintain accurate customer profiles and CRM records, utilize guest history and preferences to personalize communications and support loyalty program enrollment and targeted offers.
  • Liaise with third-party suppliers (GDS, travel agents, corporate bookers) to secure commissionable rates, resolve booking issues, and maintain contractual compliance and up-to-date rate files.
  • Implement and maintain quality control checks (daily audit of arrivals, payment holds, rate parity checks vs. OTAs) to minimize revenue leakage and operational disruptions.
  • Manage escalations: resolve guest complaints or booking irregularities calmly, propose and execute remedial actions (refunds, vouchers, courtesy upgrades) and document outcomes for management review.
  • Ensure all booking-related documentation and guest data handling comply with GDPR and local data protection laws; coordinate record retention, data deletion requests and secure storage practices.
  • Support ad-hoc reporting, forecasting and occupancy planning by providing reservations insights and participating in revenue and operations meetings to align distribution strategy with business objectives.
  • Coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance to ensure rooms reserved for arrivals are ready, flag special instructions and update the system if rooms are taken out of inventory for repair or maintenance.

Secondary Functions

  • Maintain a tidy and documented handover between shifts to ensure continuity of service for reservations and arrivals.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives—suggest workflow changes, automation opportunities and booking engine optimizations backed by data and guest feedback.
  • Assist in seasonal rate plan rollouts, promotional campaigns and OTA merchandising efforts by updating visual assets and monitoring campaign performance.
  • Support front desk during high-demand periods by assisting with check-ins, payments, or guest queries as a reservations backup resource.
  • Participate in password and access management for booking systems and follow cybersecurity best practices for all reservation processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficient with Property Management Systems (PMS) such as Opera, Cloudbeds, Mews, or Maestro and comfortable performing bookings, modifications, group reservations and auditing entries.
  • Experience using channel managers (SiteMinder, Channel Manager, RateGain) to manage inventory and rate parity across OTAs.
  • Familiarity with major OTAs and extranet management: Booking.com, Expedia Partner Central, Airbnb host tools, Agoda and other regional channels.
  • Knowledge of Global Distribution Systems (GDS) like Amadeus, Sabre or Galileo for corporate and travel agent bookings (where applicable).
  • Strong payment processing knowledge including PCI compliance, credit card pre-authorizations, chargebacks and reconciliation workflows (Stripe, PayPal, Adyen knowledge a plus).
  • Advanced data entry accuracy and speed; comfortable with high-volume reservation input and multi-system navigation.
  • Competent in Microsoft Excel (VLOOKUPs, pivot tables, basic formulas) and Google Sheets for booking reports, pick-up tracking and reconciliations.
  • Experience with booking engines (own-brand booking platforms), CRM tools and email automation platforms to manage confirmations, pre-arrival messaging and marketing opt-ins.
  • Ability to run and interpret reservation and revenue reports (pick-up, cancellations, ADR, RevPAR) and supply actionable insights to revenue teams.
  • Familiarity with invoicing, issuing credit notes, refund processes and supporting finance with daily/weekly reconciliation reports.
  • Experience with telephone/VoIP call handling systems, live chat platforms and ticketing tools to ensure timely guest contact and issue resolution.
  • Basic SEO awareness for property listings and the ability to write or edit listing content to improve visibility on OTA platforms.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with professional tone and clear, concise confirmation messaging.
  • Customer-first empathy and conflict-resolution skills to de-escalate complaints and deliver service recovery where needed.
  • Strong attention to detail and accuracy in data entry, financial transactions and reservation documentation.
  • Excellent time management, ability to prioritize a high volume of time-sensitive tasks under pressure.
  • Upselling and persuasive selling skills with an ethical approach to increase revenue while delivering guest value.
  • Problem-solving mindset: ability to troubleshoot booking errors, integrations and channel discrepancies independently.
  • Collaborative team player who works well with revenue, front desk, housekeeping and sales teams.
  • Flexibility with shifts, peak-season work, and rapid changes to policies or rate plans.
  • Cultural sensitivity and ability to handle international clientele with multilingual communication an advantage.
  • Adaptability to new technology, demonstrated willingness to learn new reservation platforms and automation tools.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma / GED or equivalent; demonstrable reservations experience may substitute.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate or Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management, Tourism, Business Administration, or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Hospitality Management
  • Tourism & Travel Management
  • Business Administration
  • Customer Experience / Marketing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1–4 years in reservations, bookings, front desk, travel agency or hospitality reservations.

Preferred:

  • 2–5 years working specifically as a Booking Assistant, Reservations Agent, or Reservations Coordinator in hotels, resorts, travel agencies or multi-property groups with experience managing OTAs, PMS and channel managers.
  • Experience supporting group bookings, corporate accounts or travel trade channels is a strong plus.
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