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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Reservations and Communications Specialist

💰 $35,000 - $55,000

HospitalityTravelCustomer ServiceCommunicationsReservations

🎯 Role Definition

The Reservations and Communications Specialist is responsible for managing incoming and outgoing reservation requests across phone, email, chat and OTA channels; maintaining reservation systems and property management systems (PMS); communicating policy and service information to guests; driving conversion and revenue through upsell and package recommendations; and ensuring a consistent, high-quality guest experience from inquiry to post-stay follow-up. This role requires expert use of reservation platforms (PMS, GDS, channel managers), strong written and verbal communication skills, and a customer-first mindset focused on accuracy, speed, and compliance with data and payment security standards.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Front Desk Agent or Guest Services Representative with 1–2 years of customer-facing experience
  • Call Center Agent or Reservations Agent in hospitality, aviation, or travel agency environments
  • Customer Service Representative with experience handling bookings or e-commerce reservations

Advancement To:

  • Reservations Manager / Reservations Team Lead
  • Guest Services Manager or Front Office Manager
  • Revenue Management Analyst or Revenue Manager
  • Sales & Events Manager (for property-focused roles)

Lateral Moves:

  • Sales & Events Coordinator / Group Sales Specialist
  • Loyalty & CRM Specialist / Guest Experience Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage incoming reservation requests via phone, email, live chat, social media messaging and OTA inboxes, ensuring timely, accurate booking confirmations and a high conversion rate while maintaining courteous, brand-aligned communication.
  • Create, modify, cancel and reconfirm room, package and ancillary service reservations in the property management system (e.g., Oracle OPERA, Cloudbeds, Maestro) and ensure all guest preferences, special requests and rate codes are accurately recorded.
  • Process secure payment information and authorizations in compliance with PCI-DSS and internal payment policies, including pre-authorizations, deposits, refunds and chargebacks, and coordinate with accounting for reconciliation.
  • Maintain and manage inventory and availability across direct booking channels and third-party OTAs using channel manager tools (e.g., SiteMinder, SynXis), ensuring rate parity, allotment accuracy and timely updates to prevent overbookings.
  • Use Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and booking engines (e.g., Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo, Pegasus) to enter and retrieve reservations, negotiate corporate or group rates, and distribute inventory to travel trade and partner networks.
  • Actively upsell room categories, packages, rate upgrades and ancillary services (transportation, spa, F&B, events) by recommending relevant options based on guest profile and booking patterns to maximize RevPAR and ADR.
  • Respond to reservation-related guest inquiries and complaints with empathy and speed, resolve issues (booking errors, billing discrepancies, late check-outs) and escalate to management when necessary while documenting case details in the CRM.
  • Draft, standardize and send reservation-related communications (pre-arrival emails, confirmation notes, special instructions, cancellation notices) and maintain templated messaging libraries for consistent brand tone and legal compliance.
  • Coordinate group and block bookings, including contract preparation, rate negotiation, rooming lists, cut-off dates and attrition clauses, liaising with sales, events and operations teams to ensure flawless execution.
  • Monitor key reservation KPIs (conversion rate, cancellations, no-show rate, average lead time, booking channel performance) and produce regular reports for Revenue Management and Sales to inform pricing and distribution strategies.
  • Maintain and update knowledge base articles, FAQs, SOPs and training materials for the reservations team, ensuring up-to-date procedures for system operations, policy changes and frequently encountered scenarios.
  • Perform nightly reconciliations of reservations, deposits and no-shows, coordinate with Front Office and Finance to resolve discrepancies, and ensure accurate posting to guest folios and ledger accounts.
  • Manage multilingual communications or coordinate interpretation support for international guests to reduce misunderstandings and improve booking completion rates across global markets.
  • Administer loyalty program enrollment, record loyalty numbers on reservations, apply benefits and coordinate points or status overrides with loyalty/CRM teams to ensure a personalized guest journey.
  • Support marketing and revenue teams by tagging and segmenting reservation data for targeted campaigns, promotions, and seasonal packages, ensuring promotion codes and rate rules are applied correctly at booking.
  • Escalate and manage rate integrity and channel issues with OTAs and channel managers, working with distribution partners to correct errors, manage commissions, and resolve listing discrepancies.
  • Execute manual and system-driven follow-ups for tentative reservations and requests for proposal (RFPs), converting leads into confirmed bookings and tracking response time metrics.
  • Facilitate emergency communications and operational notifications to booked guests (property closures, weather events, health & safety updates), maintaining a calm tone and providing clear next steps and alternatives.
  • Conduct quality control audits of reservation entries to ensure accuracy of contact details, billing information and special requests, minimizing post-arrival friction and refund exposure.
  • Train and mentor new reservations staff on booking systems, customer communication standards, upsell scripts and compliance practices to maintain team productivity and service quality.
  • Support cross-departmental coordination with housekeeping, maintenance, F&B and concierge to ensure guest requests tied to reservations (e.g., late arrivals, accessible rooms, special dietary needs) are fulfilled.
  • Track and log guest interactions in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce, Revinate) to build guest profiles, preferences and historical notes that enable personalized communication and repeat business.

Secondary Functions

  • Participate in periodic revenue and distribution strategy meetings, providing frontline insights into guest booking behavior, objections and channel performance.
  • Assist marketing and digital teams with A/B testing reservation pages, booking flow copy, and promotional messaging to improve conversion rates on the website and mobile channels.
  • Support periodic audits for compliance with GDPR, PCI-DSS and hospitality-specific privacy laws, including requests for data access or deletion related to reservations.
  • Help develop chatbot scripts, canned responses and escalation paths for automated channels to reduce handle time and increase first-contact resolution.
  • Maintain stock of reservation-related materials (vouchers, confirmation letter templates, rooming list sheets) and ensure templates are localized and updated for seasonal campaigns.
  • Provide ad hoc reporting for management on reservation trends, guest demographics and channel ROI to inform short-term tactical decisions.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Property Management Systems (PMS): experience with Oracle OPERA, Cloudbeds, Maestro, or similar systems for reservation creation and folio management.
  • Global Distribution Systems (GDS): working knowledge of Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo/Travelport or equivalent for travel trade and OTA connectivity.
  • Channel Manager and Booking Engines: operational experience with SiteMinder, SynXis, RateGain or integrated booking engines to manage availability and rates.
  • CRM and Guest Communication Platforms: practical use of Salesforce, Revinate, Guestline or equivalent to track guest interactions and personalize messaging.
  • Payment and Security Compliance: understanding of PCI-DSS payment handling, card authorizations, refunds and secure payment tokenization processes.
  • Microsoft Office / Google Workspace: advanced Excel skills (VLOOKUP, pivot tables), Google Sheets, and ability to prepare clear reports and dashboards.
  • Reservation Metrics & Reporting: ability to monitor and report on KPIs like conversion rates, cancellation trends, ADR, RevPAR and channel performance.
  • Multichannel Contact Tools: experience with cloud telephony, chat platforms (LiveChat, Zendesk Chat), email ticketing and social media inboxes.
  • OTA and Partner Management: handling Booking.com, Expedia Partner Central, Agoda and similar portals including rate control and commission reconciliation.
  • Basic Revenue Management Concepts: familiarity with rate codes, dynamic pricing, blackout dates, minimum stay rules and inventory controls.

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional verbal and written communication, with professional tone across phone, email and chat channels.
  • Strong active listening and empathy to de-escalate complaints and create guest-centric solutions.
  • Sales orientation and persuasive communication for effective upselling and package promotion.
  • High attention to detail and accuracy in data entry to avoid booking errors and billing disputes.
  • Excellent time management and multitasking under peak call/chat volumes.
  • Problem-solving mindset with the ability to prioritize competing requests and escalate appropriately.
  • Team player with collaborative mindset—works closely with revenue, sales, operations and marketing.
  • Cultural sensitivity and professionalism when interacting with diverse, international guests.
  • Adaptability to change, including promotions, seasonal rate shifts and updates to booking platforms.
  • Positive, service-driven attitude with resilience in fast-paced contact center or property environments.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent; vocational training in hospitality or customer service preferred.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Hospitality Management, Tourism, Business Administration, Communications or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Hospitality Management
  • Tourism & Travel
  • Business Administration
  • Communications
  • Marketing / Sales

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years working in reservations, front office, contact center, or travel agency roles.

Preferred: 2–5 years experience specifically handling hospitality or travel reservations with demonstrable use of PMS/GDS/channel management tools and a track record of meeting KPI targets (conversion, CSAT, AHT).

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