Reservations Sales Agent

B.F. Saul Company Hospitality Group•Washington, DC

12d•$25 - $26•Onsite

About The Position

Reservations Agents play a leading role in generating revenue for the hotel. They field nearly all inquiries for transient reservations (less than ten rooms per night) and must convert as many of these calls as possible into confirmed reservations. After quoting rates appropriate to specific requests, they must obtain agreement from the caller and confirm a reservation. In short, Reservations Sales Agents have a complex task. They must be able to follow sell strategy as determined by revenue management; listen and communicate effectively with a wide range of callers; close the sale; and input detailed information into the property management system (Opera), accurately and efficiently. Hay-Adams Hotel Reservations Sales Agents are order-makers, not order-takers. Reservations Sales Agents are also responsible for providing overall reservations support for the hotel. They are responsible for handling group blocks and inputting rooming lists, selling gift certificates, processing travel agent commissions, and proper coding of market segments and corporate accounts.

Requirements

High School diploma, general education degree, or international equivalent required, or six months experience in a related field preferred.
Typing skills and general computer experience required.
Must be fluent in the English language.
Accurate listening, clarity in speaking, reading comprehension and writing ability in a professional context are required.
Must be able to write short correspondences such as confirmation letters or fax responses to inquiries.
Must have superior ability to use proper voice and tone for telephone conversation.
Must have excellent ability to describe hotel benefits, explain rates and room types.
Must have ability to convince and persuade, as well as apologize when necessary.
Must convey pride and confidence in product at all times.
Must have basic number knowledge and the ability to add and subtract, multiply and divide basic two-digit numbers.
Must be able to understand American weight, volume and distance measurements, and how occupancy, average rate and RevPar are calculated.
Must be able to follow detailed and complex sell strategy involving yield management and benefit selling.
Must be able to distinguish between different market segments.
Must know when decisions can be made on own and when managers must be involved.
Must be able to handle multiple tasks at the same time.
Use of common sense is required at all times.
Must be able to work under pressure in a calm, professional manner.
Ability to sit, type, and use a computer screen for long periods required.
Ability to talk and listen through a headset for long periods required.
Must be able to work well under pressure.

Nice To Haves

Reservations sales experience or prior work experience in a professional office environment preferred.
Word processing and spreadsheet programs are frequently utilized and experience in such computer programs is preferred.

Responsibilities

Answer all calls, internal and external, in a courteous and professional manner. Proper use of voice and tone are expected at all times. Crutch words, slang and colloquialisms are not appropriate, and complete sentences are to be used.
Minimize lost calls, as they are lost opportunities for making reservations and building revenue. Reservations Sales Agents are part of the ACD (Automated Call Distribution) system, which distributes calls fairly and tracks call volume. A reservations call must cover all necessary details in an efficient manner while not compromising a pleasant and friendly tone.
Abide by the guidelines of sell strategy, which requires first and foremost that Reservations Sales Agents probe the caller and describe the hotel benefits before quoting rates.
Learn and maintain an interest in detailed information about the hotel. This information includes but is not limited to: room types and configuration; hotel features and amenities; and location and accessibility to major points of interest. Product knowledge is a critical part of selling effectively.
Consistently engage in top-down and up-sell strategies, which require that superior room types are presented before standard, that suites are offered, and benefits of the superior room types are described so that the caller can appreciate the higher rates associated with them.
Be aware of the status of other hotels in our competitive set through a daily call around. Be able to compare our hotel with others in our competitive set if asked.
Know how to identify a VIP guest and understand and abide by the VIP guest procedure.
Know how to handle difficult calls and when to ask for help.
Consistently check accuracy of work by: re-confirming details such as spelling, matching day and date, etc. with caller; double-checking reservations inputted from GDS prior to filing; recognizing and resolving discrepancies immediately; checking arrivals list daily and future arrivals periodically, especially during busy or sold-out periods.
Know when written requests or authorizations are required, such as for: direct-billing or third party billing; reservation requests from Sales and Catering or Executive Offices; and parlor use.
File work accurately. Time is wasted and guests can be inconvenienced if work is not filed in its proper location.
Learn and follow different procedures for the various reservation sources such as individual call-in, group, GDS, Quickbook, Capitol Reservations, Travelscape/Expedia, and Sales office.
Perform duties and tasks assigned by manager.