Travel Support Manager

SUMMARY:
Join a World-Class 5-Star Hospitality Group!

Are you passionate about wellness, mindfulness, and luxury hospitality?
A prestigious 5-star Hospitality Management Company is seeking an experienced Travel Support Manager with strong customer service and communication skills to join the team. 

Knysna | Onsite | Permanent | R24k - R30k pm

POSITION INFO:
A travel support manager plans travel accommodations and itineraries for clients.
The job includes researching destinations and available services, coordinating activities, making transportation arrangements, and organizing necessary documentation. Must also be able to sell travel packages, handle problems that arise before, during or after travel, and advise clients of relevant procedures and local customs.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Qualifications:

• Matric certificate
• Tertiary Qualification in Hospitality and tourism not essential, but preferred

• Experience in travel and trade organizations.
• Exceptional customer service and communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
• Flexibility to work extended hours during busy seasons
• Diverse travel experience, travel institute certification, or work experience in the hospitality industry
• Fluency in more than one language

• Able to read, write and converse in English
• Listening/Probing
• Comprehension

• Analysis/Reasoning
• Creative & Innovative Thinking

• Relationship Building
• Teamwork

• Self-Management
• Stress Tolerance

• Business Alignment
• Strategic Vision

• Management and loading of rates accurately and with detail on PMS
• Management and loading of all properties on PMS accurately and with relevant details
• Assistance with all PMS details and accuracy
• Ensure the bookings for peak are followed up on and continuously monitored
• Communication of upcoming educational stays to sales team and property management
• Allocation of all prizes and voucher numbers
• Entering all relevant information of reservation on PMS with relevant and correct information
• Communication of all provisional reservations made with correct details
• Follow up and confirmation of all bookings ensuring payment, avoiding cancellations and no-shows
• To ensure VIP’s are identified and their presence communicated to all relevant departments (sales & front office)
• Monitors the quality and timeliness of one’s work, and appropriately using the resources at one’s disposal.
• Supervision of all Central Reservations staff, ensuring reservations are confirmed speedily, efficiently, correctly and in a friendly professional manner, ensuring all requests are met - ensuring maximum occupancy and sales
• Maintain a high standard of customer service and excellent communication skills

• Management of all complimentary (educational, prize, voucher, staff) stays as per V&L guidelines and ensuring no opportunity costs
• Management and assistance with all “directors friends” reservations
• Management and record keeping of all accommodation trade exchanges
• Management and record keeping of all accommodation barter agreements
• Assisting in developing and implementing reservations procedures and practices within the Village & Life group
• Advocates on behalf of clients to more senior management, identifying approaches that meet clients’ needs as well as those of the organization Plans and organizes own work load, setting and/or clarifying priorities.
• Assist in investigating and resolving customer complaints

• Schedule staff hours and assign duties to reservations staff
• Establish standards for personnel performance and customer service
• Recruitment of staff within agreed manplan
• Training of staff
• Prepare salaries/wages
• Maintain uniform/dress code standards
• Conduct performance appraisals
• Administer monthly tests
• Progressive discipline where applicable
• Maintain staff files

• Managing the leisure club data base
• Property details obtained, updated and loaded on PMS and communicated to relevant personnel
• Authorisation of all staff on PMS