Reservationist

Dakota Hotel based in Manchester City Centre are seeking a strong administrator for the role of Reservationist.

CONTRACT AND PAY RATE

The role carries a permanent contract of a minimum of 40 hours per week and typical shifts will be varied working any 5 days out of 7 and working weekends with a minimum of one weekend off a month. The gross annual salary is £27,000.00 plus an incentive-based bonus of up to £1,000.

PRIMARY ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Reporting into our Reservations Manager, work with the objective of maximising occupancy and bedroom rate.
• Deliver fantastic guest service as a telephone and email based reservationist, securing bedroom and table bookings for guests who contact to enquire.
• Be knowledgeable about our current special packages and upsell to increase revenue. 
• Coordinate guest stays, tailoring their experience based on their needs by offering a range of additional services and packages, noting guest requests and building profile preferences.
• Work closely with Guest Relations and the Reception Team to give recognition to our repeat guests, groups and Lifestyle App members. 
• To be confident in computer use and develop a comprehensive knowledge of our bedroom and restaurant booking systems.
• Provide a consistently excellent level of guest service in accordance to our service principles and values, ensuring that all guests receive  special attention and recognition.
• Offer additional services out with simply the bedroom booking to make the guest experience more seamless i.e. making restaurant reservations, assisting in directions etc.

BENEFITS 

In addition to being part of a culture infused with positivity and opportunity for ongoing development, tangible benefits you could enjoy when you join our team include: 

• 40 per cent off stays at any Dakota  
• 25 per cent off drinks and dining at any Dakota 
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program which includes  
  - free private mental health support and counselling sessions 
  - video GP consultations and private prescription services 
  - access to daily rewards to be cashed out for shopping vouchers 
• Access to discounted gift card platform 
• Support from our inhouse Mental Health Champions 
• Additional holiday day on the first anniversary of your employment. 
• Family-friendly flexible working options  
• Meals on duty and uniforming 
• £200 bonus to recommend a friend to join our team  
• £10 bonus every time you are mentioned on Trip Advisor  
• Free bi-annual eye testing for users of display screen equipment 
• Accredited, certified compliance training given on employment such as in Food Hygiene, Alcohol Responsibility, Data Protection, and Health & Safety 
• Access to a suite of external, certified resources via our Learning Management System 
• Supportive continuous professional development culture with an annual appraisal and objectives, or a Personal Development Plan.
• Opportunities to undertake both internal and external training courses, including potential for in-house Apprenticeships.
  Full terms on our benefits can be found in our Handbook.

ABOUT DAKOTA HOTELS

Dakota is a growing UK-based lifestyle brand, known for our stylish hotels, bustling brasserie Grills and upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in South Queensferry, and Glasgow, in Eurocentral. We have now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, and Manchester, with Newcastle coming in 2025 and more in our pipeline. 

Dakota is synonymous for delivering attentive and genuine guest service. We attract hard-working individuals who are passionate about working to the highest standards and have been voted within The Caterer’s Top 15 Best Employers in Hospitality for the last five years in a row. We were also featured within the Top 10 employers in the 2024 Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UK, as well as being awarded the Spotlight Award for Best Places to Work for LGBTQIA+ employees.  

As recent winners of The Cateys ‘People Team of the Year’, we have award-winning internal training programmes within Dakota Academy fostering continuous development and ongoing training. As a result, over 75% of our leaders have been promoted internally and, for four consecutive years, a member of our team has won a prestigious Acorn Award awarded by The Caterer to the ‘Top 30 under 30’ in the industry, demonstrating our success in developing talent. 

Eurocentral | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Leeds | Manchester | Newcastle 

Our location, 29 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JL, is centrally located in the Piccadilly Basin, close to Piccadilly Station ideally located for public transport users.

We are home to 137 luxury bedrooms, including 27 suites - the most in the city, a destination cocktail bar with champagne room, and a brasserie style grill with private dining rooms as well as a spectacular terrace.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will have/be: 

• A minimum of one years experience working in a hotel environment in Reservations, Reception or Guest Relations.
• Be fully computer literate and a fast learner of systems. Previous experience of using a property management system (PMS) is required, and experience of Opera or Shiji, is favoured.
• Strong administration skills