Full Time | Kilconquhar Castle Estate | Fife
Are you an experienced hospitality professional who thrives on delivering exceptional guest experiences, driving success and continually improving the way a department operates?
Kilconquhar Castle Estate is seeking an experienced and motivated Reservations Manager to provide operational oversight of our Reservations function and work closely with our Front Desk operation. This is a hands-on leadership role focused on ensuring the department performs to the highest standards, maximising revenue opportunities and delivering an exceptional guest experience from the first enquiry through to departure.
We're looking for someone who doesn't simply maintain standards, they continually improve them. Someone who takes pride in developing people, refining processes, increasing revenue and ensuring every guest receives a warm, professional and memorable welcome.
About the Role
As Reservations Manager you will oversee the day-to-day operation of the Reservations Department while providing operational oversight of the Front Desk and reservations function to ensure the highest standards of service, organisation and commercial performance are consistently achieved.
You will take ownership of reservations, guest communications, departmental procedures, revenue opportunities and continuous improvement, working closely with the Front Desk team, Housekeeping, Maintenance and Senior Management to ensure every guest receives an outstanding experience.
This is a visible, hands-on role. You'll spend time within the Front Desk operation, supporting the team, monitoring standards and leading by example to ensure guests experience a professional, organised and welcoming environment from the moment they arrive.
Hotel Systems & Distribution
A good working knowledge of hotel distribution systems and channel management is desirable. You should have an understanding of how Property Management Systems (PMS), channel managers and Online Travel Agents (OTAs) work together to synchronise rates, availability and reservations across multiple booking channels.
Experience using a hotel Property Management System (PMS) and channel manager within a hotel or hospitality environment is essential. You will be comfortable using these systems as part of your day-to-day role, together with OTA extranets, to monitor availability, reservations and booking performance, identifying potential issues before they impact the guest experience or business performance.
You are not expected to configure or implement these systems from scratch. Instead, you should be confident using them operationally, understand how they interact with one another and recognise when issues arise that require investigation or escalation. You should be comfortable learning new systems and using technology to improve efficiency, support the guest journey and contribute to the commercial performance of the business.
Key ResponsibilitiesDepartmental Oversight & Performance
- Provide operational oversight of the Reservations Department and Front Desk operation.
- Establish, review and continually improve departmental procedures and working practices.
- Ensure agreed procedures and company standards are consistently followed.
- Promote a culture of professionalism, accountability, teamwork and continuous improvement.
- Monitor departmental performance and identify opportunities to improve efficiency, service and commercial performance.
- Coach and develop team members to improve confidence, consistency and performance.
- Review telephone calls, emails and guest interactions to identify coaching opportunities and improve standards.
- Ensure all team members understand and accurately communicate booking terms and conditions.
- Lead by example through professionalism, organisation and exceptional customer service.
Reservations & Front Desk Operations
- Oversee all reservations from initial enquiry through to guest departure.
- Ensure quotations are accurate, professional and issued promptly.
- Maximise enquiry conversion through excellent customer service and sales techniques.
- Manage group bookings from enquiry through to arrival.
- Monitor provisional bookings and ensure timely follow-up.
- Ensure booking records, guest documentation and correspondence are accurate, complete and professionally maintained.
- Ensure payment procedures, booking policies and reservation standards are consistently followed.
- Work closely with the Front Desk operation to ensure a seamless arrival and departure experience.
Revenue & Commercial Performance
- Maximise revenue opportunities throughout the guest journey.
- Monitor competitor pricing, packages and offers, making recommendations to improve commercial performance.
- Identify opportunities to increase occupancy during quieter periods and recommend promotional activity.
- Ensure approved offers and promotions are implemented accurately across all booking channels.
- Encourage direct bookings wherever possible.
- Monitor booking trends and recommend opportunities to improve occupancy, conversion rates and revenue.
- Maximise the value of every booking through appropriate upselling and added-value services.
Pre-Arrival Guest Experience
- Review upcoming arrivals to identify opportunities to enhance each guest's stay.
- Contact guests where appropriate to offer upgrades, additional nights, breakfast, leisure experiences and other estate services.
- Ensure guests receive accurate, timely and professional information before arrival.
- Work collaboratively with other departments to personalise guest stays wherever possible.
- Continually review and improve pre-arrival communications.
Guest Experience & Continuous Improvement
- Take ownership of guest complaints, ensuring they are handled professionally and positively.
- Analyse guest feedback and identify recurring themes.
- Implement long-term improvements rather than temporary fixes.
- Ensure guest expectations accurately reflect the accommodation, facilities and services we provide.
- Continually improve guest communications, booking documentation and departmental procedures.
- Ensure the Front Desk environment remains welcoming, organised and presented to an exceptional standard.
Working Across the Estate
- Work closely with the Housekeeping Manager to ensure accommodation is prepared to the highest standard.
- Liaise with the Maintenance Manager to resolve guest-impacting issues promptly.
- Build strong working relationships across all departments to deliver a seamless guest experience.
- Support the smooth day-to-day operation of the estate through effective communication, planning and organisation.
The Person We're Looking For
We're looking for someone who takes ownership and genuinely cares about doing things well.
You'll be organised, commercially aware and passionate about hospitality. You'll naturally look for opportunities to improve processes, develop people and enhance the experience we offer every guest.
You'll understand that exceptional guest experiences don't happen by chance—they are created through clear standards, consistent procedures, effective teamwork, and strong leadership.
You'll be confident setting expectations, ensuring agreed standards are followed and creating a department where professionalism, accountability and teamwork are at the heart of everything you do.
Most importantly, you'll believe that every enquiry matters, every booking is an opportunity, and every guest deserves an exceptional first impression.
Essential Skills & Experience
- Previous management or supervisory experience within a hotel, hospitality, or reservations environment.
- Experience using a hotel Property Management System (PMS) and channel manager.
- A good understanding of online travel agents and OTA extranets.
- Excellent leadership, coaching and organisational skills.
- Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify opportunities to increase revenue.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Outstanding attention to detail.
- Confidence handling guest complaints and resolving difficult situations.
- Strong IT skills and the ability to quickly learn new systems.
- The ability to remain calm, organised and professional in a busy environment.
What Success Looks Like
Within your first six months, we would expect to see:
- A Reservations and Front Desk operation working together with professionalism and shared purpose.
- Clear procedures that are understood, followed and continually reviewed.
- Improved booking conversion rates and increased upselling performance.
- Consistently professional guest communications and documentation.
- Ensure documented booking processes have been followed through and review.
- Strong collaboration between Reservations, Front Desk, Housekeeping and Maintenance.
- Improved guest satisfaction through accurate information, exceptional service and a seamless guest journey.
- A department that is organised, accountable and continually looking for ways to improve.
Why Join Kilconquhar Castle Estate?
This is an opportunity to play a key leadership role within one of Fife's most established hospitality businesses. You'll have the opportunity to influence standards, improve processes, develop people and shape the guest experience while contributing directly to the commercial success of the estate.
If you're passionate about hospitality, enjoy improving the way departments operate and want to build a Reservations operation recognised for exceptional service, we'd love to hear from you.
How to Apply
Please send your CV together with a covering letter explaining why you would be the ideal person for this role and how your experience matches the position.
Applications should be sent to [email protected]
Pay: £30,000.00-£35,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
