Director, Reservations Excellence

Corporate Office, London; City Of London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A luxury hospitality group is seeking a Reservations Excellence Director to lead the reservations function. This role involves shaping a culture of service excellence, defining strategies, and driving operational improvements. Applicants should have over 10 years of experience in channel distribution within the luxury sector and possess strong leadership and project management skills. The position is based in London and offers opportunities for professional development and wellness programs.

Benefits

Learning & Development programs

MOstay benefits for accommodation

Health benefits and wellness programs

Retirement plans based on service

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in luxury hospitality sector.
• Ability to lead large‑scale change across global teams.
• Proven record in driving channel performance.
• Experience in digital tools relevant to Property Direct channel.

Responsibilities

• Act as central contact for global Reservations.
• Develop strategy for Property Direct channel.
• Oversee training and continuous learning programs.
• Monitor KPIs and identify performance improvements.

Skills

Channel distribution

Revenue management

Commercial strategy

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Innovation

Digital tools

Job description

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Mandarin Oriental is looking for a Reservations Excellence Director to join our Group Reservations team.

Are you a master of craft? Do you thrive in a team that succeeds together, demonstrating integrity and respect while acting responsibly? Do you embrace a growth mindset? We invite you to become a fan of the exceptional.

Mandarin Oriental is the award‑winning owner and operator of some of the most luxurious hotels, resorts and residences located in prime destinations around the world, with a strong development pipeline. Increasingly recognised for creating some of the world’s most sought‑after properties, the Group provides legendary service inspired by Asian heritage whilst representing the very cutting‑edge of luxury experiences.

About the job

Based at the Mandarin Oriental Corporate Office within the Group Reservations Department in Holborn London, the Reservations Excellence Director will serve as the single point of accountability for shaping the culture, capability, and consistency of the Reservations function across the Group. This includes leading the upskilling of teams, embedding standard structures, and setting clear expectations for service excellence and commercial discipline across both corporate and property levels.

Building on this foundation, the Director will drive the deployment of processes, tools, and technologies that support a unified reservations culture, improve conversion and upselling, and maximise the channel’s contribution to revenue growth. Collaboration across corporate functions and properties will ensure alignment with the Group’s overarching commercial objectives and the delivery of the brand’s legendary service.

The Reservations Excellence Director reports to the VP Digital.

As Reservations Excellence Director, you will be responsible for the following duties:

Strategic Leadership

• Act as the central point of contact for Reservations globally, responsible for setting the tone and expectations for culture, behaviours, and structures across corporate and property teams.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive strategy for the Property Direct channel, ensuring alignment with the company’s global distribution and commercial goals.
• Define, standardise, and embed best practices, ensuring consistent delivery of legendary service and commercial rigour.
• Oversee the design and rollout of training, onboarding, and continuous learning programs, ensuring teams are consistently upskilled and equipped to succeed.
• Champion a culture of accountability, collaboration, and excellence in both guest engagement and commercial outcomes.
• Define and monitor KPIs to measure the channel’s performance, identifying opportunities for improvement and innovation.
• Define and implement governance mechanisms to ensure consistent adherence to guidance, best practices, and performance standards across the portfolio.

Operational Oversight

• Oversee the development of foundational technological systems and dashboards to track key property direct and reservations performance metrics (e.g., contact volumes, response times, conversion rates, upselling rates).
• Set clear performance targets and monitor progress, leveraging feedback from properties and guests to continuously improve upon existing tools and processes.

Cross‑functional Collaboration

• Work closely with corporate teams (e.g., Digital, Sales, IT, Revenue Management) to ensure the Property Direct channel is fully integrated into the company’s broader commercial strategy.
• Partner with property teams to ensure the effective deployment of tools and strategies, providing training and support as needed.

Governance and Best Practices

• Establish and maintain governance mechanisms to ensure the consistent execution of Property Direct strategies across the portfolio.
• Identify and scale best practices across properties, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

As Reservations Excellence Director, we expect from you:

• Minimum of 10 years’ experience in channel distribution, revenue management, or commercial strategy within the luxury hospitality sector.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large‑scale change initiatives across global teams, with a passion for innovation and guest‑centric excellence.
• Proven track record of driving channel performance and implementing continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong project management and stakeholder engagement skills, with experience working in a matrixed organization.
• Deep understanding of luxury guest expectations and the ability to align channel strategies with brand standards.
• Experience with digital tools, AI‑driven solutions, and platforms relevant to the Property Direct channel.

Our commitment to you:

• Learning & Development. Your success is our success. We craft unique learning and development programmes for various stages in your career so that you grow, continuously.
• MOstay. When you work as hard as our colleagues do, it’s important to take time off. As a member of the #MOfamily, you can stay with us wherever you go in the world. The MOstay programme offers complimentary nights and additionally attractive rates on rooms for you and your loved ones.
• Health & Colleague Wellness. Finding the right work‑life balance is important. Your wellbeing matters to us. A variety of health benefits and wellness programmes are offered to all our colleagues, globally.
• Retirement Plans. When you show commitment to us, we reciprocate. We offer different retirement plans depending on the length of your service and your role.

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