Senior Reservationist

SUMMARY:
A central reservations office in White River, Mpumalanga, supporting two luxury safari lodge properties, is seeking an experienced and commercially minded SENIOR RESERVATIONIST to join their team.

POSITION INFO:
This is a hands-on senior role reporting to the Sales and Marketing Manager. The successful candidate will help establish and maintain an efficient central reservations function, oversee daily booking activity, and support a Reservations and Sales Consultant. The role requires a strong combination of reservations expertise, sales ability, and team leadership within a luxury lodge environment. Core Criteria: Proven senior reservations experience, preferably within luxury safari lodges, a lodge collection, or a central reservations environment Strong reservations system skills and solid commercial awareness Excellent written communication skills with careful attention to detail Ability to calculate quotations, commissions, deposits, and outstanding balances accurately Comfortable working independently and supervising daily reservations activity Strong ability to convert enquiries into confirmed bookings while maintaining accurate financial and operational records Ability to guide, support, and prioritise workloads within a small reservations team Comfortable with weekend and after-hours standby on a rotational basis Office-based in White River; daily attendance required Core Responsibilities: Manage direct, travel agent, and DMC enquiries from initial quotation through to booking confirmation Maintain accurate rates, availability, booking records, and guest information across both properties Calculate quotations, commissions, deposits, and outstanding balances accurately and timeously Manage provisional bookings, follow-ups, amendments, and cancellations within approved policies Coordinate with lodge teams to ensure complete and accurate guest handovers Guide and support the reservations team, prioritise workloads, and maintain service standards Provide regular reporting on booking activity, sales performance, and outstanding enquiries Remuneration & Benefits: Live-out position, office-based in White River Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:30 Weekend and after-hours standby on a rotational basis