A large share of your hotel’s revenue comes in through the reservations desk: by phone, by email and through your own booking engine. Yet the role is often recruited as ‘front desk without the guests’. Read which skills really matter, where to find suitable candidates and how to see during selection who will actually turn an enquiry into a booking.
26 October 2026
A reservations agent answers enquiries by phone and email, prepares quotes for individual guests and small groups, handles changes and cancellations and keeps the property management system (PMS) and channel manager up to date. In many hotels the role also covers guarantees, deposits and cancellation terms. So it is not a minor administrative job: someone who does it well turns enquiries into bookings and prevents costly errors in rates and availability.
The role needs a combination you do not find automatically: warm on the phone, precise in systems and commercial enough to close an enquiry. Many hotels also fish in the same pool as for the front desk, even though the work is different. A job ad that only asks for ‘hotel experience’ mainly attracts receptionists who enjoy face-to-face guest contact, not necessarily people who like handling enquiries all day.
In smaller hotels the front desk often handles reservations on the side. That works as long as the number of enquiries stays limited. Once calls go unanswered during check-in and check-out peaks, or emails only get a reply the next day, you are losing revenue. So look at the volume: how many enquiries come in per day, and at what times? See also how to plan front desk staffing around check-in and check-out peaks. A separate reservations role, even part-time, can actually take pressure off the front desk.
Put the skills you cannot train in the first few months at the top of the profile: clear and friendly on the phone, fast and accurate in writing, careful with figures and dates, calm when it gets busy, and willing to close an enquiry with a concrete proposal. Experience with a specific hotel system is useful but rarely decisive. Someone who has worked with another booking or planning system usually learns your PMS within a few weeks.
Look at where your bookings come from before you write down language requirements. A hotel with many German and English-speaking guests gains more from good German on the phone than from a long list of languages at beginner level. Distinguish between languages someone must master and languages that are a plus. See also when a second language is really a must-have.
Good reservations agents do not only come from hotels. Think of people from travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, customer service teams and event agencies: they are used to enquiries, systems and remote customer contact. Receptionists who would prefer regular daytime shifts are another obvious group. Do not forget your own team; sometimes the best candidate is already at the front desk. Read how to look at your own team first.
Describe concretely what someone does on a normal day: roughly how many enquiries, which channels, who they work with and which systems they use. Be honest about working hours, because regular daytime shifts are a reason for many candidates to apply. State the salary or a range as well. More tips in what to include in a job ad for hotel roles.
An interview alone tells you little about how someone handles an enquiry. Give candidates a short task: reply to a real, anonymised email enquiry, or do a role-play with a guest who is torn between two room types. Look at tone, accuracy, whether they ask follow-up questions and whether the answer ends with a clear proposal. That way you compare candidates on the same basis. See also which questions to ask per department.
Reservations agents often work daytime hours on weekdays, although many hotels also ask for a few weekend shifts. That makes the role attractive to people who do not want late shifts, but you are competing with office roles in customer service and travel. So place the role properly in your pay structure and check what comparable roles pay in your region. Read how to set a fair salary range per role.
Reservations work can technically be done partly remotely, and some hotels and hotel groups offer that. It widens your recruitment area, but it requires clear agreements on availability, protection of guest data and coordination with the front desk and sales. Choose deliberately: a new starter gets to know the hotel and its rooms best on site. Some remote work later on can be a strong argument for keeping someone.
Let a new reservations agent shadow first: a few days next to an experienced colleague, a walk through every room type and the meeting rooms, and an afternoon at the front desk. Keep rate and cancellation rules in one place, so nobody has to rely on memory. Agree which enquiries they may handle independently and when they should check with someone. See also what must be ready before day one.
After the induction period, look at a few fixed points: response time to emails, the share of enquiries that become bookings and the number of errors in reservations. Discuss the figures together and look at the story behind them; a low conversion rate can also be down to rates or availability. Do not steer on sales alone, because an agent who talks guests into things creates complaints and cancellations later.
If the role stays open for a while, divide the enquiries deliberately instead of letting everyone handle them ‘on the side’. Agree who monitors which channels, set a fixed response time for emails and make sure the front desk has extra hands at peak times, so there is time left for calls. That keeps revenue coming in while you recruit carefully.
Does a reservations agent need hotel experience? Not necessarily. Experience with enquiries, systems and customer contact from, for example, travel or customer service is often just as valuable. Hotel knowledge and your PMS can be learned in the first weeks.
How do I test whether someone is commercial enough? With a short practical task: have them answer a real enquiry or do a role-play. You will see whether they ask follow-up questions and end with a concrete proposal without being pushy.
Can the front desk not simply handle reservations as well? In small hotels with few enquiries, yes. If calls and emails go unanswered at busy times, a separate role, even part-time, is usually cheaper than the bookings you miss.
• Do you know how many enquiries come in per day, through which channels and at what times?
• Does the profile put the skills you cannot train quickly first?
• Are the language requirements based on your actual guest mix?
• Do you also recruit outside hospitality, for example in travel and customer service?
• Does the selection include a practical task with a real enquiry?
• Are rate and cancellation rules documented in one place before the first working day?
AXXAZ Hospitality provides reliable hospitality staff to hotels across Europe. While you recruit a reservations agent, we can strengthen staffing at the front desk and in other departments, so your permanent team keeps time for enquiries and guests. It starts with a clear staffing brief.
Recruit a reservations agent on phone manner, writing, accuracy and the willingness to close an enquiry, look beyond hospitality too, test with a real enquiry and train systems and hotel knowledge afterwards.