Head of Revenue & Reservations

Head of Revenue & Reservations

A leading safari and adventure group delivering exceptional wildlife experiences across some of East Africa’s most breathtaking destinations is seeking to recruit a strategic Head of Revenue & Reservations.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the centralized management of room inventory, rate integrity, and the end-to-end guest acquisition journey across the group’s portfolio. This role will lead a high-performing Central Reservations Office (CRO), optimize multi-channel distribution, and ensure strong alignment between sales, revenue management, and property-level operations. The Head of Revenue & Reservations will serve as the strategic hub of all booking operations for the East African portfolio, driving revenue performance through rigorous inventory control, high-conversion inquiry management, and the effective integration of AI-enabled booking technologies. Prior East African market experience is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage room inventory across properties, ensure rate integrity, minimize overbooking risk, and apply yield and pricing strategies to maximize RevPAR across all channels.

• Optimize performance across OTAs, GDS, DMCs, Tour Operators, MICE, and Direct channels while maintaining rate parity and consistent selling strategy.

• Monitor demand trends and competitor pricing, producing actionable insights to maintain competitive market positioning.

• Lead, mentor, and develop centralized and remote reservations teams, driving a strong sales-through-service and upselling culture.

• Set and track KPIs (conversion, upsell, efficiency), and oversee PMS/ResRequest and AI tool implementation and optimization.

• Manage key trade relationships and personally oversee VIP, HNW, and sensitive bookings, including escalations and dispute resolution.

• Develop and enforce SOPs, ensure data accuracy, policy compliance, and strong quality controls across the reservations lifecycle.

• Work cross-functionally with Operations and Finance, and deliver regular forecasts and performance reports on pickup, pace, and channel results.

• Key Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality, Business Administration, or related field, with 5+ years in senior reservations and at least 2 years in a multi-property or group-level role.

• Advanced proficiency in ResRequest and Revenue Management software, PMS (ResRequest/Opera), CRS, Channel Managers (e.g., SiteMinder), and AI-enabled booking tools.

• Strong understanding of the East African tourism and safari lodge sector, including DMCs, seasonal cycles, and luxury lodge operations across Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda.

• Proven track record in senior reservations or revenue leadership roles within luxury hospitality or lodge environments.

• Able to translate complex data and demand trends into practical sales and revenue strategies.

• Demonstrated success managing centralized, multicultural teams, building training manuals, mentoring staff, and fostering continuous learning.

• Strong communicator with the ability to build trust with international partners, DMCs, and internal stakeholders.

• Highly organized, target-driven, and focused on workflow optimization, record accuracy, occupancy growth, and competitive performance.