Administrator – Reservations

About the role

Working with the Hotels Centralised Operational Support Team, you’ll be surrounded by a team of passionate and dedicated hospitality Partners to give our guests the best experience whether they are at the hotels for the day or a longer stay. What is different about our guests though, is that they are Partners, their friends and family. As co-owners in the business, you’ll see this difference in the way your teammates and you approach your job and carry out your responsibilities.

As an Administrator, you’ll be part of the essential operational support team for the five Partnership hotels offering high quality service through efficient and accurate administration of financial functions, reservations, ordering, recruitment & membership. The main focus of this role will be the centralised reservations for all Hotel sites working as a team in a busy office environment providing excellent customer services behind the scenes. We require individuals who are resilient and possess keen memory skills to effectively manage the constantly evolving specificities of our unique Partnership hotels.
There will be other admin responsibilities relating to the general hotel administration, membership and supporting New starter Inductions. Occasional Financial processing.
The role will require collaboration with other areas of the hotels, allowing you a chance to communicate and work with other Partners and develop your skills.
Flexibility is required to attend in person training based at Odney

• Expected salary - £29,000 (dependent on experience). 

• Contract type - This position is a Secondment/Fixed Term contract until January 2026

• Working pattern/flexible working - 37.5 hrs per week. This role is based at The Odney Club, Cookham, Berkshire - with the ability to work one day a week from home once fully trained. Full time hours are Shifts either: Mon - Fri alternating with Tues - Sat or Tues - Sat every week. Earliest start 8am. Latest finish 6pm

• Location - This role is based at our Odney Hotel in Cookham

• Interviews will be held in person at Odney w/c 16th June

Key responsibilities 

• Resolving guest queries/complaints at the first point of contact, offering advice and recommendations based on guest requirements.

• Supporting guests to use the booking portal

• Actively promoting all offers for each location upselling where possible.

• Maximising room occupancy for all locations

• Handling reservation/ group enquiries in accordance with the hotel(s) availability.

• Administering the hotel booking system efficiently, liaising with other hotels for issues such as mobility and allergies. 

• Updating the booking system as required. Changing wording, rates, and creating packages.

• Processing cancellations and no-shows in line with the terms and conditions.

• Managing AirB&B bookings, responding to feedback, answering queries

• Contributing to the management of all hotel social media accounts, to include Facebook and Google. 

• Establishing and maintaining effective and positive relationships both within the reservations team and across the wider Partnership hotels and their teams. 

• Effectively use resources to minimise waste, protecting the environment and reducing costs. 

• Supporting the implementation of changes to ensure continuous innovations and improvements are made within the department

Essential skills/experience you’ll need

• Proficient in IT Systems - the ability to use all Google suites 

• Previous administration experience 

• Customer-facing experience - Comfortable telephone manner, good communication skills both written and verbal

• Ability to work on multiple tasks simultaneously 

• Excellent administration and communication skills

Desirable skills/experience you may have 

• Experience of Hotel operation / booking systems

About Odney.

If you are looking for a country club hotel with something different and some history to work in, then The Odney Hotel, our Place by the River, could be for you. This is a beautiful and unique John Lewis Partnership-owned hotel, set on 130 acres by the River Thames in Cookham, Berkshire. It offers both character and charm to our guests. 

The guests can stay in one of 5 beautiful houses on the site, or one of Airbnb’s each maintaining the period look of its time with access to the picturesque grounds including a private stretch of river, water gardens, a pool, and sports facilities. The main house, Lullebrook Manor and its grounds are thought to have been the inspiration for the classic novel The Wind in The Willows bringing history along with relaxation.

Relaxation can be further achieved with a visit to our Wellbeing suite, offering beauty treatments and massages or afternoon tea on the terrace, a drink in the bar or a meal overlooking the river. 

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The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.  

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

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