Group & Special Interest Travel Planner at HR Studio (Pty) Ltd

We’re looking for…

• An experienced Group & Special Interest Travel Planner to join our client’s team. It’s an exciting opportunity for a detailed professional to oversee all group reservations, including, but not limited to: travel arrangements, experiences and programmes, as well as travelling to Kenya to be on-property to run the smooth operations of these complex itineraries for their guests.

Who are you?

• Driven, curious, guest-focused and love creating unforgettable journeys for groups of travellers
• Have a fastidious attention to detail and delight in the alignment of even the smallest of components
• Fanatical about service and delighting guests 24/7
• Have a good working knowledge of the complexities of travel within East Africa
• Articulate both in the written and spoken word
• Motivated, proactive and doesn’t need to be micro-managed
• Naturally empathetic and can easily hold others’ concerns
• Work well under pressure and can keep your sense of humour in a crisis
• Can naturally assimilate the clients brand and its core values of Respect, Honesty, Courage, Joy & Ubuntu, including their approach to transparency and, most importantly, teamwork

What’s the role?

You will be responsible for:

• Responding timeously and courteously to enquiries from all over the world
• Interpreting often-vague requests and translating them into travel plans
• Curating every element of an itinerary according to guests’ personal preferences and tastes (and budgets!)
• Hosting group bookings at the clients properties in East Africa
• Managing group terms and conditions
• Gently steering guests and trade partners through the often stressful booking process
• Converting enquiries into confirmed itineraries
• Enquiring, holding, and booking partner travel arrangements within East Africa, including air, ground transport, accommodation and other services
• Ensuring booking details are accurately reflected in the system, including quoting, invoicing, guest information and other pertinent details
• Providing real-time, internal feedback while guests are in-country
• Liaising with the finance team to ensure collections are timely, yet communicated kindly
• Ensuring system database integrity when quoting
• Other duties as directed from time to time by the Travel Manager

Boxes to tick…

• Matric
• Tertiary Qualification
• Demonstrable knowledge of high-end East African accommodation providers & travel logistics, including well-established relationships with stakeholders
• At least 10 years of experience in the tourism or hospitality industry, including relevant experience such as a group travel planner or an on-property events planner
• Experience working with ResRequest or similar reservations or tour operating systems