Front Office Room Controller

About us:

As the world's largest family of luxury hotels, we all take great pride in being genuine ambassadors of the InterContinental® brand. Shaped by decades of international know-how and local insights, our passion for luxury travel spans cultures and customs. Inspiring us to create warm and sophisticated experiences for those seeking a richer perspective on the world. 

At InterContinental Hotels & Resorts® we want our guests to feel special, cosmopolitan and In the Know which means we need you to:

• Be charming by being approachable, having confidence and showing respect.
• Stay in the moment by understanding and anticipating guests’ needs, being attentive and taking ownership of getting things done.
• Make it memorable by being knowledgeable, sharing stories and showing your style to create moments that make people feel special.

A Shining Star Among Downtown Miami Hotels, the InterContinental Miami features the city's premier accommodations, convention, and meeting facilities. Overlooking sparkling Biscayne Bay, we provide a secure, inviting environment in a well-established area of the city. Priding ourselves on being ONE GREAT TEAM and honored as one of the TOP WORKPLACES of South Florida by the Sun Sentinel for the ninth year.

Your day to day:

As the Front Office Room Controller, you will Coordinate the reservations, room blocks and contracts for large groups. Maintain group blocks, enter and manage rooming lists and reservations in system. Check-in/check-out hotel guests in a timely and professional manner; process all payments according to established procedures. 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Answer phones in a prompt and courteous manner, including incoming reservation calls
• Assist with FIT/Wholesale reservations; Handle airline crew reservations daily
• Assign rooms for IHG One Platinum and Diamond members
• Maintain group blocks; audit turnovers, enter and manage rooming list, create booking links via Passkey, maintain group cutoff dates
• Respond to guests via email and third-party extranets; Expeida.com and Booking.com  
• Run all deposits on future reservations and contact guests for invalid credit cards
• Process and handle refund or postings of cancelled reservations
• Review arrival summary to ensure IHG One Rewards and VIP reservations are setup properly
• Prepare for each group’s arrival, prepare group history, billing information, deposits, filing, VIP information, correspondence, etc.; interact with booking contacts as needed.      Correctly record group rooms and revenue in the property management system.
• Process all reservation requests, changes and cancellations received by phone, fax, e-mail, mail, internally and through travel planners/corporations.  Enter and/or modify group block in system to ensure inventory, stay dates, cancellation policy, deposit requirement, and booking procedure are reflected correctly.
• Maintain accurate filing system for groups and ensure that each group block is traced.
• Create and update group block notes to provide relevant data pertaining to all group reservations, and coordinate with other departments as needed to provide group reservation information and group needs as specified in contract.
• Provide and maintain reports and records of all groups during stay and after departure, and follow up on any group inquiries.
• Stay abreast of current rates, rate changes and all promotions, current facilities, services, hours of operation, etc.

• Attend pre-meeting planning meetings or conferences as needed or requested.

• Welcome guests in a friendly, prompt and professional manner. 
• Register guests, issue room keys, provide information on hotel services and room location.     
• Up-sell rooms where possible to maximize hotel revenue.   
• Accurately process all cash and credit card transactions in accordance with established procedures including but not limited to posting all charges, completing cashier and other reports, preparing deposit, and counting/securing assigned bank.
• Issue, control and release guest safe-deposit boxes.
• Communicate any outstanding guest requests or issues to management that may require additional monitoring or follow-up.
• Respond appropriately to guest complaints.      Make appropriate service recovery gestures in order to ensure total guest satisfaction. 
• Promote team work and quality service through daily communications and coordination with other departments.     
• Perform other duties as assigned such as running daily reports, e.g. the cancellations, bookings, or arrivals reports, concierge services, special guest requests, etc..

Qualifications and Requirements:

High school diploma or equivalent and one year of experience as a reservationist, front desk agent, or relevant field of work, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.  Some college preferred. Must speak fluent English.  Other languages preferred.

This job requires ability to perform the following:

• Speak and listening usually while sitting
• Use a keyboard to operate various property management and reservations systems, etc.
• Frequently standing up behind the desk and front office areas
• Carrying or lifting items weighing up to 50 pounds; Handling objects, products and computer equipment

Other:

• Must be detailed oriented and well organized

• Computer skills are required; Basic mathematical abilities are used frequently.

• Knowledge of hotel operations preferred 

• Expert knowledge of Opera and Passkey reservation systems preferred 

• Strong knowledge of reservations and group reservations process preferred

• Demonstrate strong problem-solving skills, reasoning, motivating and training abilities are often used.

• Effective communications skills are utilized a significant amount of time when interacting with clients, guests and employees.

• Reading and writing abilities are utilized often when reviewing and processing guest reservations or daily reports.

• May be required to work nights, weekends, and/or holidays.

Work Area:  Front Office

What we offer:

The hourly pay rate for this role is $20.00.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits including paid time off, medical/dental/vision insurance, 401(k), and many other benefits to eligible employees. Additionally, hotel discounts worldwide are available as well as access to a wide variety of discount programs and the chance to work with a great team of people. Most importantly, we'll give you the room to be yourself.

IHG is an equal opportunity employer: Minorities/ Females/ Veterans/ Disabled.