Sales Consultant – Restaurants & Events

The Oxford Collection is a small, privately owned group of two luxury 5* hotels and three restaurants that consists of the Old Bank Hotel, the Old Parsonage Hotel, Parsonage Grill, Gees Restaurant & Bar, and Quod Restaurant & Bar. Having very recently undergone a complete refurbishment programme, we have 78 bedrooms across two iconic properties in central Oxford, with unrivalled views across the city’s beautiful skyline.

We offer support, training, and development opportunities to help your career flourish. We believe that investment in each and every one of our ‘collectives’ is key to the success of our business and the happiness of our customers. As a member of our team, we are looking for an exceptional candidate who shares these values.

We are looking for a Sales Consultant for Restaurants & Events to join our Reservations & Events team.

The Reservations & Events team is located in our beautifully renovated offices, situated in St. Giles, central Oxford.

The ideal candidate:

• Self-motivated, driven, results-orientated, proactive, positive attitude
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent people management skills
• Highly organised, with the ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines
• Reservations and guest relations experience within the luxury hospitality sector would be beneficial

Sales Consultant – Restaurants & Events responsibilities:

• To take full responsibility and ownership of the day-to-day tasks set for the role.
• To be confident in having full product knowledge of The Oxford Collection in order to be able to sell the facilities confidently.
• To be responsible and take ownership of all restaurant, private dining, conference, event, and wedding reservations for The Oxford Collection.
• To be confident in knowing all systems for The Oxford Collection for Rooms, F&B, Events Sales and Revenue.
• To show teamwork and flexibility and liaise with the teams at The Oxford Collection as required for guest requests and daily correspondence checks.
• Be passionate and confident and ensure all inquiries taken are responded to within 7 hours response time.
• To take ownership and process deposits for all private dining, wedding, conference, and event reservations and to ensure that guests are fully aware of the hotels’ cancellation policies.
• To ensure all bookings display correct tag, source and segmentation on the booking date.
• To be confident in having a thorough knowledge of all the hotels’ computer systems so as to ensure all records and booking details are correct at all times.
• To be passionate and confident in understanding the standards of performance set out in the Leading Quality Experience report for the group and to adhere to them at all times.
• To be intuitive in maximising function room revenue and average spends by selling and up-selling at all times.
• To have full knowledge of all special offers and promotions and to be intuitive in offering them where appropriate.
• To provide Front and Back of House Hotel, Restaurant and Venue teams with timely, detailed, and relevant guest information to enhance their experience.
• To proactively cross-sell The Oxford Collection hotels, venues, and restaurants and to secure group business by offering alternative or fallback options.
• To sell and handle restaurant, private dining, wedding, conference, and event reservations, welcoming inquiries via phone, email, or in person, conducting and taking ownership for show rounds when required and ensuring proactive follow-up.
• To be fully conversant in systems, practices, and procedures concerning Reservations & Groups Sales as to deputise as and when required.

We offer a 40-hour working week (Monday to Sunday rota with two days off) with a salary of £13.00 per hour plus non-contractual service charge (tronc).

Sales Consultant – Restaurants & Events benefits:

• 50% discount on food within our restaurants
• Up to £700 recruitment incentive
• Membership to our Employee Assistance Programme with Hospitality Action
• Pension scheme
• Opportunities to develop within the Company
• 28 days holiday inclusive of bank holidays per annum
• A paid day off on your birthday
• Team awards and prizes
• Hospitality Rewards: offering discounted gym membership, high-street and online shopping discounts, discounted vouchers, and a cashback card

Eligibility to work within the UK must be proven and two references should be available on request.