Hotel Purchasing Specialist at VOSAIO Travel, Hammersmith and Fulham

JOB TITLE: Hotel Purchasing Specialist

DEPARTMENT: Hotels

REPORTS TO: Regional Hotel Purchasing Manager

Summary:

VOSAIO Travel Group has a strong presence in the B2B travel industry, with a proven record of growth in sales and buying power. We collaborate with local suppliers to ensure competitive pricing while delivering high-quality services that offer great value. The Hotel Purchasing Specialist role is an excellent opportunity for anyone who is proactive, a resilient team player who also enjoys working with tight deadlines and is giving their best under pressure in a very dynamic environment. Communication skills within a multi-cultural environment and negotiation skills are essential, as well as a tourism qualification which is preferred but not essential. For this role, fluency in Spanish, both written and spoken, is essential.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinating hotel requests from the international Sales departments.
• Contacting suitable suppliers according to sales requirements either by email or telephone to discuss the best offer to finalise the reservation.
• Ensuring the booking criteria given by Sales are met, including budget, category, location and matching any given deadline.
• Sourcing alternative solutions when the requested location or hotels are not available.
• Handling additional requests / project work on an ad-hoc basis.
• Negotiating the best possible rates, terms and conditions while establishing excellent relationships with hotels.
• Dealing with amendments and negotiating /waive cancellation charges where necessary.
• Dealing with inbound telephone, fax and email enquiries and liaising with the Sales, Operations and Accounts departments both in Europe and internationally.
• Maintaining good relationships with existing suppliers.
• Researching new suppliers to widen the network in all the destinations of responsibility.
• Maintaining updated hotel data on the virtual database and booking system.
• Handling complaints where they are requested.
• Identifying a calendar of events within the area of responsibility to anticipate challenging requests and plan accordingly.
• Attending trade fairs, workshops, or local networking events when requested.
• Contributing to a positive and professional working environment.

Person Profile:

• Fluency in English and Spanish is essential, both written and spoken.
• Proficiency in at least another additional European language is advantageous .
• Customer-focused, with a proactive and solutions-oriented approach to addressing customer needs and concerns, in addition to maintaining strong negotiation skills.
• Communicate effectively and be able to have open / honest discussions with all departments, suppliers, and clients to find common ground and solutions.
• Must be collaborative and be able to work in a team-based environment as well as on their own initiative and willing to be ‘hands on’ with other colleagues’ support needs.
• Requires close attention to detail with the ability to identify issues, solve problems and escalate when needed.
• Must have strong organisational and time management skills and be able to effectively handle multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Take initiative to be fully trained and knowledgeable of all company systems and procedures.
• Manage multiple tasks efficiently, prioritise workloads, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Collaborate with others, support colleagues, and work effectively in a team environment.
• Willingness to take initiative, go the extra mile when needed, and adapt to changing requirements.