How To Become A Reservation Sales Agent: What It Is and Career Path

What is a reservation sales agent and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Reservation sales agents serve as customers' first point of contact when it comes to reservations for hotels, car rentals, cruises, flights, and other things that warrant a reservation. They are responsible for educating customers about the company's products and services with the goal of securing a reservation from them.

Aside from informing customers of the company's products or services, reservation sales agents also provide information on nearby attractions, directions, promos, and other things that customers need to know about their trip. They also utilize their sales skills to upsell or offer other products or services to customers.

The minimum requirement for this role is a high school diploma or GED. Experience in a similar role is a plus but may not always be required, especially for smaller companies. But regardless of an applicant's experience level, they must exhibit excellent customer service and communication skills to qualify.

Like many sales representatives, reservation sales agents make an average of $29,000 per year, plus commissions or performance-based bonuses.

ScoreReservation Sales AgentUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,459

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

8.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 1.00%

Asian 6.28%

Black or African American 7.67%

Hispanic or Latino 22.95%

Unknown 5.67%

White 56.43%

Gender

female 71.57%

male 28.43%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.8

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.3

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a reservation sales agent

Explore reservation sales agent education requirements

Most common reservation sales agent degrees

Bachelor's

47.5 %

Associate

21.6 %

High School Diploma

17.5 %

Start to develop specific reservation sales agent skills

Skills	Percentages
Reservations	51.46%
Customer Service	8.04%
Booking	6.81%
Inbound Calls	3.03%
Front Desk	2.88%

Complete relevant reservation sales agent training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New reservation sales agents learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a reservation sales agent based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real reservation sales agent resumes.

Research reservation sales agent duties and responsibilities

Provide customer service and achieve sales quotas by efficiently answering and completing incoming reservations calls quickly.
Receive and handle high volume of inbound customer calls booking domestic and international airline reservations.
Communicate information regarding designate VIP reservations.
Assist customers in booking reservations to international/domestic destinations, while identifying opportunities to sell beneficial options and services.

Prepare your reservation sales agent resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your reservation sales agent resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a reservation sales agent resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable reservation sales agent resume templates

Build a professional reservation sales agent resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your reservation sales agent resume.