How to hire a reservation specialist

How to hire a reservation specialist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step reservation specialist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a reservation specialist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new reservation specialist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

Post a reservation specialist job for free, promote it for a fee

Post free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your reservation specialist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a reservation specialist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect reservation specialist also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents reservation specialist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Reservation Specialist	Description	Hourly rate
   Reservation Specialist	Information clerks perform routine clerical duties such as maintaining records, collecting data, and providing information to customers.	$12-21
   Ticket Agent	Ticket agents are responsible for making and confirming travel arrangements for passengers. They are employed by railroads, airlines, bus companies, and cruise lines... Show more	$10-18
   Ramp Agent	A ramp agent is a professional responsible for the loading and unloading of aircraft baggage, which includes mail and cargo, from the aircraft to the airport. He/She drives and operates ground equipment such as cargo carts and belt loaders while maintaining safe working conditions for himself and others... Show more	$11-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Reservations
   • Customer Service
   • Booking
   • Hotel Reservations
   • Resorts
   • Outbound Calls
   • Front Desk
   • Inbound Phone Calls
   • Computer System
   • Telephone Calls
   • Credit Card Payments
   • Customer Calls
   • Guest Satisfaction
   • Upsell

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Schedule reservations and manage cancellations; provide customer service while following through with client satisfaction.
   • Assist non-owners and owners with booking reservations for vacation packages at the numerous vacation destinations available.
   • Conduct upselling techniques in an effort to make a more profitable sale.
   • Handle several positions, including POS, and assist teammates with their positions to increase efficiency.
   • Exceed sales and team goals in upselling package items while collaborating with management to create monthly goals.
   • Arrange for rental vehicles to be deliver to private airports, hotels, offices and homes of VIP customers.

   More reservation specialist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the reservation specialist job description is a good way to get more applicants. A reservation specialist salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a reservation specialist in Maine may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level reservation specialist. Additionally, a reservation specialist with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average reservation specialist salary

   $16.68hourly

   $34,690 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level reservation specialist salary

   $26,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 1, 2026

   Average reservation specialist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Hawaii	$43,174	$21
   2	California	$38,277	$18
   3	Nevada	$37,866	$18
   4	Minnesota	$37,269	$18
   5	Colorado	$36,792	$18
   6	Illinois	$35,876	$17
   7	Texas	$34,597	$17
   8	South Carolina	$34,358	$17
   9	New York	$34,018	$16
   10	Georgia	$33,759	$16
   11	Massachusetts	$33,574	$16
   12	Alabama	$32,484	$16
   13	Florida	$32,253	$16
   14	Missouri	$31,966	$15
   15	Iowa	$29,102	$14
   16	Ohio	$28,913	$14
   17	Louisiana	$28,406	$14
   18	Kansas	$26,717	$13
   19	Nebraska	$26,263	$13

   Average reservation specialist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Canyon Ranch	$43,570	$20.95
   2	Diamond Resorts	$40,765	$19.60
   3	Atlantis Casino Resort Spa	$40,575	$19.51
   4	Hilton Grand Vacations	$40,406	$19.43	6
   5	Las Vegas Sands	$40,338	$19.39
   6	Monarch Casino & Resort	$40,306	$19.38	1
   7	Hyatt Hotels	$40,020	$19.24	5
   8	FleetCor Technologies	$38,861	$18.68
   9	Marriott International	$38,541	$18.53	90
   10	Airport Terminal Services	$38,466	$18.49
   11	Highgate Hotels	$38,063	$18.30	2
   12	Washington State University	$36,187	$17.40	1
   13	U-Haul	$36,165	$17.39	959
   14	Alterra Mountain	$35,637	$17.13
   15	Noble House Hotels & Resorts	$34,698	$16.68
   16	Transdev Services, Inc.	$34,611	$16.64	46
   17	BLS International	$33,954	$16.32
   18	Sun Country Airlines	$33,707	$16.21
   19	Advantage Solutions	$33,631	$16.17	1
   20	Boy Scouts of America	$32,440	$15.60

4. Writing a reservation specialist job description

   A good reservation specialist job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a reservation specialist job description:

   Reservation specialist job description example

   Become one of the stars behind The SHOW and become part of the world's most powerful entertainment brands. Our Company has one exciting mission: To entertain the human race.
   PRIMARY PURPOSE:
   The Distribution Specialist ensures the accuracy of rates, restrictions, inventory, policies and reservations in all MGM systems. The Distribution Specialist also serves as a liaison with Third Party Partners and ours guests to respond to inquiries and resolve reservation and billing issues. All duties are to be performed in accordance with departmental and MGMRI policies and procedures.
   
   PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   Maintains departmental standards and current knowledge of MGM Resorts International properties, policies, rate structure, and room types to ensure accuracy of rates, restrictions, inventory, and policies in all MGM systems.Maintains corporate email inbox and responds to all guest and Third Party inquiries, including managing all MGM Best Rate Guarantee inquiries by researching claims and responding appropriately to the guest.Utilizes Third Party channel management tools and systems to troubleshoot and resolve reservation and billing inquiries and challenges, communicating issues to management as required.Maintains full knowledge of Third Party reservations sites, systems and tools to identify and research rate and/or policy discrepancies as well as ensure rates are in parity on all booking channels.Collaborate and assist with departmental special and ad hoc projects, which may include but are not limited to data collection, maintenance & optimization of daily files, documentation, timing tests, etc.Responsible for inputting manual reservations into the MGM central reservation system.Performs day to day duties including but not limited to; rate, restriction and policy changes, reservation updates and revenue collection, travel agent commission processing research, third party reservation management, and building and maintaining corporate and property specific promotions for all booking channels.Perform other job-related duties as requested.
   
   MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:
   High School diploma or equivalent.Two (2) years of relevant experience.
   
   PREFERRED:
   Two (2+) years previous work experience in Hotel Operations.Bachelor's Degree in Hotel Operation or relevant field or equivalent work experience.Previous experience in working with the following systems: HBSI, Derbysoft, Opera PMS and ORS, Onyx, and OTA.Previous experience working in a similar resort setting.
   
   CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:
   Proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
   
   KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:
   Highly developed organizational skills to function effectively while still maintaining attention to detail and meeting specific organization goals.Excellent written, verbal communication and interpersonal skills.Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.Must have interpersonal skills to deal effectively with all business contacts.Maintain a professional, neat and well-groomed appearance.Must have the ability to multi-task, have effective problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work under pressure while meeting deadlines.Excellent customer services skills.Work varied shifts, including weekends and holidays.Accurately type 45 wpm, extensive knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel.Proficiency in MS Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and MS Outlook.- Working knowledge of 10-key.
   
   Location:
   US, Nevada

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find reservation specialists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any reservation specialists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level reservation specialists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your reservation specialist job on Zippia to find and recruit reservation specialist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit reservation specialists, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new reservation specialist

   Once you've found the reservation specialist candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign up to download full list

   Sign up

How much does it cost to hire a reservation specialist?