Experience Planning Manager

About the Role

At Miraval The Red Sea in Saudi Arabia, the Experience Planning Manager heads the Experience Planning team to ensure a smooth and personalized guest journey from arrival to departure. This role involves close collaboration with multiple departments including Reservations, Front Office, Concierge, Sales, Events Planning, F&B, and Spa & Wellness Operations. The manager transforms guest preferences, wellness goals, special requests, and stay specifics into carefully balanced and achievable itineraries.

Key Role Responsibilities

• Lead and support the Experience Planning team to deliver intuitive and tailored guest services.
• Manage itinerary planning before arrival and during stays, based on guest preferences, wellness objectives, and package details.
• Ensure that guest schedules are balanced, personalized, and feasible within operational constraints.
• Assist with complex itineraries involving VIPs, special events, retreats, groups, and last-minute changes.
• Engage directly with guests to provide extra support, recover service issues, or offer management assistance.
• Coordinate closely with Reservations, Front Office, and Concierge to review incoming guests and arrange schedules.
• Communicate guest preferences, special requests, VIP details, and package inclusions effectively across teams.
• Partner with Concierge for synchronizing resort activities alongside spa and wellness experiences.
• Maintain seamless information flow and handover between Experience Planning and operational teams.
• Actively track outstanding requests to satisfy guest needs promptly.
• Collaborate with Sales, Wellness, and Events Planning to organize group and retreat itineraries and experiences.
• Review and confirm group bookings, schedules, wellness/spa offerings, and special requests to ensure accuracy and feasibility.
• Handle group bookings and retreat arrangements using Book4Time, ensuring capacity and availability are managed well.
• Facilitate clear and ongoing communication between Sales, Events Planning, Experience Planning, and operational departments before and during group events.
• Adapt plans quickly for last-minute changes to uphold smooth execution of retreats and group experiences.
• Exercise thorough operational control over Book4Time, monitoring bookings, capacity, practitioner schedules, cancellations, waitlists, and booking trends.
• Optimize scheduling to achieve balanced booking distribution, operational efficiency, and guest satisfaction.
• Identify and resolve conflicts or capacity issues promptly in coordination with the Head of Scheduling and operational teams.
• Ensure all booking data, updates, cancellations, preferences, and guest notes are accurately recorded in Book4Time.
• Monitor high-demand experiences to proactively present alternatives to guests when needed.
• Maintain expertise in Opera PMS to support itinerary development using guest profiles and reservation details.
• Cross-check arrival, departure, preference, VIP status, and special requests for alignment between Opera and Book4Time.
• Communicate any booking or itinerary changes promptly to Reservations and Front Office teams.
• Oversee daily scheduling to ensure bookings are balanced and align with operational capacity.
• Collaborate with the Head of Scheduling and Wellness Operations to maximize resource utilization.
• Track metrics like booking conversion, utilization, guest satisfaction, and performance in Experience Planning.
• Support revenue growth by recommending and upselling appropriate spa and wellness experiences.
• Identify and address operational inefficiencies to enhance guest experience quality.
• Coach and develop Experience Planners to uphold excellent service and operational standards.
• Ensure team expertise in Book4Time, Opera, treatments, wellness programs, and resort services.
• Foster strong interdepartmental relationships and conduct regular briefings to communicate priorities, VIP arrivals, group plans, and operational updates.
• Promote a culture of teamwork, accountability, mindfulness, and ongoing improvement.

Qualifications & Experience

• 3 to 5 years of experience in luxury hospitality, spa & wellness, reservations, concierge, front office, or guest experience operations.
• At least 1 to 2 years in a supervisory or managerial position within a luxury hospitality or wellness setting.
• Proficient knowledge of Opera PMS and Book4Time booking systems.
• Understanding of reservations, guest journey planning, booking management, and luxury service excellence.
• Proven ability to manage complex individual, group, and retreat itineraries with attention to capacity and special requests.
• Experience collaborating with Sales and Events teams on group and retreat programming preferred.
• Familiarity with spa treatments, wellness programs, fitness, and experiential hospitality is advantageous.
• Fluency in English is required; Arabic language skills are a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management or a related discipline is preferred.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and team mentoring capabilities.
• Excellent organizational skills with meticulous attention to detail.
• Advanced operational knowledge of Opera PMS and Book4Time software.
• Capacity to monitor and adjust bookings and schedules for individuals, groups, and retreats effectively.
• Superior communication and collaborative skills across multiple departments.
• Customer-focused mindset with effective problem-solving abilities.
• Commercial insight into utilization, conversion, and revenue enhancement opportunities.
• Calm and professional demeanor with a focus on solutions in fast-paced luxury contexts.
• Alignment with Miraval’s core values of presence, compassion, mindfulness, and transformation.
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays.