Inventory Travel Manager

Role Description – Inventory Travel Manager

Position: Inventory Travel Manager
Reports To: VP Operations and Inventory
Primary Focus: Strategic oversight, forecasting, and optimization of inventory across all retreats and departures, while managing operational inventory functions to ensure seamless execution.

Purpose of the Role

The Inventory Manager is responsible for maintaining a high-level, strategic view of all inventory for the business. This includes forecasting departures, proactively addressing at-risk dates, collaborating across departments to ensure optimal group sizes, and managing all inventory-related vendor communications and operational updates. The role requires both strategic thinking and hands-on execution to maximize materialized departures, minimize cancellations, and ensure smooth coordination between internal teams and external partners.

Core Responsibilities

1. Strategic Inventory Oversight

• Maintain a business-wide view of inventory across all destinations and departure dates.
   
• Forecast:
  
  
  • Departures likely to materialize.
     
  • Departures requiring additional inventory to meet demand.
     
  • Departures at risk of not materializing.
     
• Collaborate with Account Managers through meetings with Retreat Leaders to set benchmarks, goals, and KPIs for each departure.
   
• Use data-driven decision-making to determine when to add inventory, reallocate rooms, or cancel departures — avoiding premature cancellations.
   
• Implement cut off dates and move inventory dates to urgent on an ongoing basis through the available date grid in CRM.
   
• Collaborate with the Product Manager during contracting season to forecast future inventory needs and identify optimal departure dates using itinerary trends, destination data, flight availability, weather patterns, and growth opportunities

2. Vendor & Partner Communication

• Communicate with vendors, hotels, and local partners to confirm bookings and special requests.
   
• Send status updates to vendors. If dates are unconfirmed, request an extension if there is an action plan in place (e.g., cutting commission, offering non-cash incentives).
   
• Request additional space from vendors when a waitlist occurs, and if space has been returned after the deposit due date, attempt to reclaim rooms to clear the waitlist.
   
• Diligently follow up to maximize group size and maintain momentum (e.g., increasing from 16 to 22 passengers or offering second departure dates).
   

3. Operational Inventory Management

• Manage rooming requests and ensure room assignments are aligned with booking details.
   
• Identify when passengers book a double without confirming a roommate and notify Customer Service promptly to prevent last-minute issues or cancellations.
   
• Create new WeTravel retreat registration forms and adjust space on an ongoing basis in WeTravel to either hold for a roommate or open for a random Fit4Travel assignment.
   
• Manage pre-nights and transfers, handling requests from group leaders and passengers. Receive and action these requests via HubSpot tasks from Customer Service.
   

4. Group Consolidation & Optimization

• Collaborate with Customer Support and Account Management when a group is at risk of cancellation.
   
• Explore merging smaller groups or repositioning travelers to avoid running multiple underperforming departures.
   
• Proactively offer discounts or incentives (in coordination with relevant teams) when needed to support group consolidation.
   

5. Post-Retreat Review & Process Improvement

• Assist with post-retreat evaluations to assess inventory performance.
   
• Recommend process improvements to optimize inventory management for future trips.
   

6. Managing the Inventory Coordinator(s)

• Oversee the work of the Inventory Coordinator(s) to ensure all data entry tasks and manifest updates are completed on a weekly basis.
   
• Proactively identify and address situations where inventory is projected to sell out, working closely with the Inventory Coordinator(s)to secure additional rooms or dates.
   
• Collaborate with the Inventory Coordinator(s)to resolve roommate requests and other forecasted challenges before they impact group performance.
   
• Ensure smooth communication and coordination between the Inventory Manager, Inventory Coordinator, Customer Support, and Account Management teams.

Task Management & Turnaround Expectations

• All inventory-related tasks — including adding rooms to an existing departure, requesting additional inventory dates, securing pre-nights, and processing transfer requests — must be actioned within 1 business day.
   
• Proactively identify inventory needs, create tasks with full details, and initiate vendor discussions with clear timelines and follow-ups.
   

Key Outcomes & Expectations

• Accurate forecasting of inventory needs and risks.
   
• Timely execution of all operational inventory tasks.
   
• Strong, proactive communication with vendors and partners.
   
• Effective collaboration with internal teams to meet KPIs and maximize revenue.
   
• Consistent improvement of processes based on performance data and post-trip reviews.