Open to opportunities

Sophia Marais

@sophiamarais

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Organized administrative professional with 10+ years in HR and hospitality support.

South Africa

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What I'm looking for

I am looking for a reliable administrative or HR support role where I can apply remote administration, payroll assistance, and hospitality operations experience within a collaborative team that values accuracy and professional communication.

I am an administrative professional with over a decade of experience supporting HR, hospitality operations, reservations, and client coordination. I manage confidential records, payroll assistance, online bookings and remote administration with a strong attention to detail and reliable time-management.

My background includes roles as HR & Administrative Assistant (remote), Assistant to a Reservation Manager, Reception Supervisor, and tourism office administrator, where I handled payroll support, Opera PMS updates, guest communications, filing, and reporting. I have international hospitality and administrative experience and have supported event coordination and committee secretarial duties.

I bring practical technical skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, CANVA, data capture, document management, and PMS/online booking systems, and I seek to contribute dependable, proactive administration and client-focused support to a collaborative team.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

HR & Administrative Assistant

EXECMM

Jan 2024 - Dec 2025 (1 year 11 months)

Assisted with payroll processing, petty cash management, and HR administration while handling confidential employee and financial information for a remote team.

Payroll Processing HR & Administration Petty Cash Confidentiality Remote Work Data Entry Document Management Email Communication

Hospitality & Administrative Assistant

Garden Route Game Lodge

Mar 2021 - Dec 2023 (2 years 9 months)

Provided international hospitality support, maintained guest facilities to high standards, and assisted with local administrative and reporting tasks during overseas placement.

Facility Maintenance Cross Cultural Communication Record keeping

Assistant to Reservation Manager

Garden Route Game Lodge

Feb 2017 - Mar 2021 (4 years 1 month)

Managed guest enquiries, reservations and Opera PMS availability, produced forecast reports, and supported sales administration to improve booking operations.

Reserving Opera PMS Forecasting Customer Service Sales Support Email Communication

Control & Reception Supervisor

Point Village Self Catering

Nov 2016 - Feb 2017 (3 months)

Supervised reception staff, managed bookings/check-ins/outs, conducted stock takes across 85 units, and coordinated housekeeping and supplier orders to maintain service standards.

Team Supervision Booking Inventory Control PMS Customer Service Cash Handling

Receptionist / Secretary

Point Village Self Catering

Jul 2014 - Nov 2016 (2 years 4 months)

Managed bookings, guest communications, filing systems, and HR/payroll support while maintaining accurate records and handling OTA bookings.

Reception Document Management OTA Microsoft Word Excel Outlook Data Entry Scheduling

Tourism Office Administrator

Hessequa Tourism

Dec 2012 - Jun 2014 (1 year 6 months)

Maintained visitor enquiries, databases and asset registers, acted as secretary for local tourism council and festival committee, and coordinated events and ticket sales.

Event Coordination Minute Taking Ticket Sales Reporting

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Boland College, Stellenbosch

National Diploma in Tourism (N4-N6), Tourism

2010 - 2011

Completed National Diploma in Tourism (N4-N6) with coursework in Travel Office Procedures, Communication, Event Management, Guesthouse Management, Computer Practice, and Labour Law.