10 Traits Hotel Managers Should Look For in a Hotel Employee Candidate

1. Flexibility

There will likely be a lot of changes to how hotels operate this year and in following years, so new hotel employees will need to be flexible in order to adapt well to those changes. As a hotel manager, your interviews for candidates should include questions about times when candidates were flexible in previous work environments.

Example Questions

• How do you adjust to changes you have no control over?
• How do you handle having multiple priorities at the same time?

2. Commitment

This year, it’s especially important for potential new hires to show a major commitment to the job. As the world gradually reopens, people will be eager to travel, and hotels will need every employee to be ready for higher occupancies and more responsibilities. Especially when hotels are extremely busy, hotel managers need their staff to be fully on board and not leave the hotel scrambling to recruit new employees.

3. Team Player

Every hotel department has an important role within the hotel, so new hotel hires will need to be great team players in order for the overall success of the hotel. Hotel managers should ask their candidates questions about their previous team experience to determine how effectively and harmoniously they can work in a team.

Example Questions

• What makes a team function successfully?
• Can you tell me about a time you had a conflict in a team? How did you overcome it?

4. Great Communication Skills

Hotel employees will be communicating with a lot of different people all the time, whether that be with hotel management, fellow employees, or the many different guests that they interact with. Hotel staff should be able to communicate well both verbally and through writing, and they should also be active listeners. To truly succeed in the hospitality industry, great communication skills are essential.

5. Hospitality Experience

Hotel managers may not have the most time this year to teach new hotel hires how to do general things within the hospitality world, such as how to politely speak to guests. Therefore, it may be beneficial to look for a new hotel employee with some prior hospitality experience. This should be easy to determine from a candidate’s resume.

6. Problem Solving Skills

We all know that things can go wrong at times. When guest satisfaction is on the line, it’s important for new hotel employees to have the problem solving skills to mitigate any issues and address guest concerns as quickly as possible. Sometimes resources or additional help may be limited, so hotel employees will need to be able to think on their feet and effectively solve problems.

Example Question

• Can you describe a time when you faced an unexpected challenge with a guest?

7. A Positive Attitude

Having employees with positive attitudes not only improves the culture of the work environment, but it also affects how guests feel about their overall hotel experience. When guests speak to hotel employees with negative attitudes, guests may feel put off by that hotel staff member, which reflects negatively on the hotel itself. On the other hand, employees with positive attitudes represent the hotel well and are able to leave better impressions on guests.

Example Question

• Can you tell me about a time you dealt with a stressful situation at work, and how did you handle it?

8. They Must Love People

The hospitality industry is best fit for people who really like people and get along with people in general. Hotel employees interact with a lot of different people in their work, so they must have a general affinity towards people in order to provide the best service possible.

9. Ability to Multitask

Hotel workers are almost always busy. They have a million different tasks they need to take care of, such as bringing new towels to a certain room, sending room service over to another room, or teaching a guest how to turn the hot water on. It’s important that new hotel employees have the ability to multitask and complete all of their tasks in a timely manner, as guest satisfaction depends on how quickly hotels can address their questions or problems.

10. Eagerness to Learn and Grow

Of course, there are opportunities for professional development and growth, and candidates should show an eagerness to learn and grow in the role. Not only does their growth benefit the employees themselves, but it also contributes to the overall success of the hotel.

Example Question

• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  

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