How to hire exceptional hotel staff

The primary role of hotel staff is to ensure that guests have a comfortable experience during their stay at the hotel. These employees interact directly with guests to offer their services and maintain the hotel’s image and success.

Hotel staff can make or break an organization’s image since their actions directly affect guests. Hence, as a recruiter, you want to find candidates who can boost the customer experience and improve how your hotel is perceived.

To find the right hotel staff, you must understand the qualities and skills that make hotel staff exceptional.

In this article, we’ll tell you exactly what to look out for when recruiting applicants and describe an effective way to hire the best hotel staff for your business.

What makes hotel staff exceptional?

Spotting exceptional hotel staff during recruitment might not be as easy as it sounds. With almost two million people employed in the hotel and motel industry in the US in 2022, hotel staff are currently in high demand.

Exceptional hotel staff ensure that each customer has a positive experience at your hotel and leaves only positive reviews. They do this by paying close attention to how they handle each client. They make sure to keep their words, actions, and responses to the guest’s needs in check.

The best hotel staff respond to guests’ requests and needs quickly and competently. They maintain a professional yet friendly attitude toward guests and create a hospitable atmosphere to make them as comfortable as possible.

Additionally, outstanding hotel staff embody their organization’s culture and reputation while on the job. They understand how their actions affect the company and work to promote its success.

What skills do exceptional hotel staff possess?

Exceptional hotel staff require some vital skills to succeed in their work. These skills help them deliver their services efficiently to maintain your organization’s standards and reputation.

Some of these skills include: 

1. The ability to interact with people

Hotel staff need to be able to do far more than simply relate and converse with others. From restaurant staff to hotel managers, excellent hotel staff must use empathy and compassion while attending to customers. 

This will enable them to understand guests’ needs and requests and take note of their preferences when attending to them. Empathy helps hotel staff adjust their behaviors to suit each client they deal with.

2. Communication skills

Communication skills are crucial in hotel staff roles. Exceptional hotel staff use their communication skills to understand guests and provide clear and useful responses to any questions or requests they have.

Furthermore, communication skills include the ability to listen carefully to visitors as they speak and read their body language to determine whether they are satisfied with the services they are receiving.

3. Problem-solving skills

Hotel staff need problem-solving skills because they will encounter urgent and demanding problems on the job. They must apply critical thinking to solve problems as soon as they arise. 

Employees with problem-solving skills are more efficient and can handle different situations professionally, even without supervision.

4. Initiative

While working in a hospitality establishment, employees sometimes need to make decisions based on their instincts. Exceptional hotel staff rely on their knowledge and instincts to handle unfamiliar situations in the best way possible.

These hotel staff also take initiative when making demanding decisions. They consider the available solutions and determine which one best aligns with the company’s policies and standards.

5 steps to hire exceptional hotel staff

Without a solid recruitment strategy, it can be difficult to find candidates with the right skills. Moreover, given the increasing demand for hotel staff and the low unemployment rate in the hotel sector, it’s essential to have a reliable guide for your recruitment at your disposal.

A recruitment strategy consists of a series of steps that guide you along your recruitment journey.

Here are five steps to identify and recruit only the best hotel staff:

1. Define each role and its requirements

The first step to finding the right hotel staff for your business is defining each role and the skills candidates require to get the post. You’ll also need to determine the number of applications you’ll accept and how many people you’re willing to employ.

One major factor to consider in this stage is your budget. You need to take into account the average annual pay of hotel staff and how much you can offer for the role. 

This way, you can make adjustments where needed, and the applicants will know what to expect before they apply.

2. Draft a great job description

A perfect job description tells candidates all they need to know about the job and helps them decide whether to apply. Since it’s a crucial part of your recruitment strategy, you must draft the job description meticulously.

Taking time and care to publish a great job description helps keep underqualified applicants from applying. This, in turn, eases your recruitment process since you don’t have to spend time assessing candidates who don’t meet the requirements.

3. Thoroughly test candidates’ skills

The best way to assess applicants’ hotel skills is by using pre-recruitment tests in your hiring process. These tests save time by enabling you to evaluate all of your candidates at once and showing you their skills in action.

TestGorilla’s Hospitality test evaluates candidates’ skills and knowledge by presenting them with scenarios they are likely to encounter while working in a hotel. This test ranks each applicant according to their performance, making it easier for you to find the best candidate for the role.

4. Hold interviews

Job interviews enable you to learn more about candidates and their personalities. By holding interviews, you can learn more about applicants’ experience and how they react to certain situations.

After you’ve finished interviewing candidates, offer the job to the most qualified applicant right away. This will ensure that top talent doesn’t slip away or get scooped up by your competition.

5. Proceed with onboarding and orientation of recruits

Onboarding and orientation is the last step of recruitment. This stage serves as an official welcome to your recruit into your organization. In this step, you give the new employee more information about your company and train them for the role.

The key to hiring exceptional staff is a streamlined recruitment process

Pre-recruitment tests like TestGorilla’s Hospitality test assess candidates’ skills to help you find those who meet your organization’s standards.

Our tests are bias free and enable you to hire exceptional hotel staff without stress.

Take a look through TestGorilla’s test library to find tests that will bolster your recruitment process by evaluating candidates’ skills, personalities, values, and culture add.

You can start enjoying efficient recruitment by registering with us for free.