Hotel Manager

Hotel Manager qualifications to look for

A Hotel Manager takes charge of the day-to-day operations and activities in a hotel organization. They manage accounting, sales, business development, and customer service.

Your top hire will have extensive experience in the hotel industry, and a solid sales or food and beverage background. Your best candidates will hold an undergraduate degree in Hospitality Management or Business and have a marketing background if your hotel does its own marketing. 

Keep an eye out for candidates who have:

• Strong leadership skills
• Customer-service mindset
• Excellent attention to detail
• The ability to work under pressure
• Drive to increase sales and meet goals 
  

Top tip: Diversity is key to a thriving workplace. Keep an eye out for management and exec-level candidates from varying backgrounds and aim to eliminate bias from your hiring process.

Hotel Manager interview questions

• What do you know about our hotel? What would you improve?
• Tell me about the hotel you currently or previously worked for.  What was the capacity? Who were your customers? What were their expectations?
• How do you get up to speed on hotel operations when starting in a new position?
• How have you improved top-line revenue at your previous hotel? Explain. 
• How have you saved time or reduced cost at your current/previous hotel? What was the outcome? 
• How do you oversee the training of hotel staff? What are the steps you take to ensure your staff is well-prepared for their job?
• Describe a time you introduced a new policy to your staff. How did you get them on board with these changes? 
• How do you inspire loyalty and trust in your staff? How do you reward staff for outstanding work? 
• Describe a time you collaborated with your staff to improve the service of your hotel. What was the task and how did it improve your services? 
• Walk me through staff reports and occupancy reports.
• How do you prioritize maintenance tasks, such as repairs? How do you ensure that work is up to standard? 
• How do you support your staff when a large party is checking in, such as a team or wedding? 
• Describe a time you received negative feedback from a customer. How did you handle it?
• Have you had to make a round of layoffs at your hotel? If so, what was the process like? 
• How do reviews on travel sites impact your hotel? How do you respond to customer reviews? 
• How did your previous hotel handle guest complaints? What steps do you take to ensure guest satisfaction? 
• Describe a time you had to resolve a problem with an angry guest. What was the outcome? 
• Describe a time when your hotel wasn’t up to standards. How did you resolve the issue? 
• In what ways have you worked with your staff to go the extra mile to deliver great customer service? Give us examples.