Table of contents

1. Common Introductory and “Get to Know You” Questions
   1. Tell me about yourself.
   2. Why do you want to work in the hotel industry?
   3. Describe your role at the hotel where you are currently employed.
   4. Why are you looking to leave your current position?
   5. What is your greatest professional weakness?
   6. Where do you see yourself in the next __ years?
   7. What do you look for in a hotel/company?
   8. Why are you the best candidate for this position?
   9. What does hospitality mean to you?
   10. Are you a team player?
   11. What do you know about our hotel?
   12. Why do you want to work at this hotel?
   13. What types of people do you have the most difficulty getting along with?
2. Common Situational Questions
   1. Describe your worst day at work.
   2. Describe a time when you had to deal with an unhappy hotel guest. How did you handle the situation?
   3. Describe a time you had to disappoint a guest. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
   4. Let’s say your to-do list has five tasks and you only have time for three. How would you prioritize them?
   5. A guest asks you for a local restaurant and entertainment suggestion. Where would you recommend if they were a single business traveler, a young couple, or a family with children?
   6. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker. What did you do to resolve the situation?
   7. Are you comfortable working different shifts?
   8. What would you do if we received a guest complaint about your service?
   9. What would you do if you saw a co-worker stealing?
   10. How do you make guests feel welcome when they check in?
3. Common Closing Questions
   1. What are your salary expectations?
   2. Are you willing to relocate?
   3. What do you do in your free time?
   4. What questions do you have?

When interviewing for a hotel job, many of the questions are designed to highlight your ability to think on your feet, interact positively with a wide variety of people, and calmly handle stress. Of course, the interviewer wants to evaluate your current skills and experience to fit a particular job, but they’re also interested in your attitude, work ethic, and flexibility — all to ensure you can fit into the company culture and thrive as an individual and as part of a team.

Hotel job interview questions are typically open-ended. This will give you an opportunity to express your ideas, explain your decision-making process, and ultimately arrive at a solution to a problem. Whatever the question, take a second to think about the interviewer’s core intent. Then, give an honest, optimistic, and forward-thinking answer. In other words, here’s what you may have done in a given past situation, but more importantly, what would you do next time?

Common Introductory and “Get to Know You” Questions:

1. Tell me about yourself. This is a popular means of kicking off an interview and also a bit of a head-scratcher, considering the interviewer has presumably read your resume. Nevertheless, take a few minutes to chart your professional growth with anecdotes from your present job, past positions, and future career paths. So, for example, rather than talk about the sales training that you completed as part of your current front desk job, tell the story of how you helped a guest make a brunch reservation for their family at the hotel restaurant when they asked for dining recommendations and how your previous experience, working as restaurant waitstaff, provided you with insight on family dining.
2. Why do you want to work in the hotel industry? Regardless of whether you’re applying for a resort hotel, business hotel, or extended stay hotel, the hiring manager wants to know that you’re passionate about giving your guests the best possible experience. If you’re committed to providing superior customer service, he/she knows you will work hard to create loyal, repeat customers.
3. Describe your role at the hotel where you are currently employed. The response to this question should be similar to that of “Tell Me About Yourself” since the interviewer likely has your CV in front of him or her. So you’ll want to convey your professional growth in your current role through a few narratives that aren’t on your CV.
4. Why are you looking to leave your current position? Whatever your reasons may be – and no doubt there are negative aspects to your job that have prompted you to look elsewhere – be sure to frame this question with total positivity. In short, you’re looking for a new challenge that will allow you to learn something that your current hotel cannot provide.
5. What is your greatest professional weakness? You will always have a professional weakness. Saying you don’t have any is a lie, and the point of this question is honesty. But the question is also intended to draw out a response that demonstrates how you strategize when faced with a challenge. So, for example, if you struggle with public speaking, mention the steps you might be taking to improve upon this.
6. Where do you see yourself in the next __ years? They’re not necessarily looking for you to have your whole life mapped out. Things change quickly and we need to pivot with them, but this helps them see how serious you are in your career, and if there is a path for you at their company. You can say something like, “I see myself growing in this position and taking on more responsibility to one day grow into a leadership position.”
7. What do you look for in a hotel/company? This will help them determine if you fit their company culture and teams. Focus your answer more on the values and mission statement here, and when possible, add examples of how they are supporting those. For example, saying something like, “I look for an employer that values diversity, and I was impressed that your company has different employee resource groups to support and educate your team members.”
8. Why are you the best candidate for this position? Try to go beyond the “hard” skills listed on your resume. Think about the job description as well as what you’ve learned about the hotel’s culture, mission, and current needs. Then use your response to emphasize your compatibility and ways you will use those skills to help them tackle their challenges.
9. What does hospitality mean to you? This is another version of “Why Did You Decide on a Career in Hospitality?” Again, avoid the pitfalls of clichés and make it about why you’re well suited to the industry.
10. Are you a team player? This is a common question in many different industries, especially in the hotel business. You need to back up your answer with examples. Provide some teamwork examples and focus on what you’ve learned about being a successful teammate, working with a typically diverse group of people in a hotel, and how you handle conflict.
11. What do you know about our hotel? Be sure to go to the hotel’s website and at the very least read the “about us” section, and look for any press releases or recent news about the company. You don’t have to go into detail about what you’ve learned in your research, but be sure you are able to talk about the culture, market niche, and any special services that are unique to the hotel (is it a spa? conference center? resort? etc.).
12. Why do you want to work at this hotel? This is the logical follow-up to the “what do you know about our hotel” question. You can build on what you know about the company and express what you like about it or how you see yourself fitting in with its culture and values. This is a good time to show how you identify with their target market, specific services, or location.
13. What types of people do you have the most difficulty getting along with? This isn’t about pointing fingers at a specific group: the hiring manager wants to see how you handle a difficult situation and ensure that you can communicate with those individuals. A good answer would include mentioning a specific trait that you find frustrating and explaining how you would go about building a rapport with that person.

Common Situational Questions:

1. Describe your worst day at work. This is a good opportunity to highlight what a team player you are. For instance, housekeeping was short-staffed on a day when a large group was checking in and so you volunteered to stay late so you could help turn over rooms. It made for a very long and tiring day and vacuuming for hours isn’t fun, but the group was able to check in without incident.
2. Describe a time when you had to deal with an unhappy hotel guest. How did you handle the situation? When presented with situational interview questions like this one, it’s important to create a clear and concise answer that describes the problem you encountered, the steps you took to address it, and the ultimate solution. Stay positive and show that you learned something from the situation whenever possible.
3. Describe a time you had to disappoint a guest. What was the situation and how did you handle it? Keep in mind that not all guest problems can be solved. Hotel employers want to hire someone who can empathize and remain professional even when they’re faced with an impossible task.
4. Let’s say your to-do list has five tasks and you only have time for three. How would you prioritize them? Whatever your hotel position, there is guaranteed to be days when you cannot complete everything that needs to be done. Hiring managers want to see that you have the ability to analyze the situation and think clearly when under pressure.
5. A guest asks you for a local restaurant and entertainment suggestion. Where would you recommend if they were a single business traveler, a young couple, or a family with children? Front desk agents and concierges are not the only hotel staff guests turn to for advice. Before any interview, make sure you’re familiar with local attractions and think about those that would best appeal to a variety of travelers.
6. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a coworker. What did you do to resolve the situation? Hotels employ a diverse spectrum of personalities as well as nationalities. Regardless of your position, teamwork will often be required. The hiring manager wants to select a professional who can work well with others even when they don’t see eye to eye.
7. Are you comfortable working different shifts? The interviewer is interested in knowing how flexible you are here, so it pays to be honest. If anything is fine, then yes, you can work any shift, even if you don’t really want to; if you have a constraint, you need to speak up and let him/her know when you cannot be available.
8. What would you do if we received a guest complaint about your service? No one wants to hear that a guest was unhappy with you, but hotels are always looking for repeat business in the future. You have to be willing to: listen to the complaint fairly; be open to their point of view; offer a genuine apology, figure out what solution will make them happy, and act on it right away.
9. What would you do if you saw a co-worker stealing? In a hotel, trust, and security are critical and guests must feel certain that their privacy or property will not be violated in any way during their stay. You need to find out the hotel’s procedure for reporting this type of incident and emphasize your understanding of how important it is, to be honest, and care for the hotel’s reputation. Of course, you would never gossip about the incident and would remain professional with the rest of the staff.
10. How do you make guests feel welcome when they check in? A smile and a warm greeting are so important. Take the time to make a little conversation about where they’ve come from or what event they’re attending; it lends a personal touch to the interaction. Ask if the guest has any special requests or would like recommendations for local restaurants or activities. Let them know they’re welcome to ask at any time for whatever they need and you’re genuinely happy to assist them.

Common Closing Questions:

1. What are your salary expectations? Do your research. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is a good place to start. Then present a relevant range, while also conveying flexibility. However, don’t skew toward the low end of the range as undervaluing yourself can imply that you expect your next employer to undervalue you too.
2. Are you willing to relocate? Relocation is often a path to advancement in a large hotel chain. It’s important to be honest, but it may help to have a bit more information. If you determine a move is possible in 2 years, how will that fit into your plans? Once you find out some details, it may make it easier to answer this question.
3. What do you do in your free time? The answer here should point to the fact that you’re a team player. So rather than focus on solo activities, cast light on sports groups and volunteer organizations that you might be involved with or even a group of friends who take turns hosting a monthly dinner.
4. What questions do you have? Be sure you have a few questions to ask at the end of the interview. This isn’t just about wanting information, it lets your interviewer know you’ve spent time thinking about the job and want to ensure a good fit. You want to impress them with your insight and develop some rapport. Be sure to limit your questions to things you cannot easily read on the website. For example: Is there anything else I can tell you about myself that will help in your decision? What opportunities for advancement are logical from this position? What do you like most about working here?

Hotel job interview questions come in different shapes and sizes, but the 27 listed here should help give you confidence in what to expect. Above all, be true to yourself and come prepared. It will give you the confidence and calm demeanor we all strive for in an interview setting. And remember to stay positive. We all go through tough experiences. We all get frustrated. An interviewer will try to tap into these emotions and see if you can showcase positivity and growth rather than negativity and retreat.

And be sure to check out our current listing of hotel jobs.