Hotel Front Desk Agent Interview Questions

What Makes A Good Receptionist

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST / FRONT DESK AGENT Interview Questions and Answers Tutorial!

Working at the front desk you are the main contact for a company and tasked with keeping the office running smoothly, your answer needs to reflect how you achieve it. For instance, you can say that a good receptionist acts as a valuable resource that can be trusted by employees, has outstanding organisational skills, is positive and friendly even in stressful situations, and understands the power of first impressions.

Why Do You Want To Work At This Hotel

Your interviewer will want to know why you’ve expressed interest in working with them. Is it because they’re a world renowned hotel chain? Do you like how it’s an independent hotel and has it’s own personal charm? Before you go to the interview, make sure you have an answer prepared for this question, it’s a very common question.

Example Answer: As Hilton is a world renowned brand I was really interested in applying for t

he vacancy. I have stayed at the Hilton hotel in London a few times and I’ve always enjoyed my stay, I appreciate the high quality service it offers.

Describe A Situation In Which You Delivered Exceptional Customer Service

This interview question is an opportunity for you to emphasize your customer service talents. Your answer can also tell interviewers about your creativity and leadership skills. You can use your past work experience to answer this question.

Example:”When I worked in a retail clothing store, I had a customer who was returning an online order because the clothing she received was defective. The company I worked for was very quality-focused, so this was a frustrating situation for the customer. In response to the issue, I refunded the customer’s order and offered her a gift card for the inconvenience. She was so happy with my response that she wrote a glowing online review for the store.”

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Tell Me About A Time You Worked With A Challenging Person

There may be times when you have to work with a challenging guest or coworker. Employers ask this interview question to make sure you have the interpersonal skills to overcome these situations. When explaining your situation, use the STAR method. With this method, you explain the following:

Situation: The event that took place.
Task: What you needed to do to overcome the challenge.
Action: The actual actions you ended up doing.
Result: What the final outcome was.

Example:”One time, a coworker and I were supposed to help the housekeepers fold some towels. My coworker got upset and refused to help. This meant that the housekeepers and I had a lot of work to do. I knew I needed to do something to change my coworker’s attitude. I calmly asked this coworker to talk privately in the hallway.

I explained to her that although folding towels isn’t in our job description, we can be nice and help. I helped her see a new perspective by explaining that the housekeepers do a lot of extra work to make our jobs easier. After a few minutes of talking, my coworker apologized for her initial response. She worked extra hard to fold more towels than anyone else. From then on, she became more eager to help others.”

How Would You Handle An Upset Guest

Hotel front desk receptionist interview questions

Front desk employees at hotels commonly diffuse situations with disgruntled guests and help solve problems. Interviewers asking this question want to know how you respond to conflict at work, so you can form an answer that reflects your past experience with handling dissatisfied customers.

Example:”When I worked as a waitress and bartender at a restaurant, I occasionally experienced upset customers. Once, the restaurant had staffing issues that made the wait times for food and drinks longer than usual. When a customer expressed their frustration at the wait times, I would listen to their complaints and respond with empathy to help diffuse their tension. In response to customers’ inconvenience, I would offer them free dessert. In the end, the upset customers felt heard and appreciated the extra food I offered.”

Question 5 What Drew You To Work In Customer Service

You want to make sure that youre not just a pitstop in someone elses journey. The key to retaining great employees is to hire great employees. If you go with the promote from within mantra you will make sure that youre only hiring ROCKSTARS. Dont hire just for the sake of filling a position. Hire with the goal to nurture this person so they can be tomorrow where you are today.

What Do Front Desk Receptionists Do

Front desk receptionists perform a variety of administrative tasks while being helpful to clients or visitors of the company. Some of the main duties of a front desk receptionist include:

Accepting packages
Effectively communicating with clients and staff
Greeting guests
Completing documentation
Access and security

A front desk receptionist is the first person from the organization that a guest will meet, so the employer needs to hire someone who can positively represent the organization.

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What Is A Concierge

There are specific job roles you will only find in a hotel and some interviewers will be interested to see how much you know about hotels and how they work. Spend the time to research and understand the different hotel jobs.

Example Answer: A concierge is responsible for helping guests book tours and trips, they can give advice on the best places to visit.

How Do You Prioritize Your Tasks During Periods Of High Activity

HOTEL RECEPTIONIST FRONT DESK AGENT Interview Questions and Answers Tutorial!

What you want to hear: Hotel Front Desk Agents are typically multitasking between guest service and administrative duties. During holidays and events, the pressure can dramatically increase. Your candidate should be able to explain the techniques theyve used in the past to effectively handle high levels of activity.

Red flag: Just winging it wont do! Your Hotel Front Desk Agent must be organized and focused to succeed in the role. And listen for where the candidate prioritizes guest when managing their activities. A candidate who does not appear to place the guest at the top of their list under all circumstances is a risk for poor customer service.

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How Would You Deal With An Upset Guest And Their Complaints

Front desk agents will often need to deal with upset guests given their position as the first person most will see when entering the building. This means they will need to stay cool under pressure and respond well to criticism and complaints. The ideal candidate will have good communication skills and a talent for deescalating situations. What to look for in an answer:

Excellent customer service and communication skills
Conflict resolution and de-escalation abilities
Independence and confidence in their ability to handle guests

Example:

When dealing with upset guests, I always want to use a friendly but neutral tone of voice. Id try to solve whatever problems they were having to the best of my ability and validate their concerns, asking if theres anything else Id be able to do after the issue is resolved to hopefully leave a good impression. If they had any complaints or advice on how to improve in the future, I would make a note of them and pass them along to whom it may concern.

Interview Questions By Sector

Do you have experience working in a hotel? Why do you want to work for this hotel? How do you keep yourself organized? What skill do you consider most important while working as a hotel receptionist? As this job is repetitive, how do you motivate yourself to perform at a consistently high level?

Why Do You Want To Work As A Front Desk Agent

Try to point out your strengths, talking more about things you want to bring onboard than about things you want to take from them. You can say that you have excellent communication skills, find it easy to recognize the needs and wishes of other people, connect with them, and basically make them feel good in your presence.

Whats more, you are skilled with MS Office and good around computers in general. After reading the job description, and envisioning the typical day at a front desk of their hotel, you find the job a perfect match to your personality, preferences, and strengths. Of course, you can talk also about former experience with similar jobs, and your desire to stay in the field.

It is also important to show some enthusiasm for the position, for this type of work. Try to avoid sounding desperate, saying something of the sort that you need any job to pay the bills and keep your head above the water. Though it may be the case, and you certainly arent the only one, it is not good saying such things in an interview

Interview Questions For Front Office Assistant:

Office front receptionist acts like a face to the company and is responsible to provide a good impact on the customers or visitors

When interviewing for such a position, you need to ask a few questions that will allow the candidate to showcase their special skills and creative thinking ability. Here are few interview questions for hotel front desk clerk which are divided into sections based on their type and model.

Question 10 Describe An Experience Where You Received Positive Feedback From A Customer

Remember, youre looking for a rockstar. Candidates who have already received a slew of positive comments are excellent for this position. On the flip side keep an eye out for poachers. Sometimes area hotels will send their A performers with a story why their quitting their current job. You dont want to hire someone just so they can access your guest list and then hand it to your competitor.

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What Parts Of The Hotel Front Desk Agent Role Do You Enjoy And Dislike

What you want to hear: Over time, some of the hotel front desk tasks may become repetitive. Listen for how the candidate views the tasks they enjoy and dislike. Do they dislike a particular task that is central to the role as youve defined it? A strong candidate is always eager to improve on their individual performance and perfect their skills over time.

Red flag: Revealing a level of boredom with routine tasks is a red flag. While some parts of the job description can be changed, the major duties must be a good fit with your chosen hire.

Questions About Experience And Background

FRONT DESK AGENT INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (Part 2 of 2)

Below are questions an interviewer can ask about your experience and background for a hotel front desk position:

Do you have experience working in hotels or hospitality?
What is your experience with using point-of-sale systems?
What other experience do you have in customer service?
Are you familiar with this area or neighborhood?
How has your last job prepared you for working in a front desk position?
How do you think your skills will fit with this company and team?
What motivates you to work?
What are your greatest strengths?
What is your greatest weakness?
What makes you qualified for this position?
What have you learned from your education that you could apply to a job working the front desk?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
What is your dream job?

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Fronk Desk Interview Questions

Question: In your opinion, what are the most important qualities a hotel front desk clerk should have?

Explanation: This is a general question the interviewer will ask early in the interview to start the conversation, learn more about your background, and collect information they can use throughout the interview. The interviewer is expecting you to talk about the qualities you have. This also provides you the opportunity to move the interview in a direction with which you are comfortable.

Example: First and foremost, a hotel front desk clerk should be a people person. They should enjoy engaging with the public and be service-oriented. Their main goal should be to provide hotel guests with an exceptional experience which will lead to their satisfaction and recommendations for other guests. They should also be efficient, detail-oriented, and able to work under stressful conditions.

Question: What contributions do front desk clerks make to the success of the property?

Explanation: By asking this question, the interviewer is seeking to confirm that you understand the importance of a front desk clerk. It would be best if you talked about being the first face of the hotel each guest encounters and your ability to influence the guest experience.

Question: Can you describe how you prioritize your time and duties while working at the front desk during high-occupancy periods?

Question: How would you respond if a guest asked you for directions to a restaurant close to the hotel?

How Do You Ensure That Guests Feel Welcome Upon Arrival

What you want to hear: A strong candidate will cite techniques such as establishing eye contact, smiling, engaging as soon as the guest approaches the desk, and speaking in a clear and relaxed manner as highly effective ways to greet your guests.

Red flag: Take note if your candidate is utilizing these techniques in your interview. How they speak to you in a stressful interview setting is likely how they will speak to your guests as well.

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What Were Your Responsibilities In The Previous Front Desk Office Job

This one could be a great opportunity to speak about some of the nitty-gritty bits of your old employment experiences. You must also focus on the duties and responsibilities that will mostly relate to the position you are hoping to get.

When you are speaking about your responsibilities, you must always remember to stay positive. You dont have to reflect on any of the previous experiences in a poor manner.

One of the best ways in which you can get ready for this question is by simply looking at your resume and look at all the responsibilities you have listed. Think of how you can elaborate and speak on each point. You must also focus on the instances and the accomplishments that have helped you.

Detailed Questions For A Hotel Front Desk Agent

Top 10 hotel front office manager interview questions and answers

To acquire a better idea of your talents as a hotel receptionist, hiring supervisors may ask the following questions:

How would you keep yourself motivated to stay alert throughout lengthy shifts?
How would you protect our visitors’ privacy?
How do you keep yourself organized?
What would you do if a visitor became agitated?
Do you have any prior hotel industry experience?
Do you have experience in hotel management?
What kind of value would you provide to our group?
What would you do if a guest came to you with a complaint?
How would you entice visitors to come back?
What would you do to help visitors feel more at ease?
Why do you think working front of house is vital?
Have you had a front-of-house position in the past?
What would you do if a customer claimed to have a reservation, but couldn’t locate anything on your system?
What methods do you use to stay productive?

Why Are You Applying For This Job And Leaving Your Current Position

This is a very common question. In case you have been terminated, you should answer this question in a positive manner. You should never leave a bad impression by saying something bad to a former employer. Also, you should say that you love having challenges in your life and the time has come for you to broaden your perspective and accept bigger and better challenges.

You should also speak of your previous experiences. Also mention that that the previous employer and you both have decided that it was best if you start looking at a few new opportunities that will fit your talents, abilities, and skills. You are also confident that this opportunity is an excellent fit. You have a lot of experiences and ideas that could be brought out to the table to be discussed.

Without A Supervisor Present How Do You Make Key Front

There will be instances when a front desk employee will have to make judgments about how to operate the front desk without the assistance of a boss. Dealing with these scenarios is a sign of a competent employee, as it demonstrates that they have the quick-thinking abilities required to make sound judgments. Finally, a decent response should underline that choices get made in the guests’ best interests.

Example answer

“A few visitors came at the hotel at the last minute, requesting a modification in the sort of accommodation they had reserved.” While this isn’t generally permitted, I made an exception because we had plenty of room at the time.”

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