Top 30 Hotel Receptionist Job Interview Questions and Answers

Roles and Responsibility:
Hotel receptionists are responsible for helping guests to make reservations, welcoming people to the hotel, answering questions and meeting the needs of guests during their
stay. Receptionists are expected to be friendly, professional, responsive and able to multi-task. Become a hotel receptionist by gaining office and hospitality experience, and
showing potential employers that you can provide excellent customer service.

Alerts:
Before applying for the receptionist job, you need to focus on some key areas in advance. These are:

• Understand the job description
• Prepare to work for a variety of shifts
• Be courteous
• Get well-balanced education
• Possess excellent listening skills
• Obtain experience in office and front desk functions
• Sharpen your customer service skills
• Keep up with computer software and technology
• Put together a hotel receptionist resume that reflects your education and experience.
• Research as much as possible of the hotel you are applying for .
• Learn a foreign language. Being able to communicate with international guests will help you get a job as a hotel receptionist.
• Talk to hotel receptionists about their jobs a professional will be able to tell you about their daily work, and can give you some advice on how to become a hotel receptionist,
• and what skills and strengths you will need
• Practice greeting your interviewer.

And here are the Top 30 interview questions and answers which you must need to know in advance, so you'll able to practice your answers to the most common interview questions.

1) Why did you choose receptionist as your career out of many others?
Ans. For those who are people lovers and who have a good level of communication skill, working as a receptionist can be a very good thing. First answer the question naturally
without sounding rehearsed and build confidence for starting the interview. You may say that 'I would like to work as a receptionist as I enjoy working with the public and feel
I can overcome any problems they may have and I have good organisation skills'. Even you can mention your all skills(acc.to job requirement)that can be your communication skills,
,computer skills, strengths, customer service skills etc.

2) According to you what is the most important skill that is required for receptionist?
Ans. The most important skill that is required for receptionist is excellent communication skills along with good organisational skills, positive attitude and friendly nature at all time. As a receptionist is the first who contact a person makes with a hotel, so it is very important for receptionist to give a good first expression. Being polite and behaving in professional manner will help to solve the customers problem easily. Along with this you may say that dependability is one of the professional traits that a receptionist must have, because opening the counter on time and demonstrating a responsive attitude are essential characteristics that employees and customers come to expect.

3) How long will you work for our hotel if hired?
Ans. When you respond, be sure to frame your answer so that it's positive. Let the interviewer know clearly how much and why working for them is very attractive to you so you may say that you want to stay for a long time as long as your presence is beneficial for your hotel and guests as well as mine.
For example you may say:

• I would like to pursue my career here for as long as I have the opportunity to.
• I would like to remain employed here for as long as my services are needed.
• I like new challenges and a chance to grow. As long I keeping getting these, I don't think I'll need to switch over.
• This hotel has everything I'm looking for. It provides the type of work I love, the employees are all happy, and the environment is great. I plan on staying a long time."

4) How will you convince an unsatisfied guest of our hotel?
Ans. The good answer to this question is can be that you would definitely approach an unsatisfied or angry customer/guest with smile, try to stay calm and positive and uncover the reason why he was unsatisfied or behaved offensively. Once you uncovered this reason, you would try to solve his problem, or call an experienced staff member to help you.
Good receptionist wouldn't be afraid of unsatisfied or angry guests. They simply belong to this job. The best way to ultimately make unhappy guests happy is to convince them that you are working in their behalf to resolve any problems, and that you are not interested in taking on an adversarial position.
You can share some guidelines with your interview that how you used to handle unsatisfied guest in your past job or you can some points like:

• By accepting full responsibility for resolving any open issues.
• Be gracious in accepting blame wherever it is justified.
• By assuring them that you will be providing them with  a final resolution as soon as possible and then follow up as promised.

5) What is your typing speed when using word processing software?
Ans. This question sound general but it's not. Typing Skills are more Important Than Ever! Today interviewers use the term ? typing skills? but they're really talking about? keyboarding? skills. Minimum typing speed of 40 words per minute with excellent verbal and written communication skills is required in receptionist job. And speed and accuracy can only come from training your fingers to know the exact location of every key on the keyboard so for this you need to practice it as much as possible. Your interviewer wantto know how fast you can type and how organized you are and for answering this question you may say that your typing speed and skills are very good, and constantly improving.Typing come naturally to you, you have always been good at multi tasking. And forget to mention your typing speed which must be between 38-50 WPM(word per minute).

6) How would you organise your schedule?
Ans. In this interviewer is expecting that how you would be organised and efficiently handle changes in your schedule. In you answer you may include that how you manage your daily workload with some examples from previous employment experiences where your organizing abilities have shone through. Add some following points to make your answer more effective i.e. you would manage databases and create reports, manage information by telephone, fax and email messages, guest arrangements and Organize paper work and maintain electronic files such as presentations and spreadsheets.

7) What do you think are the responsibilities of the receptionist in hotel ?
Ans. Basic research of hotels will help you more for answering this question. Basic responsibilities of hotel you can mention in your answer are :

• Make guests feel welcome, manage room bookings (also known as reservations)
• Dealing with bookings by phone, e-mail, letter, fax or face-to-face
• Completing procedures when guests arrive and leave
• Dealing with special requests from guests (like booking theatre tickets or storing valuable items)
• Dealing with complaints or problems
• Choosing rooms and handing out keys
• Preparing bills and taking payments
• Answering questions about what the hotel offers and the surrounding area.
• Show your full knowledge in short that how much you aware about the working of hotel.

8) In what languages you can speak?
Ans. As you will need to deal with international guests also so you have to learn foreign language as I mentioned earlier. So if you have learnt any new language or want to learn a new one you can mention that in your answer .If no then say it, you need to be honest here so it will not create any issue in future.

9) Why do you want to work in our hotel?
Ans. Impress the interviewer by expressing your interest in hotel profile and by demonstrating your enthusiasm to work for the hotel. You may say that you trust this hotel to be the best place to utilize your experience and skills for the benefit of the hotel. Mention the aspects that what you liked most about the hotel.
For example you may also say that :

• You are one of the leading hotel and I want to work with the best. It will help you to utilize your skills, knowledge in an effective and efficient manner.

10) As job is repetitive. How would you encourage yourself to work well regularly?
Ans. This is your opportunity to tell your potential interviewer what keeps you focused. You may include in your answer :

• Living a healthy life-style. Eating the right foods and drinking lots of water in the office can have a big impact on your concentration levels.
• Motivating others and promoting a positive atmosphere in the hotel.
• Breaking your workload up into daily or hourly targets to ensure that the next small success is never too far away.

11) What makes a good receptionist?
Ans. As we already discussed above about some unique qualities which can make a receptionist good. These are:

• Excellent written and spoken communication skills
• Patience and tact
• The ability to use computerised technology effectively
• Good problem solving skills
• The ability to stay calm under pressure and look after several things at once
• Strong customer service skills
• The ability to adapt to different guests
• A friendly and professional telephone manner.

You not only need to mention these qualities but also need to learn these qualities so you will be able to prove yourself good and better then others.

12) What are your strong points as receptionist?
Ans. This question will help polishing your qualification, your skills to the requirements of the inetrviewer.Provide persuasive answers to the question of the interviewer about
strong points, You do not only state your strong points to the interviewer but must also provide evidence for them by giving examples of our past achievements. And Your answer
should highlight a strength such as "handling customers and clients," "organizing an appointment book," or "problem-solving." Pick one, then illustrate it with specific details
relevant to the job. You will want to point to a strength that pertains to the job. You may include some strong points(similar to job requirement like:

• Your friendly nature
• Your communication skills
• Your patience level

13) Why do you think you are perfect for this position?
Ans. First understand the role ,then highlight how your skills, experience and personal quality match this. Show them not only that you are qualified for the job but also confident to make the different by taking the challenges that the job offers. You can take this question as an opportunity to talk again about your qualifications, credentials and psychological strengths that can benefit this position. For example:

• I think i do well in this job because my education and knowledge gained from my college life is suitable to this job and will be beneficial for the hotel too.
• I think that I'm meeting (or almost meeting) all the required qualifications, skills for this job.

14) Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
Ans. With a little preparation you can turn this question around and demonstrate the benefits to the hotel if you are given the job, rather than purely focusing on why you want it. So avoid saying like ?I can't find anything else and I really need a job?, even though that may be the case. That sounds frustration. State that I am are very well qualified for the position. Even if I m overqualified for this job it is better for your school as well as me for future prospective. Overqualified person does not lose, he stays ahead of
others. For example:

• According to me None are over Qualified for any kind of Position, Instead they can Learn Much More Things and makes them to move forward.
• No, Sir I don't think so. Because I am always a learner and my learning never ends. So At any instances of time I get myself upgraded and try to promote myself and adapt to the working environment. So I am not over-Qualified.

15) How would you measure your performance on this job?
Ans. Performance appraisal has become a continuous process by which an employee's understanding of a company's goals and his or her progress toward contributing to them are measured. Performance measurement is an ongoing activity for all managers and their subordinates. This is quite straight question, discuss about the key performance indices against which your performance was rated. This also shows your suitability for the position. You may say that the performances can be measure as set of goals that achieve by person in his life. Performances measured by achieving self-satisfaction with our work. So I feel satisfaction is the measure of performance.

16) Why should we select you ?
Ans. Be ready to explain why an interviewer should pick you for the job, This question will deal with your ability to sell yourself. Here you need to think of yourself as a product and why should the customer buy you? Give them the valid reasons. The best way to answer this question is to make a short list of your qualities, skills similar to the job profile you are aiming at in a paragraph that would point out the positive aspects that you would bring to the new job position. Show up your good organisational skills and excellent communication skills to the interviewer. Just give your interviewer strong reasons to hire you.
For example you may say:

• I am enthusiast and willing to work with a long commitment. I learn quickly and work smartly. With strong determination and sincerity towards my work I will contribute my best to achieve the organizational goals.
• All I'm asking right now is for you to give me a chance where I can showcase my talent and skills. And in return I'll do whatever it takes just to be the best on everything you would have wanted me to do. Assure you to give my 100% and not to bring you down.
• As I know very well you have a great list of candidates all are very good and talented, but I know that I am best for your hotel due to my hard working, sincere, dedicated,well disciplined nature apart from this honesty which is most important quality for any employee and I will be proved definitely asset for your hotel.

17) Are you comfortable working in different shifts?
Ans. Interviewer want to check your flexibility in working different shifts so you need to be honest here in this question. And if you don't have any issue then you may say that yes, you are comfortable if the company demands or Yes, I'm comfortable.( Even if u don't like to u have to because it's manageably risk).

18) Who are our main competitors?
Ans. Interviewer wants to check that how much you know about their competition and whether you have done the necessary research or not and do you have anything to contribute that will provide an advantage for their company. For answering this question effectively you need to research about the hotel as much as possible. And Make sure during your research, you also investigate the competitors of the company you are interviewing for, then only you will not face issue for giving answer.

19) When you can join our hotel if hired?
Ans. This can be a common question to be asked at the end of an interview. It feels like a simple question, but it really isn't. So before answering this question think about what you absolutely need and what you would like. So the best response is to convey a willingness to start working as soon as possible. However, if you do have another job while you're in the application process for a new one, you need to be tactful in how you answer.

20) What would you do if a guest complaint about your service?
Ans. Unhappy guest are bad news for any company or hotel, and it only takes one of them to shatter a perfectly good day at work for everyone. Whatever the cause, unhappy customers are still our guests and our hope for future business, and we want them happy again. So you may say that you would :

• Listen to the customer, and do not interrupt them.
• Thank the guest for bringing the problem to your attention.
• Sincerely convey to the guest your apology.
• Determine what the guest is seeking as a solution.
• Act on the solution with a sense of urgency. Guest will often respond more positively to your focus on helping them immediately versus than on the solution itself.

21) Tell us about your computer skills?
Ans. The most common software currently being used for office work is word processing software like Microsoft Word, spread sheet software like Microsoft Excel, and presentation software like Microsoft Power Point. So its important for you to improve your skills with these basic programs. Then only you will be able to answer about your computer experience in relation to your job function. You can mention all your computer skills you have learnt(related to job requirement) in your answer to impress your interviewer with your computer knowledge. You may say that "you are proficient with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point. You are  very comfortable using these programs and have a lot of experience doing so."

22) What do you know about MS OFFICE ?
Ans. Interviewer in looking for advanced skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access in applicants as it is very important for receptionist job. Tell them what you know
about Ms Office, what tasks you can actually perform in MS Word, Excel and form what time you are using MS OFFICE(it will show that how much you are familiar with Ms Office).
Here your answer needs to be concise, credible and supported. Just show them your proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

23) When faced with difficult problems, are you able to offer up solutions on your own or do you wait for someone?
Ans. Say, first you will try your best to solve the problem as much as possible and if you fail then only you will take help from your seniors. Here you also need to show up your problem solving skills to your interviewer. And you may include some problem solving skills like You are an original thinker and have the ability to go beyond traditional approaches or You adapt to new/difficult situations and devise ways to overcome obstacles.

24) What do you know about our hotel?
Ans. The interviewer wants to know if you've done your homework or not. So before going for interview you need to collect information about hotel as much as possible, go through the hotel's web site. Use search engines to research the hotel & individuals. Look for their mission & how they describe themselves. Look at Glassdoor and Indeed to see what employees say. Share all the positive aspects you know about that hotel including their achievements, awards etc. And don't be predictable, be unique. Show your interest in the hotel.

25) Tell us about your ability to work under pressure and how much stress you can handle?
Ans. Show them your ability to work under pressure by your effective answer. The interviewer is looking to identify that do you understand the effect pressure and stress has on you and are you sufficiently robust to be able to take them in your stride. First it is essential  that you fully understand what the difference is between pressure and stress because many people use the two terms interchangeably. Being under pressure is a matter of having significant demands made of you. Pressure is largely a positive force and a motivating factor for many people. On the other hand, stress is not so positive. Stress occurs when the pressure you are under exceeds your ability to effectively meet the demands being made of you. The key to formulating your answer to this question is to seize this as an opportunity to talk about a situation or an occasion where you were under pressure and you how rose to the challenge. Try to avoid talking about an occasion when you were totally stressed out but do acknowledge that you understand stress and are able to deal with it appropriately.
Sample answers:

• All jobs in the world has a pressure, pressure is a part of work. Once you had passed by, you always will gain experience to improve yourself to manage every situations.
• I can handle most situation without feeling pressured. I take everything as an opportunity to test my own limits.
• I can do work under pressure, when you feel like pressure, you need to concentrate on your work, Don't think about pressure, just take it easy and one thing is the most
• important for us, A Person should love with work.

26) How would you describe yourself?
Ans. Here you answer will decide that are you fit for the position you are applying for or not. Tell them what you like, your skills which helped you to achieve things or in what things you are perfect and can be beneficial for hotel. but when you respond, keep in mind the type of position you are interviewing for, the hotel culture, and the work environment. And always speak positive about yourself. You may say that you are someone who:

• Has a high level of motivation to work here. You have studied the entire hotel history and observed its business strategies.
• Takes work ethics very seriously. You do what you are paid for, and you do it well.
• Communicates extensively. Good, bad or ugly, you believe that open communication is the most important factor to reach an efficient organization.
• Works enthusiastically. I have enough motivation for myself and my department. I love what I do, and it's contagious.

27) How much you want to get paid for this job?
Ans. Before you start talking pay (and salary negotiations) with a prospective employer, you need to find out how much the job (and you) are worth. You will need to take the time to research salaries. That way you will be prepared to get what you're worth and to get a job offer that's realistic and reasonable. And don't be afraid to identify a salary you think you deserve. You need to be realistic but you shouldn't have to work for less than what you are worth. You have a unique set of skills and experience that will be the perfect match for the right role and the right employer. When you find that role, you deserve to be paid fairly for it.
For example you can answer:

• Actually sir, I am more interested in my role instead of salary. I would expect appropriate salary as per my role and responsibilities.
• I am not looking for great salary. I just want to increase my knowledge and skills. Salary I am looking that as per company norms which fulfill all my necessary needs.

28) Tell us about your weaknesses ?
Ans. For your weaknesses, be honest about them but be sure to emphasise that you learned something from them (and try to explain how you learned from them or how they made you a better person).If you have a readily apparent weakness, discuss how you've addressed it and why it won't be an issue in the job. Here you can discuss non-essential skills also. For example you say like:

• Being organized wasn't my strongest point, but I implemented a time management system that really helped my organization skills.
• I care too much about my work.
• I am too much of a perfectionist.

29) Why do you think that people choose our hotel?
Ans. Interviewers will love to hear good things about their hotel. So share with them the hotel's strong points. Visit the hotel website to know their specialties. After that only you will be able to honestly compliment the most positive things about hotel to impress your interviewer.

30) Do you have any questions for us)
Ans. First prepares you for questions to ask the interviewer. An interview isn't just about responding to the prospective interviewer's questions; it is an opportunity for you to impress the panel with examples of your foresight regarding the position they are offering. By asking questions, you can also determine if the fit is right. It shows your interest in the position, and helps to develop rapport. But only ask questions about which you cannot get answers to through your research.
You may ask :

• I would like to know more about specific responsibilities and also about growth prospects within the company.
• Is there anything else at all that I can tell you about myself to help you in your decision?
• What kinds of advancement opportunities are there for someone in this position?
• What would you say employees like most about working here?

ALL THE BEST!! :-)