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I'd love to find a hotel job, but nobody wants to hire me. My skill set working mostly in offices doing both outbound telemarketing and taking inbound calls should easily transition into a hotel type position. I have also dealt with people face to face. I have done paperwork sent faxes, emails ect. Why do the hotels ignore me? I am interested. I believe I am qualified amd I am ready. I have also offered to step outside skill set and do housekeeping work if there is a chance to move into a different position once I prove myself. Still no responses and a Manger who interviewed gave me a whatever look when I met her in person. What do I do?
If you own a hotel anywhere in the country, I will move if you will consider me.
Hotel jobs are weird. I have over 6 years Front Desk experience in a different industry ( but similar to working at a hotel Front Desk) and I can't get a hotel job anywhere either. They also don't pay too well, so it's tough to survive on a hotel job depending on where you live.
Hawaii is hiring. They have many open positions for hotel jobs. HOWEVER, for every 1 job, they get a hundred applications. Of those half have experience in hotel work. Of those half will have more experience than required. of those half will also have experience in other types of hospitality positions, of those half will accept a lower pay to get the job...
Hummm, hire an inexperience person or wait a week and hire a person with more direct specific experience who can work several jobs if needed and do so with minimal training and maybe work at the lower end of the pay scale... Which would you hire?
First of all telemarketing experience is different from hotel customer service phone service. The intended outcome is different and therefore the approach is different. Hotels do usually have call centers that handle reservations but they are usually outsourced to call center companies. It's not the people working at actual hotels that take those calls. So having telemarketing experience isn't directly applicable in the way you imagine it is.
Second, working in a hotel is actually a career, and there are degrees in hotel and restaurant management that lead to those careers. Other degrees like business are also helpful. The hotel industry very much promotes from within, so most people even with degrees start as the night desk clerk or housekeeping and work their way up. So hotels are really looking for people whose application clearly shows that they have long-term potential. Even if you are just applying for a desk clerk position, they want to see that you have the education and background that can be used for positions of more responsibility.
Third, you kind of 'show your hand' by volunteering to do both housekeeping and office work. They are two completely separate things. Even in a 5-room bed and breakfast, housekeepers do not do office work, and office staff don't clean rooms. You would have more success if you demonstrate that you understand the organizational structure of a hotel by not trying to be an everyman.
Fourth, like tourism is very hard hit by bad economies, and hotels are struggling. You're going to have to work hard just like you would in any kind of occupation. You will be competing against people who have a lot of experience and are looking for work.
Since you are clearly not having success with applying for administrative jobs, I suggest you apply for a housekeeping job. That means cleaning toilets. No answering phones, no administrative work. Once you've done that for a year, you can apply for other positions. From housekeeping you can transfer to front desk clerk, then work your way up to supervisor and then front desk manager, director of housekeeping, assistant manager, and then general manager (if that's what you're looking for--note that it would take about 15 yrs experience to reach general manager; it's not something that happens overnight).
The skills required to work in a hotel are not regional and since you pretty much always have to start at the absolute bottom rung, there's no need to recruit from outside the the local area. I don't think you'll find anyone interested in relocating you. At least not until you reach the AGM or GM level.
I've done hotel work, be sure it's what you want, there's a serious pecking order and you're going to do the crap work whether you get hired as front desk or housekeeping.
Getting the job usually means going to the hotel in person (unless the ad says not to); this applies to online postings as well.
First of all telemarketing experience is different from hotel customer service phone service. The intended outcome is different and therefore the approach is different. Hotels do usually have call centers that handle reservations but they are usually outsourced to call center companies. It's not the people working at actual hotels that take those calls. So having telemarketing experience isn't directly applicable in the way you imagine it is.
Second, working in a hotel is actually a career, and there are degrees in hotel and restaurant management that lead to those careers. Other degrees like business are also helpful. The hotel industry very much promotes from within, so most people even with degrees start as the night desk clerk or housekeeping and work their way up. So hotels are really looking for people whose application clearly shows that they have long-term potential. Even if you are just applying for a desk clerk position, they want to see that you have the education and background that can be used for positions of more responsibility.
Third, you kind of 'show your hand' by volunteering to do both housekeeping and office work. They are two completely separate things. Even in a 5-room bed and breakfast, housekeepers do not do office work, and office staff don't clean rooms. You would have more success if you demonstrate that you understand the organizational structure of a hotel by not trying to be an everyman.
Fourth, like tourism is very hard hit by bad economies, and hotels are struggling. You're going to have to work hard just like you would in any kind of occupation. You will be competing against people who have a lot of experience and are looking for work.
Since you are clearly not having success with applying for administrative jobs, I suggest you apply for a housekeeping job. That means cleaning toilets. No answering phones, no administrative work. Once you've done that for a year, you can apply for other positions. From housekeeping you can transfer to front desk clerk, then work your way up to supervisor and then front desk manager, director of housekeeping, assistant manager, and then general manager (if that's what you're looking for--note that it would take about 15 yrs experience to reach general manager; it's not something that happens overnight).
The skills required to work in a hotel are not regional and since you pretty much always have to start at the absolute bottom rung, there's no need to recruit from outside the the local area. I don't think you'll find anyone interested in relocating you. At least not until you reach the AGM or GM level.
I repped you Kodoka! In the Hotel Industry 6 years + and the bold part is 100% on the money.
It is be a very fun rewarding job to have. requires patience, attention to detail and excellent communication skills. They do look to retain people, esp those that get great feedback from guests, And have problem solving skills. Before I started, I had 8 years retail, with 5 of those years store and regional store management. They do prefer heavier person to person contact experience. But being ambitious and willing to learn can get you in sometimes.
So with hotels hiring from within, and having to work from the ground up, how much does hotel experience in one hotel, help with applying to a different company in a different location?
Is it better to just apply to the hotel you want, even if it's higher end and start at the bottom, then to work up from a low end hotel to a mid range, and then a luxury hotel?
So with hotels hiring from within, and having to work from the ground up, how much does hotel experience in one hotel, help with applying to a different company in a different location?
Is it better to just apply to the hotel you want, even if it's higher end and start at the bottom, then to work up from a low end hotel to a mid range, and then a luxury hotel?
Usually luxury, 4 and 5 star require experience within said industry. 2 years at least for the luxury set, from my observation.
If you get an interview, a good thing to bring up is your goal of 110% guest satisfaction and willingness to be flexible regarding hours. Hotels reputation from both word of mouth and travel sites such as Tripadvisor are vital. Hotels are also 24/7 so being at work on thanksgiving and the like is required to "pay one's dues" and move ahead.
I was cleaning hotel rooms when I was in High School. It was kind of fun. It was a multi story hotel and my friend and I used to open all the rooms up and turn on MTV on full blast in every room. Of course we made sure there were no guests around. The pay was equivalent to maybe 3 or 4 bucks an hour but this was back in 1994 in Stockholm Sweden. My sister also did the same thing when she was is HS and one time some guy left her a six pack of beer and a bag of ships with a note that said ;
" thanks for keeping my room nice and clean. This definitely beats th Kumla"
Add: Able to work overnights on short notice on the applications.
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