Hotel concierge interview questions
Hire the hotel concierge who asks before recommending, knows what's open in town this week, keeps every guest's whereabouts private and never lets a vendor's perk steer the advice. Ten questions, a role-play at the desk and one reference call show those habits, so a warm manner alone doesn't win the job.
What this hire must get done
Write the scorecard before you interview, then hire against it. Set the bracketed targets from your own numbers.
MissionTurn guests' plans into bookings that happen as promised, with honest advice and their privacy protected, so they rate the stay higher and come back.
- Every request logged with a promised time and either closed or handed off in writing by [shift end], with [your target] done on time by month [two].
- Pre-arrival contact for every [VIP and celebration] on the arrivals list, with their bookings confirmed [a day] ahead.
- A recommendation list checked in person or by phone [every season], with closed or changed places pulled within [a week].
- Concierge satisfaction at [your target] and bookings for the hotel's own outlets at [your target] by the end of month [six].
- No guest's room number, presence or plans shared with anyone but the guest, confirmed by [your test calls or audits].
What to tell candidates before the interview
Say the hard parts plainly. People who wouldn't stay drop out early, and the ones who stay knew what they signed up for.
- Give the real schedule: [7 a.m. to 3 p.m. or 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.] lobby shifts, including weekends and holidays, in uniform.
- Explain how pay works: [hourly rate], guest tips, and any bonus tied to bookings in the hotel's own outlets.
- Say your policy on vendor gifts, invitations and referral fees before the interview, and that you expect it followed to the letter.
- Tell them management backs the desk when a guest or visitor gets aggressive or crosses a line, and say who to call.
How to run the interview
- Same questions, same order. Ask every candidate the questions below and the same follow-ups. It is the only way to compare people fairly.
- Two interviewers. An owner or manager and someone who does the work. Take notes on what the candidate says, not on how you feel about them.
- Score right after each answer. 5 sounds like the strong answer, 3 like the mixed one, 1 like the weak one. Use 2 and 4 for answers in between.
- Rate alone, then compare. Compare candidates question by question, and talk only after everyone has scored. Big gaps are worth a conversation.
Hotel concierge interview questions
10 questions, each tied to the scorecard, with follow-ups and what a 5, 3 and 1 answer sound like.
A couple stops at your desk and asks for the best restaurant in town for tonight. Walk me through what you ask before you suggest anything.
It shows whether they fit the plan to the guest or hand everyone the same famous name.
Follow-ups
- What would change your suggestion completely?
- When would you suggest the hotel's own restaurant, and when wouldn't you?
- What do you give the guests once it's booked?
- 5Strong
- Asks about the occasion, food likes and allergies, budget, the feel they want and how they'll get there. Offers two or three fits, the hotel's own restaurant among them when it suits, says why, mentions dress codes, books it and gives a written confirmation with the address and travel time.
- 3Mixed
- Asks a few good questions and suggests places that fit, but skips allergies or transport, or gives no written confirmation.
- 1Weak
- Names the most famous place in town without asking anything.
Tell me about a guest whose plans you changed because something they mentioned didn't fit what they'd asked for.
Great concierges listen past the request, and a real example shows whether this one does.
Follow-ups
- What did the guest say that made you rethink it?
- How did you raise it without overriding them?
- How did the plan turn out?
- 5Strong
- Gives a specific case, like a guest who wanted a full-day tour but had a late flight the night before, raised it tactfully, offered a better fit, and the guest chose it and enjoyed it.
- 3Mixed
- Noticed the mismatch and mentioned it, but booked the original anyway without offering a better option.
- 1Weak
- Books exactly what's asked, every time.
It's [Saturday at 4 p.m.], rain just started, and a family with [two] young kids wants something to do until dinner. Give me three options near here and how you'd confirm each before sending them. If you're new to the area, tell me how you'd find them.
It tests local knowledge and the habit of checking, and a candidate new to your town can still show how they'd find good answers fast.
Follow-ups
- How would you check that each one is open right now?
- How long is each trip from here in the rain, and how do you know?
- What's your fallback inside the hotel?
- 5Strong
- Gives three indoor options that suit young kids, named places if they know the area or a quick search plan if not. Confirms hours, rough cost and travel time on the venue's site, by phone or on a map before sending the family, and adds a fallback inside the hotel.
- 3Mixed
- Has sensible ideas and a fallback, but would send the family out without checking hours or travel time.
- 1Weak
- Offers vague ideas, like a museum, with no way to check them, or picks places that don't suit young kids.
Tell me about a place you stopped recommending. What told you it had slipped, and how did you check?
Keeping a list current means taking places off it. A candidate who never has hasn't been checking.
Follow-ups
- Who told you first, or what did you notice?
- How did you confirm it yourself?
- How did you tell the rest of the desk?
- 5Strong
- Names the place and the warning sign, like a chef leaving or two guests' complaints, went back to check, pulled or changed the listing, and updated the shared list for the team.
- 3Mixed
- Pulled it after several guest complaints, but didn't check it themselves or tell the rest of the desk.
- 1Weak
- Can't name one, or still recommends places they haven't visited in years.
A guest wants a table for two tonight at a restaurant booked solid for [two weeks]. It's for a marriage proposal. What do you do?
The sold-out request is the test of contacts, options and honesty about the odds.
Follow-ups
- What do you tell the guest while you're trying?
- What's your backup, and when do you offer it?
- When do you call the guest back?
- 5Strong
- Calls a contact at the restaurant directly, asks about cancellations, bar seats or a later time, and tells the guest the honest odds. Lines up a backup that fits a proposal, sets a time to confirm, and calls back either way.
- 3Mixed
- Tries the restaurant through the booking app, offers a good alternative, and calls back, but never uses a direct contact or checks again for cancellations.
- 1Weak
- Says it's full and leaves it there, or promises a table before one is confirmed.
A guest wants front-row seats to a sold-out show tonight and tells you to find them online, whatever it costs. What do you do?
Ticket requests mix fees, resellers and fakes, and the guest is trusting the desk with all three.
Follow-ups
- Where would you look, and where wouldn't you?
- What does the guest hear before you buy?
- What do you charge the guest beyond the ticket price?
- 5Strong
- Uses the box office, contacts or a reputable seller, warns about fake tickets, and tells the guest the full price with all fees and the exact seat location, including any obstructed view, before buying with their OK. Adds nothing for personal gain.
- 3Mixed
- Finds real seats from a reputable seller and gets the guest's OK on the full price, but doesn't describe the seat location or view.
- 1Weak
- Buys from any site without checking, adds a markup for themselves, or promises seats before having them.
Tell me about a time a restaurant, tour company or car service offered you something for sending guests its way. What did you do?
Vendor perks are a daily part of the job. You want to know whether they disclose them and keep advice on merit.
Follow-ups
- What did the offer look like?
- Who did you tell?
- How did you make sure it didn't sway your picks?
- 5Strong
- Describes the offer, followed hotel policy, told the manager, disclosed any approved fee the way the hotel required, and can name a time they sent guests elsewhere because it fit better.
- 3Mixed
- Followed policy and told the manager, but can't say how they kept the offer from shaping their picks.
- 1Weak
- Took it quietly, or sees nothing wrong with sending guests where the perks are best.
A visitor says they're surprising their spouse, a guest here, for an anniversary. They know the guest's name, show you a photo of the two of them, and ask for the room number. What do you do?
It's a friendly-sounding request that could lead someone dangerous to a guest's door, and the answer shows whether privacy holds under charm.
Follow-ups
- What exactly do you say?
- What can you offer the visitor instead?
- And if they keep pressing, or settle in to wait in the lobby?
- 5Strong
- Warmly says the hotel can't share who's staying, without hinting either way. Offers to pass on a message or gift if there's a guest by that name, and lets the guest know privately that someone asked. Calls security or the manager if the visitor keeps pressing, and logs it.
- 3Mixed
- Keeps the room number and the guest's presence private, but gives a flat no that leaves the visitor with no next step, like leaving a message.
- 1Weak
- Gives the room number or confirms the guest is staying.
Late in your shift, a guest comes to the desk shaken. Their wallet and phone were taken on the walk back from dinner, and they think someone followed them toward the hotel. What do you do?
In a crisis the concierge is often the first hotel person a guest sees. You want calm, safety first, then practical help.
Follow-ups
- What are your first three moves?
- Who else at the hotel do you call?
- What happens with the room key that was in the wallet?
- 5Strong
- Moves the guest somewhere quiet and safe, asks if they're hurt, calls 911 or security as policy says, at once if they're hurt or the person may be close. Offers to call police, has the room re-keyed, lends a phone to cancel cards, logs it and checks in next day.
- 3Mixed
- Gets the guest somewhere safe, calls security and the police, and has the room re-keyed, but leaves the rest to the guest: the cards, a phone to use, and no check-in the next day.
- 1Weak
- Tells the guest to call the police themselves, handles it in the busy lobby, or goes outside to look for the person.
Tell me about a request you passed to the next shift that still fell through, and what you changed in your own handoffs afterward.
Handoffs are where concierge promises break. You want someone who changed a habit after one did.
Follow-ups
- What did your note say?
- How did the guest learn of it, and how did you make it right?
- What goes in your handoff note now?
- 5Strong
- Owns their part, made it right with the guest, and now writes every handoff with the guest's name, what was promised, by when, who to call and the backup, and confirms the next shift has read it.
- 3Mixed
- Fixed it for the guest, but puts the blame mostly on the next shift and hasn't changed their own notes.
- 1Weak
- Blames the other shift, or says it's never happened.
Work exercise: work three requests from the desk
Hand finalists a made-up local guide: [eight] restaurants, a tour company and a car service, with hours, prices, vehicle sizes, lead times and a note that one restaurant pays the hotel a referral fee. Play [two] guests: a couple wanting an anniversary dinner tonight, one of them allergic to shellfish; and [five] people needing an airport car at [5 a.m.] with [eight] bags. Then hand over tomorrow's arrivals, with [two] celebrations noted, and ask for a pre-arrival message to each. Allow [20] minutes, with log notes.
What to look for
- Asks before suggesting: the occasion, the allergy, the budget and how the guests will get there.
- Catches what the guide hides, like a closed day or a car too small for the bags.
- Recommends on fit, and handles the referral fee the way your policy says.
- Writes short pre-arrival notes that offer specific help and ask what the guests want, instead of assuming.
- Logs each request with what was promised, by when, and the backup.
Use made-up materials, never real customer work, and keep it to the time shown. Follow your own safety rules for anything hands-on.
Reference check questions
Tell finalists you'll call a former manager, and get their permission first. Ask about what they did, not whether they were nice.
- What did guests say about them in surveys or letters, by name? Any complaints?
- When a request fell through, what did they do? How good were their handoff notes?
- Did they ever handle a privacy or safety problem, like someone asking for a guest's room? What happened?
- How did they handle vendor offers and invitations? Would you hire them again?
Questions to skip, and what to ask instead
Ask only what the job needs. Questions that touch age, health, family or pay history can break federal, state or local law, even when you mean well.
SkipIs English your first language?
AskPut it to all candidates alike, and only for languages the job needs: many of our guests speak [language]. Could you book a dinner and give directions in it? Then hold a few minutes of the interview in that language.
SkipYou'd be on your feet all shift. Any health issues?
AskUse one script for everyone: this role involves standing at the desk, walking guests through the hotel and carrying packages up to [20] pounds. Can you do each of those, with or without reasonable accommodation?
SkipDo you have kids? Weekends and holidays are our busiest.
AskThis job includes [weekends and holidays], on [morning or evening] shifts. How would that work for you?
SkipWhat were your tips like at your last hotel?
AskHow was the concierge job paid where you've worked: hourly, tips, booking bonuses? This role pays [range] plus [tips and bonus]. Does that work for you?
Common mistakes when hiring a hotel concierge
Hiring for charm alone
Most concierge candidates are warm and polished. Fewer call back on every request, know what closed last month or refuse a visitor's friendly ask for a room number. The role-play and the references show you the difference.
Never asking about vendor perks
Restaurants and tour companies court the concierge desk. If you don't ask candidates how they've handled offers, you'll find out after guests have been sent somewhere for the wrong reason.
Hotel concierge interview FAQ
What should I ask a hotel concierge in an interview?
Ask what they'd find out before recommending dinner, how they'd chase a sold-out table, how they'd answer a visitor asking for a room number, and how they've handled a vendor's offer. Then play two made-up guests, hand over an arrivals list and a made-up local guide, and watch what they ask and write down.
Can a concierge tell a caller whether a guest is staying at the hotel?
No law sets one rule, so put yours in writing. Many hotels neither confirm nor deny that someone is staying, and offer to pass on a message instead. The code Les Clefs d'Or USA sets for its own members asks them to protect every guest's identity and confidentiality. Send police or legal requests to the manager on duty.
Should I hire a concierge from outside hotels?
Often, yes. Restaurant hosts, tour operators, event planners and front desk agents bring useful contacts and habits. What they may lack is your area's depth and hotel privacy rules, so lean on the local-knowledge question and the role-play, and train the privacy rules on day one.
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