Travelodge night receptionist interview

[mumjustmum]

Hi,

Just wondering if there's anyone out there who can advise me what to expect please from an inner city travelodge night receptionist role please?
It's advertised as 11-7 four nights a week, and I expect to do cleaning and laundry... but can I ask how much?
Any interview tips please?
I'm going to ring a couple of travelodges tonight in random cities to ask them about their role, but I'm asking here too

With regards to cleaning for instance.... surely if I'm hoovering bedrooms I'm waking guests!? The advert said to 'prepare the hotel for the morning shift'

I know nothing about this role!

But, have they said they expect you to do cleaning and laundry? I would expect to find a Receptionist at front desk at all times.

They can't be expecting you to prepare bedrooms, as the bedrooms would either be occupied by guests or have been cleaned by the housekeepers when guests left in the morning.
Maybe clean the Reception area?

@Leeds2 agreed, but the advert made me think otherwise...

Night Receptionist Team Member - Part Time - 32 hours per week
Travelodge is expanding and we have over 570 hotels. We pride ourselves in giving all of our customers unbeatable value and a quality experience. By joining us as a Night Team Member, you will be a big part of making this happen.

Your job will be to provide a warm welcome to our customers and to help prepare the hotel for the morning shift. It is likely that you will be required to support different departments with a variety of different tasks, this is a great opportunity for you to understand all areas of the business and how we operate.

At Travelodge we are passionate about supporting your development. All our Night Team Members have the opportunity to apply to our management training program after being with the company for three months. A large number of our current Hotel Managers, and even District Managers, started their careers as team members.

At Travelodge, we value your attitude and character as much as your experience. The behaviours that are most important to us are Care About People, Attention to Detail and Drive for Results. We respect the contribution made by every employee and always try to recognise those who go ‘above and beyond’.

As a Night Team Member you will also enjoy:

•	50% discount on rooms plus food and drink, as well as friends and family discount.
•	£50 Travelodge voucher on each work anniversary
•	Pension scheme totalling 8% (employer contribution 3%)
•	Discounts off many high street retailers and mobile phone providers such as Vodafone.

Working hours for Night Team Members are typically 11pm-7am.
(Due to the working hours you must be 18 or older to be considered)

I would think it would be more to do with helping guests - doing late check ins, and dealing with problems like people getting locked out their rooms or needing clean sheets. You will need good customer service skills. How are you at dealing calmly with drunk people?

@StarryStarrySocks I hope so. Not that I mind cleaning etc, just wanting to understand the role I'm being interviewed for. Drunk people, no problem, I worked in tons of bars in my 20's

Also maybe setting up for breakfast etc.

@Leeds2 I hope you're right!

@Leeds2 @StarryStarrySocks thank you, setting up for breakfast is a very good point and i of course wouldn't mind that at all. Good to point out that it's expected, thank you.

I read online reviews about working for travelodge, most were awful.... but one mentioned that they encourage you to call other travelodges for advice instead of manager, so I'll say that too

I dont think there will be any regular cleaning but you may have to do ad hoc cleaning if required such as something being spilled in reception or providing clean sheets etc if needed in the middle of the night. You will have to be able to think on your feet and also deal with drunk people, potentially violent people, people having arguments in the rooms also it is not uncommon for people to check in to hotels as somewhere to end their lives.

I would imagine questions will be along the lines of "Tell us about a time you provided exceptional customer service?"

You definitely won't be doing laundry (pretty sure this is outsourced) or cleaning rooms. It'll just be general tidying of reception or perhaps any emergency mishaps that occur overnight if there are no housekeeping staff present, and handing out spare towels / pillows / teabags / hairdryers etc. 'Getting ready for the day shift' probably just means making sure all the paperwork is in order ready for handover etc.

Any chance you can apply to one in a less lively area? Ie. Lytham St. Anne's rather than Blackpool

If it's similar to Premier Inn, when we stayed recently they didn't have someone on reception all night as it was mainly self check in with touch screens. The night receptionist was somewhere nearby and had been helping the cleaning teams as was in the time when lots of hotel staff were having to self isolate. I don't think she was hoovering, but changing beds and cleaning bathrooms that the daytime cleaning team hadn't got round to.

It sound awful as a role (the hours alone …. And they are presenting legal min of pension as a benefit which is shitty) and I can’t imagine this company paying a decent wage.

Surely there are better roles for you than this? (Unless you specifically want to work overnight.) there is a huge shortage of hospitality workers and you sound really switched on - be fussy about the role you take!

Sounds like could be good starting role, reception always have very experienced people in charge it’s not something can learn in 5min due to all situations that can happen in a hotel. Makes sense for junior member of staff to have other duties in small hours of everything else is quiet like hovering lobby, wiping bar area down, checking communal areas and clean and maybe extra covid cleaning.

Have stayed in lots of hotels, staff always very professional tidy polite and customer first approach. Away of safety issue for women like not shouting out your room number say and be firm with rules in hotel. “Sorry no we don’t have public toilets” is something they say many times a day.

@Schoolchoicesucks very helpful, thank you x

@Susannahmoody the city i live in is in Mumsnet terms 'naice', but I understand your concerns! My husband said the same

I visited a travelodge recently. There was only one person on reception at a time, so they had a mobile number for when the receptionist was away from the desk. I walked past the receptionist in the evening and they were in the housekeeping closet and was putting away clean laundry. They weren’t cleaning rooms but just sorting stuff for the morning.

Thanks @InTheNightWeWillWish

@Bootikin thank you, I used to be a large care home manager, and if it weren't for kids, I'm sure I'd be a regional director by now.
However, I just need something that suits my three under 3yrs (2.9 and 2X1.9) and my husbands job, so here I am.

I suspect you’ll have to fill up all the trolleys for house keeping with cups etc and fresh bedding and towels. Put the clean laundry away which takes ages as there’s always more than one linen cupboard

I just need something that suits my three under 3yrs (2.9 and 2X1.9) and my husbands job, so here I am.

I may be missing something but 11 until 7 doesn't seem like it would really fit with 3 under 3s to me.

@mayblossominapril I would never have thought of that, Thank you!

When I've been at travelodges the reception is usually unmanned and you have to ring a bell. And some poor harassed person comes along (who looks like they have been cleaning and doing laundry and anything else that needed done!)

Look up the role you're looking for on Glassdoor. People post thereabout their interviews etc