Why exit interviews often produce nothing
In many hotels the exit interview is a formality during the last shift: hand in the keys, return the uniform and a quick question about why someone is leaving. The answer is almost always the same: a better job, more money or closer to home. Sometimes that is true, but it is rarely the whole story. The schedule, the supervisor or the workload in one department seldom comes up in a conversation like that. Without honest information, the same departure repeats itself.
Schedule it at the right moment
Do not hold the interview on the last working day. By then the person is focused on saying goodbye and mainly wants to avoid friction. A moment during the notice period works better, when the decision is final but the employee is still part of the team. Plan half an hour outside the shift, in a quiet room, and say beforehand what it is for: learning, not persuading.
If you still want to try to keep someone, do that in a separate conversation, earlier. An exit interview that is secretly a counter-offer will not get honest answers.
Have someone other than the direct supervisor lead it
If the supervisor is one of the reasons for leaving, you will not hear it from the employee while that same supervisor is sitting opposite them. Have the interview led by HR, the general manager or a head of another department. Agree what happens with the answers: what is shared, with whom, and whether names are attached.
Questions that get honest answers
• When did you start having doubts? This often points to a specific moment: a schedule change, a new supervisor or a busy period without extra hands.
• What could have made you stay? Ask about things the hotel itself can change, not only pay.
• How did the schedule work for you? Split shifts, short-notice changes and too few or too many hours are common reasons in hotels.
• How was working with your supervisor and colleagues? Ask for examples, not a score.
• What would you tell a friend who wants to apply here? This question often gives the most honest picture.
• What does your successor need to know? Practical knowledge about the department, guests and systems that would otherwise be lost.
Above all, listen. Do not argue or explain why things are the way they are. Write down what the employee says, in their own words.
What to do with the results
One exit interview is a story; ten exit interviews are a pattern. Record the answers briefly and in the same way, for example by department, role and main reason. Review them every quarter alongside staffing levels and turnover. If people keep leaving housekeeping after their first summer, or the front desk after a change of supervisor, you know where to start.
Link one or two concrete actions to the findings and tell the team what you are changing. That shows the conversation leads somewhere, also to colleagues who are still in doubt.
Common mistakes
• Skipping the interview when it is busy: people leave during peak season, and that is exactly when you learn the most.
• Only asking about pay: money is easy to name, but rarely the only reason.
• Leaving answers in a drawer: without a fixed place and a quarterly review, the information disappears.
• Forgetting the goodbye: people who leave on good terms sometimes come back or refer someone they know.
Checklist for general managers, HR and department heads
• Is the exit interview scheduled during the notice period, not on the last day?
• Does someone other than the direct supervisor lead it?
• Is it clear beforehand what happens with the answers?
• Do you use the same set of questions every time?
• Do you record the results by department, role and main reason?
• Do you review the patterns every quarter and link actions to them?
When AXXAZ Hospitality helps
AXXAZ Hospitality supplies reliable hospitality professionals to hotels across Europe. If a departure leaves a gap in the schedule, we use a clear staffing brief (role, period, hours, shifts, languages and start date) to find people who fit your team while you work on the cause. Get in touch if you need to fill a role.
In one sentence
Schedule the exit interview during the notice period, have someone other than the direct supervisor lead it, ask fixed questions about the schedule, teamwork and the moment doubts began, and review the results every quarter so you can prevent turnover where it starts.
Read more — Insights
