Why open hiring mornings work for hotels
For roles where you need many people, such as housekeeping, service, breakfast, kitchen porters and reception, speed matters most. Many candidates for these roles apply to several employers at once and accept whoever makes a concrete offer first. A process with an online form, a phone screen, a first interview and a second interview easily takes weeks. At an open hiring morning, candidates come in at a set time, speak directly with a manager and quickly hear where they stand. You also see straight away how someone presents themselves, whether they arrive on time and how they deal with people. For guest-facing roles that often tells you more than a CV.
When it fits and when it does not
An open morning works well when you want to fill several similar roles at once, for example for peak season, after an expansion or when one department has several vacancies. It is also an easy way in for candidates who are not used to long written application processes.
For specialist and management roles a classic process is usually better. Think of a head chef, a sous chef, an executive housekeeper, a revenue manager or a general manager. There you want more time for an in-depth conversation, references and often a trial shift. You can invite such candidates to use the morning as a first meeting, but do not make the decision on the same day.
Preparation: room, time slots, scorecard and interviewers
The quality of the morning is decided in the week before. At least agree on:
• Which roles are open: per department the number of places, hours, shifts and start date. Candidates want to know, and interviewers must tell the same story.
• The room: a meeting room or a quiet part of the restaurant outside service hours, with a waiting area and separate tables for interviews. Not a messy back office behind reception.
• The schedule: work with time slots of, say, half an hour, with a fixed number of candidates per slot. That avoids a long queue at nine and empty tables at eleven.
• Who interviews: ideally the managers of the departments that are hiring, supported by someone from HR. Plan their shifts so they do not have to leave halfway through.
• One scorecard per role: four to six points, such as availability, experience, language, guest focus and attitude, with a simple score. That lets different interviewers compare fairly at the end of the morning.
How to invite candidates
An open morning only works if enough suitable people know about it. Combine several channels:
• Job boards and your own website: a short announcement with date, time, address and the roles you are hiring for.
• Local channels: social media, nearby hospitality schools and colleges, community centres and local employer networks.
• Existing applicants: people who applied earlier, just missed out or are in your talent pool.
• Your own team: ask staff to share the invitation in their networks.
State the time window clearly, whether people need to register in advance or can walk in without an appointment, and what to bring, such as ID and their availability. Let people who register pick a time slot, and keep room for walk-ins as well.
Running the morning: from welcome to interview
Candidates judge you on this morning just as much as you judge them. A fixed format helps:
• Welcome desk: a table with someone who greets candidates, takes their details and explains how the morning works. Provide water and coffee.
• Short introduction: a few minutes about the hotel, the departments, working hours and what you offer. You can do this per group so you do not repeat it dozens of times.
• Interviews of ten to fifteen minutes: fixed questions per role, time for the candidate's questions and the scorecard filled in on the spot.
• Optional short practical task: making a bed, laying a table or a short role-play at the front desk. Short, safe and without candidates doing unpaid productive work.
• Respect for guests: keep candidates out of the lobby and guest areas, use a separate entrance if possible and brief reception in advance.
Tell every candidate at the end when they will hear back, and stick to it.
Decide the same day or within 24 to 48 hours
The main advantage of an open morning is lost if you then go quiet for a week. Straight after the session, put the scorecards side by side with the interviewers and decide per role. Call strong candidates the same day or the next morning with a concrete offer: role, hours, start date and pay. Send those who are not selected a short, friendly message within two days. Ask strong runners-up you cannot hire now whether they want to stay in your talent pool, and agree when you will be back in touch, so you can approach them directly for the next vacancy.
Common mistakes
• No scorecard: by the end of the morning nobody remembers exactly who was who, and the choice comes down to gut feeling.
• Too many candidates per slot: long waits and rushed interviews, so good people leave early.
• Interviews in a messy room: a crowded office or a corridor next to the kitchen gives a poor first impression of the hotel as an employer.
• Vague about hours and pay: candidates who only learn later what the job involves still drop out.
• Slow feedback: anyone who has to wait for days takes the job that was offered first.
Checklist for general managers and HR
• Is it clear per department which roles, hours and start dates are open?
• Is there a quiet, tidy room with a waiting area, separate from guest areas?
• Are there time slots with a fixed number of candidates, plus room for walk-ins?
• Are interviewers scheduled and do they have one scorecard per role?
• Has the invitation gone out via job boards, local channels, the talent pool and your own team?
• Does every candidate know what to bring and when they will hear back?
• Are decisions and offers planned within 24 to 48 hours?
When AXXAZ Hospitality helps
AXXAZ Hospitality supplies reliable hospitality staff to hotels across Europe. If an open morning brings in fewer people than you need, or shifts have to be covered before new hires start, we fill the gap with candidates already pre-screened on availability, language and role, from a clear staffing brief. Get in touch.
In one sentence
Prepare an open hiring morning properly with fixed time slots, a tidy room and one scorecard per role, and decide within 24 to 48 hours so good candidates do not sign elsewhere.
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