A candidate who still lives in another country, a cook who only has time between two shifts, a supervisor who would travel three hours for a first meeting: in hotel recruitment, a video interview can save a lot of time and drop-outs. But not everything that matters in a hotel role shows on a screen. Read when a video interview works, how to set it up simply and fairly, and what you still test on site.
31 October 2026
Hotels increasingly recruit candidates who do not live around the corner: from another region, another EU country or another hotel where they are still working shifts. A first interview on site costs those candidates half a day or a whole day. If they also wait a long time for an invitation, they drop out. A short video interview lowers that threshold without changing the rest of your selection.
A video interview works best as a first or second interview after a phone screen: you want to test motivation, experience, availability and communication, and the candidate wants a picture of the hotel and the role. It also suits candidates coming from far away, see recruiting from other EU countries, candidates currently working rotating shifts, and supervisory roles where a second interviewer, for example the general manager, would otherwise struggle to join.
For roles where manual work and pace matter, such as kitchen, housekeeping, restaurant service and bar, a conversation on a screen says little about how someone works. Sooner or later these roles need a short, supervised trial shift or a tour. Before making an offer to a supervisor, it is also wise to meet at least once in the hotel, with the team present. Decide in advance, per role, which step may be remote and which may not.
A workable order for many hotel roles is: respond within one or two working days, short phone call, video interview of twenty to thirty minutes, then trial shift or on-site interview, then references and offer. The video interview does not replace a step; it takes the travel out of the first round. Keep the number of rounds limited; every extra round lengthens the process and increases the chance the candidate signs elsewhere, see also applicant response time.
Send one link that opens in the browser or on a phone without an account or installation. Many hospitality candidates join from their phone, sometimes during a break; that is fine. Put the date, time and time zone, the interviewer's name, the expected length and a phone number in case the connection drops in the invitation. Test your camera, sound and the link beforehand, and do not call from a busy front desk or noisy kitchen.
Candidates who work in hospitality often only have time early in the morning, between two shifts or on their day off. Offer two or three concrete times, including outside office hours if you can. For candidates in another country, state the time in both time zones to avoid misunderstandings. Plan ten minutes after each interview to complete the scorecard straight away.
A video interview is not an informal chat. Use the same interview questions by department and the same scorecard as on site, so you can compare remote and on-site candidates fairly. Agree who leads the interview and who takes notes, and keep it to two interviewers at most. Read the CV beforehand; leafing through papers is more noticeable on screen than at a table.
Situational questions work as well on video as at a table: what did you do when two colleagues dropped out during breakfast? How did you calm an unhappy guest on the phone? Also ask concretely about availability, commute or relocation plans and the desired start date. If you want to test a language, hold part of the interview in that language, at the level the role really requires; see language requirements in hotel hiring.
On video you do not see how someone works under time pressure, how they work with colleagues or how carefully they make up a room. Fill that in at the next step, with a trial shift or practical task on site, and with reference checks. The candidate, in turn, does not see the hotel. So briefly show the workplace, be honest about rotas and busy periods and, where relevant, about staff accommodation.
Do not record video interviews by default. If you do consider a recording necessary, do so only with the candidate's explicit consent, requested in advance, and in line with the data protection rules that apply in your country; seek advice if in doubt. Do not ask for identity documents on camera and do not save screenshots. Keep only your notes with the application, just as for an on-site interview, and delete them according to your normal retention period.
Assess the content, not the technology. A stuttering connection, a phone that tilts for a moment or a call from a small room says nothing about how someone will work in your hotel. Do not let the background or living situation play a role either. Offer candidates without a good connection an ordinary phone call as an alternative, and give everyone the same time and the same questions.
At the end, tell the candidate what the next step is and when they will hear from you. Decide on the next round within one or two working days. If the candidate fits, schedule the trial shift or on-site interview straight away and then quickly make a complete job offer. If they do not, let them know properly and in good time.
Can I hire someone without seeing them on site? For some roles that is possible, for example a candidate coming from far away with strong references. For most operational hotel roles a short trial shift or tour beforehand is wiser, because you see how someone works and the candidate sees what they are starting.
How long should a video interview take? Twenty to thirty minutes is enough for most roles. For supervisory roles it can be longer, but then plan a second interview rather than one very long session on screen.
Which software should I use? The software you already use that works for the candidate without an account or installation. A good invitation, a test beforehand and a phone number as fallback matter more than the software.
• Is it settled per role which step may be remote and what you test on site?
• Does the link open without an account or installation, also on a phone?
• Does the invitation state date, time, time zone, length, interviewer and a callback number?
• Do you use the same questions and scorecard as for on-site interviews?
• Do you test language at the level the role really requires?
• Do you avoid recording without explicit consent and keep only notes?
• Do you assess the content and not the connection or background?
• Does the candidate know afterwards what the next step is and when they will hear from you?
AXXAZ Hospitality supplies hotels across Europe with reliable hospitality professionals. While you interview candidates remotely and on site for a permanent role, we fill open shifts in your departments. It starts with a clear staffing brief.
In hotel recruitment, a video interview saves time and drop-outs if you use it as a first or second interview with simple technology, the same questions and scorecard as on site and clear agreements on privacy, and then test what a screen cannot show in a trial shift or on-site interview.