Hotel Management and Operations Interview Questions & Answers

Question 1. What Do You Mean By Hotel Management?

Answer :

Hotel management refers to specialized management techniques used in the hospitality sector. It includes hotel administration, accounts, marketing, housekeeping, front office, food and beverage management, catering and maintenance.

Question 2. What Skills Are Required For This Post?

Answer :

Because a job in hotel management has much to do with keeping visitors happy thus people who are at this post must possess excellent communicational, organizational and interpersonal skills. They should be excellent in computer and must know different foreign languages. A good hotel management employee must be able to work successfully in team as well as individual work environment.

Question 3. What Is An Ideal Job According To You?

Answer :

Well, for me work environment and level of responsibility is most important. I would like to work in a fun, warm environment where individual works independently towards attaining team goals. I am not concerned about minor elements, such as dress codes, cubicles, and the level of formality.

Question 4. How Do You Handle Angry And Irate Customers?

Answer :

You can say that dealing with all kind of customer is part of my job. I am a very cool and calm person so I am least affected by the negative feedback of customer. However, I make effort to handle them carefully by managing their grievances. I usually apologize for the mistake and inform them that I will do everything possible to correct it.

Question 5. What Do You Think It Takes To Be Successful In A Hotel Like This?

Answer :

I think that determination, willingness to work hard and a hunger to excel in everything you do are some of the key attributes required for this position. A successful employee would also need to handle pressure well, be a great communicator and an excellent team member.

Question 6. What Is Adding Value?

Answer :

Adding value can be defined as adding extra item, image, product or service, which adds value to the product. For example a good-looking receptionist adds to the quality of hotel, a garnish on food adds to the value of the food. It can be service tool, service staff, environment, image of the owner or chef, etc. Travel agency adds value to the quality of hotel or vice versa.

Question 7. Explain Adventure Tourism, Attraction, Amenities, Back Of The House.

Answer :

• Adventure tourism - to convert the adventure into pleasure for the purpose of tourism business
• Attraction - Anything/object/activity, which attracts tourists and attach with it.
• Amenities - Extra facilities, service added with attraction, accessibility and accommodation to create tourism. It includes trust, friendship, hospitality, etc
• Back of the house- Staffs who are not directly involved in providing service. Guests rarely interact with them

Question 8. What Is Continuously Rendered Service?

Answer :

Continuously rendered services are those services, which are prepared and provided only to the customers who are physically present. This kind of service is not finished in instant time; it is a process, which is extended to a time limit. It is a kind of face-to-face interaction. For example reservation service, restaurant service, massage, etc

Question 9. Define The Terms: Excursionist, Front Of The House, High-touch Service

Answer :

• Excursionist: This term is used for the temporary visitors, who do not even stay for twenty- four hours in a hotel.
• Front of the house: This term is used for the staffs who are directly involved in providing services to the guests in the hotel. For example receptionist, bellboys, gatekeeper, etc.
• High-touch service: These are those services which are already prepared but the customer receive it only when he wants. For e.g. room reservation, fast food, printed information, housekeeping service, etc

Question 10. Explain Hospitality In Terms Of Hotel Industry?

Answer :

Hospitality actually means, “taking care of guests in the best possible way".

• Organizing, providing services and looking care after guests is included in it.
• It means friendly and generous treatment of guests.

Hospitality industry includes all companies involved in providing services for guests. They provide more mental satisfaction than tangible objects.

Question 11. Explain The Terms Intangibility, Inseparability, Perishability, And Point Of Contact In Hotel Management?

Answer :

• Intangibility: It can be explained as services, which cannot be seen, tested, felt heard or smell or measured before they are delivered and received by customer. For example, travel experience, trust, confidence, hospitality, satisfaction, etc.
• Inseparability: To receive the service customer must be personally and physically present at the point of delivery. Customer cannot be separated from the point of delivery. Service is available at the Point of service Delivery (POD)
• Perishability: Perishable services are those services, which cannot be stored. Unused service of a particular day cannot be sold next day or in advance.
• Point of contact: Place, item, product, staff, service customer contact to receive service. It can be building, service environment, delivery items, staffs, follow travelers which they contact and receive positive or negative feelings.

Question 12. What Is Product Formation, Service Brigade And The Moment Of Truth?

Answer :

• Product formation: It can be defined as putting different products and services together to form a product for the satisfaction of customer. For e.g. Hospitality is a product formation which is not made from a single item.
• Service brigade: Team of staffs involved in providing service
• The Moment of Truth: It is the actual time when customer interacts with service staff. It is the moment of contact when no management has control. It is the motivation, skill, tools of the service and expectation, behavior, expectation of the customer determines the quality of the service.

Question 13. What Is The Difference Between Sun Lust And Wanderlust In Terms Of Hotel Industry?

Answer :

There is no much difference as both are desire to travel. Sun lust can be defined as travelling in search of sunshine/Adventure activities/Outdoor activities whereas wanderlust is the desire to travel far away and too many different places to explore those places.

Question 14. Explain: Variability And Village Tourism?

Answer :

• Variability - Services are highly variable. The quality of service depends upon how, when where and who provides them. Each time customer receives different levels of satisfaction from the same level of service; same food gives different test to different people.
• Village tourism - To utilize village and villagers for the purpose of tourism. Tourism managed and operated by villagers for the villagers. Tourism managed and operated by villagers for the villagers.

Question 15. How Hotels Can Be Classified?

Answer :

Hotels can be classified on the basis of:

• service and supplementary
• facilities or service (Star / Crown / Diamond )
• Location.
• number of rooms,
• types of clients,
• length of stay of clients, (Star/Crown),
• economy,
• Management.
• Plan.
• Chain
• Partnership, Franchise, Marketing, and Management

Question 16. What Do You Understand By Accommodation?

Answer :

Accommodation can be defined as a place to stay overnight. There are two types of accommodations namely serviced and unserviced. Some of them are directly related to tourism and some of them are not directly related to tourism but they provide overnight stay facility for the travelers. Service accommodations provide housekeeping facility.

Question 17. What Do You Understand By Catering?

Answer :

Catering refers to food and drinks whereas catering industry refers to hospitality industry that provides foods, drinks and in certain section accommodation also. Catering establishment is an organization, which provides food with an objective to satisfy its customer. It includes two aspects;

• one food and beverage
• Other is service.

Question 18. What Are Different Types Of Accommodation?

Answer :

There are two types of accommodations, which are mentioned below:

• Service accommodation: This type of accommodation provides housekeeping service. Here service is provided to earn profit.
• Supplementary accommodation: This type of accommodation is not related to tourism and not registered as business organization also. They neither provide housekeeping facility nor they sell their service but they provide accommodation facility.

Question 19. Explain The Importance Of An Organization?

Answer :

Organization is actually a process of combining the work of individuals or groups to fulfill a common goal of an enterprise. In a business organization, activities carried out to earn or produce asset or profit. It may be trade, commerce, industry or service.

Question 20. What Are The Different Types Of Rooms Exist In A Hotel?

Answer :

Various types of rooms in a hotel are:

• Single Room
• Double Room / Twin Room
• Triple Room
• Dormitory
• Cabana
• Studio
• Suits - Single suits, Double suits, Duplex suite, Royal Suite, Penthouse

Question 21. What Is The Difference Between Check In And Check Out?

Answer :

Action of arriving and registering in a hotel is called check in. There are various formalities, which are involved with check in procedures i.e. allocating a room, taking guest's name, asking the guest to sign the hotel register whereas action of leaving and paying the bill after a stay in a hotel is called check out process. The formalities, which are involved with check out process, are presenting the bill and making sure it is paid, taking the room key, etc.

Question 22. What Do You Mean By Concierges, Errand Card, Image Building?

Answer :

• Concierges: It can be an employee of a hotel who serves guests with duties similar to those of a butler.
• Errand Card: It is a task card, which mentions the room number, guest name, and luggage types, which is prepared by the reception and hand over to bellboy.
• Image building: Creating good picture of the hotel and representing positive image of the hotel.

Question 23. Explain The Terms In A Single Line In-house Guest, Personal Grooming, Paging, Reference Point, Scanty Baggage, Card.

Answer :

• In-house guest: Guests who are staying in the hotel.
• Personal grooming: It is the process of grooming the staff in a positive manner.
• Paging: It is a process of identifying and informing about a guest.
• Reference point: It is the source from where the information is received.
• Scanty baggage: This term is generally used for a guest who comes with a light luggage.
• Registration: It is one of the formalities of filling the card at the time of registration.

Question 24. Explain In Your Words About Channel Of Communication, Skipper And Sundry Services.

Answer :

• Channel of communication: It is a flow of communication within a department.
• Skipper:This term is used for the status of a room, which indicates that a guest has left the hotel room without arranging to settle his or her account.
• Sundry Services: These are the extra services, which are provided to the guests. For e.g. message, handling of guests.

Question 25. What Points Are Considered In Hotel Industry, When Selecting A Candidate?

Answer :

Following points are considered in a candidate:

• Hospitality knowledge
• Personal Hygiene and Grooming
• Physical attributes
• Work related attributes
• Social skill

Question 26. What Do You Mean By Dining? How Many Different Types Of Dining Are There?

Answer :

It is a place where food is serviced, so it is an act of eating a meal. There are two types of dining:

• Pre-plated dining: Here the food is already served on the plate from the kitchen.
• Fine Dining Restaurant: Offering high class of service and facilities. It aims to provide excellent food and service in a good decor and ambience.

Question 27. What Are The Different Kinds Of Linens Used In Hotel Industry?

Answer :

Linen is the tablecloths, cloth napkins, moulton and slip cloths used in a hotel. There are various kind of linens used in hotel:

• Moulton: it is a thick fabric with lint laid on the surface of the table with pin underneath. It is absorbent, has smooth surface and is sound resistant. It is used to hold tablecloth.
• Tablecloth: These are laid over the table on top of moulton.
• Slips Cloths: These are laid over the table on top of tablecloth. Its protects tablecloth from spillage.

Question 28. Explain The Terms Sommelier, Spillage, Flatware, Cutlery And Hollowware?

Answer :

• Sommelier: He is the person who is in charge of serving the wine in a restaurant.
• Spillage: A liquid falls by mistake
• Flatware: these are all forms of spoons and forks.
• Cutlery: these are the knives, and other equipments which are used for cutting
• Hollowware: These are the items made from silver or china. It is made in a way that it can hold something in it.

Question 29. Define: Cuisine, Pastry / Bakery, Scullery Areas?

Answer :

• Cuisine: It is an art of cooking, preparing food and service.
• Pastry / Bakery: Ice cream, cakes, breads, pies, etc are the products, which are prepared in a bakery.
• Scullery areas: It is a place where cups and pots are washed and cleaned.

Question 30. Explain The Terms Chef, Nutritive, Proteins, Contaminated Food?

Answer :

• Chef: Chef is a person who is in charge of preparing food in a restaurant or a hotel.
• Nutritive: That food is necessary for the growth. Nutritive food plays a very important role in hotel industry.
• Proteins: It is that food, which is necessary for growth, maintenance, and repair of the body.
• Contaminated food: Any kind of food that is infected by bacteria, toxin, chemical substance and poison is created.

Question 31. Give Some Typical Roles And Responsibilities Of General Manager Of A Hotel?

Answer :

General Manager in a hotel is responsible for performing vital roles and responsibilities. The Manager should generate budget on yearly basis and submit to the owner of the hotel. He deals with new hire tests and terminating employees. They also set some standard hotel services and select extra services to make hotel more attractive for the travelers.

Question 32. What Are The Specific Tasks Performed In Your Previous Hotel?

Answer :

The vital tasks which I performed are managing employee’s records, training recruited assistants, motivating employees, managing programs, creating and deploying payroll records and seminars to raise workers efficiency. I also handled and coordinated some operations related to beverage and food.

Question 33. What Is Hotel Management?

Answer :

Hotel managements is nothing but some special technique of management used in the sector of hospitality. Marketing, front office, accounts, catering, hotel administration, housekeeping, maintenance, beverage management and food are included in hotel management.

Question 34. Give Academic And Professional Qualification For This Post?

Answer :

To answer this question, give some general qualification consisting of high school, graduation and post graduation along with passing year. Also, you must reveal professional course. Just mention degree or certification course that you undertake.

Question 35. Give Me Your Weak Points?

Answer :

It is a good question which gives an opportunity to put positive turn on something negative. One must mold negatives to positives. It is mandatory to prepare for an interview. At the time of an interview, you are asked different questions. Just some bad answer stands out and cost job for you. So, it is necessary to prepare well before an interview.

Question 36. Mention The Skills Needed For This Position?

Answer :

The main thing about hotel management job is to make visitors happy and the people who are seeking for this position must have good communication skills, interpersonal skills and organizational skills. They must be computer proficient and have great knowledge on different foreign languages. An employee of hotel management should be capable to successfully work individually and within a team.

Question 37. How You Will Control Anger And Irate Customers?

Answer :

You can speak like dealing with different people is part of my job. I am cool and calm kind of person so I will not be affected by customers negative feedback. Still, I take some effort to handle carefully by managing the objection. Usually, I apologize for my mistake and inform customers that I will correct it as soon as possible.

Question 38. Please Elaborate The Roles And Responsibilities Of A Hotel Manager?

Answer :

Various roles and responsibilities of a hotel manager include organizing and directing the hotel services, formulating financial plans, promoting business, controlling budget, achieving profit and expenses goals and meeting with customers, contractors and suppliers. They are also liable for hiring, training, reviewing and overseeing staff members, solving customer complaints and meeting safety, health and licensing regulations.

Question 39. What Are Your Qualification, Skills And Abilities?

Answer :

I have ample experience in this field. I possess good knowledge in all phases, departments and shifts of hotel operation. I have unparalleled guest relation skills especially in creating special touches and resolving guest problems and concerns. I have strong computer skills and I can easily operate hotel systems. I can work successfully in team as well as individual work environment.

Question 40. Can You Tell Us Something About Different Sectors In Hotel Industry?

Answer :

Various sectors in hotel industry are house keeping, accounting, maintenance, public relations, security, sales, food and beverages, front office and accounting. Just give a short explanation of each one and also state that each one is important for the proper functioning of a hotel.

Question 41. There Are So Many Other Candidates. Why Should We Appoint You?

Answer :

The employer is looking for confirmation that the job suits you, fits in with your general aptitudes and coincides with your long term goals. Think of all the positive characteristics in your personality that makes you suitable for the job. Demonstrate your accomplishments in front of the interviewer. One has to tell reasons as to why he fits into this position. Think of all the constructive qualities in your personality that makes you appropriate for the job. Just be positive, and highlight how your background matches the job description.