premier inn interview, help on what to expect?

loves2shop

hi i have a interview for a receptionist job at premier inn coming up. Would appreciate it if anyone has had one before has any advice or tips on what to expect please, thanks in advance

hcb42

have you got any relevant hotel experience, if so then sell your knowledge of front of house PMS systems and procedures i.e. check in , check out etc. Would be Opera I would think.

Soft skills, they will obviously be looking for someone who is friendly, helpful, cheerful and welcoming, but can also adhere to shift procedures e.g. cashing up, night audit etc, and perhaps have some knowledge of their rate strategy e.g. how much they charge, saver versus flexible...and local knowledge obviously important for guests

If you dont have relevant hotel experience then capitalise on any relevant service experience you do have, including dealing with complaints/difficult customers etc. (Think about what would you do if the hotel was overbooked and you had to send a booked guest away, that and noise/cleanliness of rooms etc are likely to be the main reasons for complaint in these hotels)

good luck, hotel industry is very hard work, but fun!

purcel

No, it;s not opera, it's an in house system for reservations and check ins, so unless you've worked with them before you won't know it. They won't base their decision on that. I would advise you to be friendly, appear very interested and open, chatty and talk about your sales experience if you have any. GL
Oh and tell them how flexible you are with your working hours!

MattLFC

I work for ze Whitbread, who own Premier Inn, and I have a lot of involvement with the systems used and what is important to them. So I hope I don't waffle on a bit, but give some useful info that may benefit you if asked questions at the interview.

Purcel is correct, the CMS we use is a system known as BART, which is an in-house developed system - though it is a bit antiquated and in-need of an overhaul, so generally it's a pretty basic system to use (the frontend is mainly HTML and Java based) although some of the ways of doing basic things are a bit long-winded (this is just something you would pick-up with time). So previous experience using another hotel-chains system, would actually give little in the way of benefit, so long as you are generally okay with using IT systems (if you can browse the net, use online banking etc, you will be fine).

A lot of the Premier Inn establishments are former Premier Lodge (we still refer to the almagamation of Premier Lodge and Travel Inn as "PTI" internally - Premier Travel Inn - a brand that was phased out a few years ago to the public). The Premier Lodge establishments are a lot more centred around the GM than the original Travel Inn establishments, especially if they have been there previous to 2004, and thus they tend not to follow brand standards and specs as closely as they perhaps should. This isnt so much a bad thing, but it means the GM's are more traditional, and not so "career-orientated" or too formal with people - so they tend to be more willing to give people who they see potential in, their first step onto the hotel ladder, regardless of previous experience.

Depending on the type of hotel it is, will depend on whether proven previous hotel experience (and references) is a real advantage - in the quieter ones, they can train you more effectively and work around your development much easier than in a busy one, where you might literally be dealing with hundreds of enquiries and check-ins straight away. Either way, they should give you an in-training badge if they take you on, and you've never worked for PTI previously. Something to note is that PTI, is the biggest hotel chain in the UK, with more than 600 hotels and 40,000 rooms.

As stated by other posters above, try to emphasize any previous customer-focused and service roles you have had, any roles which involved dealing with guests via telephone etc, the most important things at the interview itself are to try and be confident (though any decent employer will recognise and forgive you for nerves etc, of course), chatty and warm, build a rapport with the person or people interviewing you (usually, interviews are carried out by an establishment GM or DGM, with possibly the reception manager being in attendance, it's very rare you will get a full formal interview panel as such). Dress smart, wear a tie and a shirt, smart pants etc, a suit if you have one. PTI is all about the guests, so a professional and presentable appearance is very important. I think they have rules over facial hair and a code of conduct with regards acceptable clothes, hair, rings and tatoos etc, all inbuilt to WHR contracts, so consider this whilst you are getting ready. Smile, smile, smile, at all times, if they take you on, you will be expected to smile and build a rapport with guests at all times, so if you can't do it at the interview, then you have no chance. Doing things by the book is important, but adhering to the PTI "guest obsession" philosophy is even more important - making sure the client is put first at all times, and leaves with a smile on their face everytime is a requirement of all WHR staff. Whenever you meet a guest, no matter what you are doing, you are expected to quickly evaluate the guests needs and interact with them as appropriate. Standard practice would be to politely and warmly say hello, with a smile, and ask them if everything is okay with their stay - even if you only meet the guest in the corridor as you are walking past them. At the interview, the interviewer will also respect that you will feel under pressure - so you ability to remain calm and confident will be a major thinking point, because you will find yourself in tricky, pressurised situations from time to time. Also, show the interviewer you are interested in the job for the longer term (not so much on the Premier Inn side, but on the Restaurant side of WHR, the churn rate can be very high at some establishments, so many GM's worry that candidates may only be using it as a stopgap and not in it for the longterm - so are understandably reluctant to give people a chance if they feel this is the case). Ask about options for career development, at some sites they actively encourage their staff to complete reception apprenticeships as a standard part of the job, and will also put the best staff forward for team-leader and management training development, so the opportunities are certainly there if you someday want to go further in the industry and pursue a career.

You will need to be flexible, and ensure they know it, many establishments operate variable shift patterns from week-to-week, and you "will" be required to work on bank holidays, overtime, holiday & sickeness cover and even days like Christmas day if you are on the rota to do so (it tends to work 50/50 between Xmas day and New Years day). Make sure they know you will be happy to cover as and when you can, and you will be reliable - the nature of the industry demands it, the staffing levels within all WHR establishments, especially the PTI section, is at breaking point - staff need to be reliable and efficient.

Find out if the Premier Inn you are being interviewd for, has a restaurant attached to it - we own Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns, Table Table, and each brand specialises in a certain catergory of food and service, so if the Premier Inn does have one attached, learn a little about it incase they ask you. Some Premier Inns have restaurants not owned by WHR, so in this case, it wouldnt be so important. At sites with a restaurants, dependent upon the site, the reception staff are sometimes expected to help with the running of the restaurant - nothing major, but it does sometimes have to be "all hands to the pump". So if you have any previous bar or catering experience, its always worth mentioning.

Another thing which may impress, would be a little knowledge about Costa Coffee - practically all WHR establishments have served Costa for many years, and Costa is now replacing PTI as the big new world for Whitbread, with massive expansion into countries like China currently taking place, and even getting the brand into at least 1000 of our competitors locations within the next 12 months ("Proud to serve" locations are popping up everywhere lol) - so enthusiasm and interest in that brand, may help, again, a look around the Costa website would help you. Costa is the by far the biggest coffeehouse/takeaway-coffee brand in Europe and second in the world (behind Starbucks). Iirc, at the AGM, it was announced that Costa is now bigger than Macdonalds within the UK (can't recall the exact details whether its in sales or revenue etc, would be on press releases though).

Have a read around the website, knowledge of key things like the Premier Breakfast (one of the things they shout about) may be useful if asked. Also, they run a "Good night guarantee", which guarantees a good sleep or the client gets their money back without questions being asked - another thing they shout about (because nobody else does it) so knowledge of what it is, shows you have taken an interest in the company. All the info is generally on the website, just a bit of homework before you go in. Maybe take note also that the £29 rooms are a web-only promotion and only if booked 3 weeks before, and ultimately, subject to availability. Most PTI locations advertise the rooms for £29 using big banners etc... but in very small writing it states the terms underneath - shows you have an eye for detail if they ask lol.

I hope you find those tips and the information useful, and best of luck with the interview!!

:money:

loves2shop

thanks very much

embob74

I went for an interview with them once and was asked who I thought were their competitors. I mentioned similar low priced / mid-range hotels but was told in fact ALL hotels are competition. Not sure if that is a standard question but it might be asked a lot in interviews.