Top Skills and Qualities Your Hospitality Team Needs to Succeed

Partnering with a staffing agency can provide hospitality staffing solutions that help grow your business. Discover some of the skills and qualities that a hospitality staffing agency looks for in hospitality workers.

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The competitive job market can make it challenging to hire hospitality workers who have the right skills and qualities for your team. That’s why PeopleReady is here to offer our insights and recommendations so we can help you identify top candidates. Plus, our team shares how a hospitality staffing agency can support your hiring efforts with their hospitality staffing solutions.

Top skills and qualities your hospitality workers need to succeed

Teamwork and communication skills

Whether you’re managing a restaurant, hotel or event venue, teamwork is essential for success. Effective teamwork boosts productivity while also creating a positive work environment.

Strong communication skills contribute to a less stressful workplace environment in hospitality, building a friendly bond among your team members. When everyone is working well together, it improves the overall experience for your guests.

Adaptability and time management skills

Adaptability is crucial for hospitality workers, helping them manage changing circumstances while maintaining professionalism and a high standard of guest satisfaction. This ensures that, regardless of last-minute requests or unexpected issues, your team will be prepared to handle challenges well.

Hospitality workers often have to balance many different tasks with tight deadlines, such as cleaning rooms or coordinating meal service. So strong time management skills essential for the role as well.

Meanwhile, having team members who show up on time and ready to work is also key. This sets a positive tone for the workday and puts your team in the right mindset to accomplish their goals.

Problem-solving skills

The hospitality industry often faces service challenges, like dealing with long lines during check-in or handling reservation issues. However, with the right team in place, you can successfully navigate and resolve any challenges that may arise.

In situations like the ones mentioned above, your hospitality workers should be quick thinkers, able to resolve problems while still providing excellent service. Having a team with strong problem-solving skills is crucial for ensuring smooth operations.

A friendly personality and positive attitude

Personality plays a huge role in the success of your hospitality workers, especially those in front of house hospitality roles. A friendly demeanor enhances the guest experience while elevating your company’s reputation.

Additionally, a can-do mindset boosts productivity and improves the quality of their work, ultimately contributing to the excellence that defines a great guest experience.

A professional presentation

A well-groomed staff is important. They not only give a great first impression but also show your commitment to high-quality service and presentation. The way your team looks can make guests feel valued and more at ease, enhancing their overall experience.

Also, when your workers have a professional appearance, it gives them a sense of pride about their work. This can make them happier in their jobs, possibly leading to greater loyalty to your company.

The ability to stay calm under pressure

The hospitality industry moves quickly and most roles will require handling multiple tasks at once. When your team members feel stressed, they might make mistakes that negatively impact the guest experience.

That’s why it’s so important to find hospitality workers who can keep calm under pressure. Staying calm, cool and collected helps them to deliver excellent service at all times without sacrificing quality.

Empathy and active listening

To excel in the hospitality industry, workers need empathy, showing genuine care and concern for your guests. By prioritizing their needs, they can anticipate and resolve potential issues.

Meanwhile, active listening helps your team with understanding and meeting guest needs so they can create a personalized experience. Ultimately, a friendly approach ensures a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all guests.

How a hospitality staffing agency makes hiring easier

A hospitality staffing agency can give you easy access to a team of knowledgeable experts in hospitality staffing. They know how to identify and hire hospitality workers who have the right skills and qualities for your particular needs.

If you’ve never worked with a staffing agency before, here are some of the benefits you can expect:

Hospitality industry knowledge and experience

With its extensive network of job seekers, a hospitality staffing agency can connect you with the right candidates. That includes those who hold critical certifications and have completed training courses in their specific field. These hospitality staffing solutions ensure that every worker they recommend possesses the necessary skills, providing you with confidence in their qualifications.

Convenient access to hire hospitality workers

The top hospitality staffing agencies have invested years in building their candidate pool and fostering strong ties with local businesses, schools and industry groups. A local staffing company brings added value by understanding the nuances of your hiring market and demonstrating a stronger commitment to your success. They can also use their social media channels and other recruitment methods to connect with job seekers, making the search for potential candidates in your community that much easier.

Vetted pool of candidates for a variety of hospitality roles

Hospitality staffing agencies conduct a thorough screening process for all applicants, including those aiming for more advanced roles. This process guarantees that your hospitality staff will make a stellar first impression and deliver exceptional service. As a result, you can rest assured that your team will create a great first impression and provide excellent service at all times.

Customized hospitality staffing solutions for your specific needs

Staffing agencies understand that, for example, hotel staffing needs are different from event staffing needs. They are dedicated to tailoring hospitality staffing solutions that match your services and offerings. The ideal hospitality staffing agency provides full-service staffing tailored to hotels, resorts, event venues and many other hospitality establishments. Their staffing support offers convenient access to hospitality workers who are available now and can accommodate your schedule.

Hospitality staffing services available with PeopleReady

From catering servers to concierges, your hospitality workers are the heart of your business. Whether you need to hire hotel workers, hire food service workers or hire hospitality workers for a variety of other roles, PeopleReady has what it takes to get the job done.

Our local presence in hundreds of communities across the U.S. gives you convenient access to W-2 workers for all your hospitality staffing needs. In fact, we serve event and entertainment venues, hotels, resorts, healthcare facilities, colleges and universities, and more. As your staffing partner, PeopleReady can work with you to develop hospitality staffing solutions that are customized to meet your specific needs. We’ll help you find hospitality workers for a wide range of roles, including:

  • Front of house staffing: Ticket takers and ushers, parking attendants, front desk attendants, concession workers, food service workers, bartenders
  • Back of house staffing: Prep cooks, line cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, food runners
  • Facility services staffing: Cleaning crew members, janitors, groundskeepers, custodians, laundry attendants
  • And more!

Our hospitality staffing solutions are also available 24/7 through our JobStack app, which lets you fill open roles even outside of regular business hours. So, if you’re wondering, “Where can I hire hospitality workers near me?” check out our locations page to get started.

Need to hire hospitality workers?

PeopleReady, a TrueBlue company (NYSE: TBI), specializes in quick and reliable on-demand labor and highly skilled workers. PeopleReady supports a wide range of industries, including construction, manufacturing and logistics, retail and hospitality. Leveraging its top-rated JobStack staffing app, hundreds of local teams, and branches across all 50 states, PeopleReady served approximately 64,000 businesses and put approximately 154,000 people to work in 2023.