A resume for a hostess (or host) cannot possibly convey how they go about their work. It is too factual, too formal, and devoid of the nuance that keeps their clients and guests coming back time after time. The hostess cover letter, on the other hand, is where their personality can come to the fore. That is what any hiring manager is looking to understand.
In this blog, we will investigate how to write a cover letter for a hostess or host that will elevate their application way above the competition. For the sake of simplicity, we will write about a hostess, although the advice could equally apply to a host. The letter should contain the essence of their approach to customer service, with plenty of examples and a sense of the approach that they will bring to their next role.
The hostess cover letter must be carefully tailored for the role in question. You will not be able to share every story from your career, so read the job description carefully and think about the sorts of stories that may interest the hiring manager. Put the client at the heart of every story— you are there to serve, so make it all about them.
When you only have 300 words to impress, there are so many decisions to make before you sit down and decide what to write. Having a good think about your approach before you sit down to write is essential. The more you research the art of writing a cover letter, the clearer your head will be when you come to write. Our library of cover letter examples is filled with examples. You never know when inspiration may strike.
In this writing guide, with corresponding hostess cover letter sample, we cover:
- Finding the right format for the hostess cover letter
- Which aspects of your hostess career should you share
- How to write a hostess cover letter with no experience
- Mistakes to avoid if you want to be in the running
Take a look at examples of other hospitality-related letters for inspiration:
- Hospitality cover letter sample
- Barista cover letter sample
- Restaurant cover letter sample
- Chef cover letter sample
- Cleaning job cover letter sample
- Bartender cover letter sample
- Starbucks cover letter sample
- Server cover letter sample
- Hotel Receptionist cover letter sample
- Travel Agent cover letter sample
- Restaurant Manager cover letter sample
- McDonald's cover letter sample
- Pastry Chef cover letter sample
Best format for a hostess cover letter
Every hostess appreciates the need for organization. There are certain ways of doing things, and a cover letter is no exception. The format of the cover letter should take the reader on a journey that ends up with enough curiosity to invite you to an interview to find out more. There is nothing complicated about how to format a hostess cover letter. The typical structure of a cover letter is as follows:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting/salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
The hostess letter should be written in a professional tone—don’t fall into the trap of making it too chatty. Keep the anecdotes short and include quantifiable achievements where you can. One way to format the cover letter to make the most of the limited space is to use bullet points for your accomplishments.
There are many smaller choices when it comes to writing a cover letter. What font will you choose? How big should the page margins be? How many paragraphs do you need? Our comprehensive cover letter guide delves into some of the more detailed considerations such as the visual impact of the design. You never know what sort of detail a hiring manager may notice. Our hostess cover letter may offer some inspiration:
Dear Mr Anderson,
I am writing to express my enthusiasm for the open Hostess role at the Waterfront Restaurant, a role I learned about through the listing on the restaurant's official website. Leveraging my hospitality background, fostered through both my academic journey at San Francisco State University and my professional experience, I am eager to bring a welcoming and organized presence to your team.
During my time as a receptionist at Mashouf Wellness Center in downtown San Francisco, I learned to manage hectic environments with grace and efficiency. I successfully coordinated appointments, maintained a clean and inviting reception area, and built fruitful relationships with clients through genuine and pleasant interactions. This role, coupled with my Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, has equipped me to excel in a high-paced, customer-centric environment like the Waterfront Restaurant.
In addition to my receptionist role, I gathered valuable experience in the hospitality industry through internships and part-time positions where I developed a deep understanding of the vital role a hostess plays in shaping a diner's experience. My knack for maintaining a flow in busy settings and my adeptness at using reservation systems such as OpenTable make me a well-prepared candidate to streamline your restaurant’s hosting operations.
I am particularly drawn to the Waterfront Restaurant because of its unparalleled commitment to offering guests not just a meal, but memorable dining. I am excited at the prospect of being the first smiling face guests see as they step into the restaurant, setting a positive tone for the rest of their visit.
I am eager to bring my warm personality and organizational skills to the Waterfront Restaurant, contributing to the superb dining experiences your establishment is known for. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to potentially discussing how I can add value to your dedicated team.
Sincerely, Emily Johnson
Cover letter header
The header of a hostess cover letter is the first thing that will grab the attention. Pick a clean and simple design that shows how you value presentation. You will need to be immaculately dressed at all times, after all. Include your full name, email, and mobile phone number. Make sure that your email address is relatively neutral with just your name if possible.
You do not need to include your full home address in the cover letter header. There are potential data protection issues here. You can share it when you get to the offer stage. Just include your hometown and state. The hiring manager won’t need more than that. Also, the inside address of the employer is no longer required, you are not sending the letter by post.
Cover letter greeting
An appreciation of etiquette is essential as a hostess, so make sure that you start the cover letter with a suitable level of formality. Greet the hiring manager with a formal “Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. Surname” and you won’t go far wrong. Use this salutation even if you know the hiring manager personally. You never know who else will read the cover letter.
If you do not know the name of the hiring manager, you could opt to phone the company to find out or do some digging on social media. There should normally be a contact name on the job description or advert, so make sure that you haven’t missed it. If you fail to find anyone, start the letter with a warm “Dear Company team.” You work in a people business, so avoid the overly formal “ To Whom It May Concern.”
Cover letter introduction
The introduction of a hostess cover letter should make it clear that you have relevant experience in exactly the type of hostess work that you will be doing. The general title “hostess” can apply to a wide variety of settings, so make it clear that you are applying to the right sort of role. The hiring manager will get a large volume of unsuitable applicants—this is vital if you want to stand out.
In terms of tailoring the introduction further, include an achievement that will impress your hiring manager. Think about the sort of thing that will earn you praise in your future workplace and show that this is a part of your daily work. You will likely receive great training, but hiring managers ideally want to take someone on who is ready to go.
Dear Mr Anderson,
I am writing to express my enthusiasm for the open Hostess role at the Waterfront Restaurant, a role I learned about through the listing on the restaurant's official website. Leveraging my hospitality background, fostered through both my academic journey at San Francisco State University and my professional experience, I am eager to bring a welcoming and organized presence to your team.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle part of the hostess cover letter is where your personality can emerge. The hostess job is often relatively straightforward in terms of what is expected of you, so it is how you go about it that creates an impression. Describe your attitude at work. Using a few choice adjectives is fine here as you won’t have space to go into too much detail.
Consider giving examples of unusual situations to show that you can cope with the unexpected. When you deal with people there is always the potential for an emergency to crop up. Would you be calm and collected and do the right thing?
Put your clients at the heart of your hostess cover letter. If you have any formally recorded customer feedback from your previous employer that you wish to include, that might be an effective way of showing that you care about your impact in the workplace. When you share the thoughts of others about you, the impact of those words hits harder.
Lastly, scan the job description for the rarer skills that are being demanded. If you can include experience that other candidates may not be able to include, your application will stand out. Try to avoid sharing mundane examples that everyone will talk about.
During my time as a receptionist at Mashouf Wellness Center in downtown San Francisco, I learned to manage hectic environments with grace and efficiency. I successfully coordinated appointments, maintained a clean and inviting reception area, and built fruitful relationships with clients through genuine and pleasant interactions. This role, coupled with my Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management, has equipped me to excel in a high-paced, customer-centric environment like the Waterfront Restaurant.
In addition to my receptionist role, I gathered valuable experience in the hospitality industry through internships and part-time positions where I developed a deep understanding of the vital role a hostess plays in shaping a diner's experience. My knack for maintaining a flow in busy settings and my adeptness at using reservation systems such as OpenTable make me a well-prepared candidate to streamline your restaurant’s hosting operations.
I am particularly drawn to the Waterfront Restaurant because of its unparalleled commitment to offering guests not just a meal, but memorable dining. I am excited at the prospect of being the first smiling face guests see as they step into the restaurant, setting a positive tone for the rest of their visit.
Your employer may use a candidate database called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to help them handle the volume of applications. This is certainly the case for a hostess role.
The ATS may not always carry out the selection processes, but you must include suitable keywords so that your cover letter might be found in any search. This software does save hiring managers considerable time in their work.
How to close a hostess cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The conclusion of a hostess cover letter should finish with one last example of great customer service. Leave the hiring manager with a story to remember. Make them imagine what it would be like to have you as a hostess at their establishment.
The final consideration of the cover letter is the importance of mentioning that you are looking forward to an interview. Show that you are curious to find out more about the role—after all, you want to understand that it is the right fit for you. This call to action will hopefully also create a sense of urgency for the hiring manager to invite you to an interview.
I am eager to bring my warm personality and organizational skills to the Waterfront Restaurant, contributing to the superb dining experiences your establishment is known for. Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to potentially discussing how I can add value to your dedicated team.
Sincerely, Emily Johnson
Hostess cover letter with no experience
It may be the case that you have not worked as a hostess before, but do not let this put you off applying. If you have worked in any kind of customer or client-facing role you will likely have plenty of transferable skills that would prove your suitability. Interpersonal skills such as patience, active listening, and problem solving will be helpful, along with polished communication skills.
In this case, sharing your motivations for the role would be important. Working as a hostess can often be stressful, so show that you have the desire to get through those difficult moments.
Basic mistakes in a hostess application letter (and how to avoid them)
When you are a hostess, you need to be a perfectionist in how you go about your work. Making mistakes in the cover letter can potentially raise a red flag for any employer.
- Spelling and grammar skills are important, so use an online grammar checker to polish the writing. Ask a friend to read the letter so that it sounds like you.
- Be specific in terms of the value that you can bring to the role – only talk about the stories that fit with what you will be expected to do in the job.
- Don’t be too conversational in your tone. Present yourself as professionally as possible.
Key takeaways
- Share your stories, qualifications, and impact on your clients.
- Match the hostess cover letter with the demands of the job description.
- Allow your personality to come through—that matters to your customers.
- Choose a suitable design with cover letter templates.
