As a hotel receptionist, you’re the friendly face that greets dozens of weary travelers (or excited vacation goers!) as they bound through the front door ready to meet their soft beds. Your job takes flexibility, patience and a positive attitude to carry you from the early hours of the morning until late into the night, and your hotel receptionist cover letter is the perfect place to convey all of those qualities.
A great cover letter can help set you apart from dozens of other candidates who are looking for a hotel receptionist position. Since this job relies more on soft skills and personality traits than it does on technical abilities, there may be a lot of candidates vying for the same opening. Your cover letter can show a hotel manager why you’re the right choice and encourage them to invite you in for an interview.
This guide, along with our hotel receptionist cover letter example, will show you how to:
- Choose the right format for your cover letter sample
- Structure your paragraphs to fit in all the important information on one page
- Create a header that conveys your professionalism and personality
- Write a cover letter that wins a hotel receptionist position even with no experience!
You can find even more free resources and tips in our 125+ cover letter examples written for job titles in every field and for every level of experience. Use these guides to help you create your strongest application yet!
Best format for a hotel receptionist cover letter
For a hotel receptionist cover letter sample, you’ll need to include these essential elements in your format:
- 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)
A neatly structured cover letter shows a potential employer that you’re an organized candidate who understands the professionalism needed to succeed as a hotel receptionist. By creating an attractive layout and formatting, you’ll quickly stand out from other candidates who didn’t bother to check off the list of important sections.
You can find specific advice on how to construct each of these sections in our comprehensive cover letter guide. That’s also a great place to find formatting tips regarding font styles, sizes and overall spacing.
For a visual reference, check out our hotel receptionist cover letter example which can be easily modified to suit your own needs and experience.
Dear Mrs. Althread,
Working as a part-time hotel receptionist has taught me a lot during my university hospitality management course, and, as I approach my placement year abroad, I am keen to continue my education with a part-time role at Forest Hall Hotels.
I am proficient in every aspect of the hotel front desk, from communicating with guests and meeting their needs to overseeing the hotel management software and troubleshooting any technical issues. I am proud to say that I type at 95 wpm and was the go-to person for editing and proofreading of any correspondence. I believe that a receptionist is an integral part of the wider team and should help wherever they can.
As a part -time receptionist, I am used to working closely with a wider team, taking on the duties of others when required and always giving my best in any situation. I have filled in for the head of customer care during her extended period of maternity leave and I always make myself available to help both colleagues and guests alike.
I helped to raise the customer services scores in both of my previous employers and have a wealth of positive references that I am able to share with a future employer. I am used to multitasking and typically answer and route 200+ calls a day, but if there is a guest standing in front of me, they have my absolute priority. Great service begins when you offer someone your unreserved attention.
I would be looking for a permanent role in hospitality after the completion of my degree course, so would welcome the opportunity mentioned in the job ad of something more permanent down the line. I would be delighted to have the opportunity of visiting your hotel for an interview to discuss the possibilities.
Sincerely,
Paula Dickinson
You can find even more useful tips in our related hospitality and catering cover letter examples:
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Cover letter header
The cover letter header is the first section a hotel manager or hiring manager will see as they begin to read your document. Since the header occupies such prime real estate, it’s important that it contains the right information: your name, contact information and social media handles or LinkedIn if applicable. If a manager wants to get in touch with you, this is the first place they’ll check, so make sure they can easily find what they are looking for.
Appearance count.
Just like a hotel creates visual branding with its marketing materials and interior design, your cover letter will need to create a sense of style that defines you as a candidate. While this might sound intimidating, it can actually be as simple as an attractive accent color or lines that add structure to the page. If you don’t have graphic design experience, a free cover letter template can help you create a great format in just a few clicks.
The aim of the cover letter header: Create an attractive and visual cover letter template that conveys your contact information and catches a hiring manager’s attention.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting of a cover letter sample is simply the way you choose to address the person who will read your application, most often the hiring manager or hotel manager. It’s important to address the recipient by name whenever possible as this is one of your best chances to make a great first impression and show genuine interest in the position.
However, for large hotel chains which may use a central hiring office, finding the name of an HR manager can be near impossible. In this situation, a general greeting like “Dear (Hotel Name) Hiring Team” or “Dear (Hotel Name) Company Family” can give the warm and friendly feeling you’re looking for while avoiding the possibility of addressing the wrong person.
For a hotel receptionist position, it’s best to address the letter recipient using their correct salutation followed by a last name, as shown in our cover letter sample.
The aim of letter greeting / salutation: Make a personal connection by addressing the cover letter recipient by name.
Dear Mrs. Althread,
Cover letter introduction
A great introduction (or lack thereof) can truly make or break your entire cover letter. That’s because hiring managers can have as little as a few seconds to scan each application. If your introduction doesn’t pique their interest from the very start, they’re likely to move on to the next candidate.
Luckily there are many ways to ensure you create an interesting opening line. A short anecdote, personal statement, relevant fact or even a statistic can all work well. Just make sure to keep your introduction short (1-2 sentences) so that it flows right into the next section – the reader will have finished your letter before they even notice! See how it’s done in our hotel receptionist cover letter example.
The aim of the cover letter intro: Catch a hiring manager’s attention by offering a short anecdote, relevant fact or interesting statement. Move directly into the body section.
Working as a part-time hotel receptionist has taught me a lot during my university hospitality management course, and, as I approach my placement year abroad, I am keen to continue my education with a part-time role at Forest Hall Hotels.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle part of your cover letter, called the body, finally gives you the space you’ve been looking for to discuss all the relevant aspects of your skills and experience. If you’ve worked in hospitality before, then you may want to create short anecdotes that help to illustrate how you handle problems and take care of guests. Don’t forget to mention the personal qualities that may set you apart from other candidates including your sense of organization, commitment to customer service or attention to detail. Make sure to offer any real-world examples that can help back up your claims and paint a picture of what type of hotel receptionist you’d be if hired.
You may want to use the STAR method to help organize this section. First, describe a Situation, then the Task required of you. Finish with your Action and the positive Result you achieved. If you have plenty of receptionist experience to choose from, make sure to pick the examples that are most relevant to the hotel opening you’re applying to. Check out the body section from our hotel receptionist cover letter for more inspiration.
While a hotel receptionist’s basic duties might not change much between hotels, it’s still worth rereading the job description to make sure you’ve tailored your cover letter with the most relevant examples possible. It may take an extra minute to customize your cover letter for each application, but the extra effort can be instrumental in helping you land the interview.
The aim of the cover letter body: Offer concrete examples of your skills and abilities by creating short anecdotes. Show a hiring manager what it would be like to have you as their hotel receptionist.
I am proficient in every aspect of the hotel front desk, from communicating with guests and meeting their needs to overseeing the hotel management software and troubleshooting any technical issues. I am proud to say that I type at 95 wpm and was the go-to person for editing and proofreading of any correspondence. I believe that a receptionist is an integral part of the wider team and should help wherever they can.
As a part -time receptionist, I am used to working closely with a wider team, taking on the duties of others when required and always giving my best in any situation. I have filled in for the head of customer care during her extended period of maternity leave and I always make myself available to help both colleagues and guests alike.
I helped to raise the customer services scores in both of my previous employers and have a wealth of positive references that I am able to share with a future employer. I am used to multitasking and typically answer and route 200+ calls a day, but if there is a guest standing in front of me, they have my absolute priority. Great service begins when you offer someone your unreserved attention.
How to close a librarian cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
At the end of your cover letter sample, you’ll want to create a Call to Action. This sentence expresses your interest in the position and invites the hiring manager to contact you for an interview without sounding entitled or demanding. See our hotel receptionist cover letter sample for an idea of how to find this balance.
Then, sign off your letter with a polite closing. “Warm regards” or “Sincerely” can work well.
I would be looking for a permanent role in hospitality after the completion of my degree course, so would welcome the opportunity mentioned in the job ad of something more permanent down the line. I would be delighted to have the opportunity of visiting your hotel for an interview to discuss the possibilities.
Sincerely,
Paula Dickinson
Hotel receptionist cover letter with no experience
A hotel receptionist job is a dream entry-level position but one that’s fully within your reach. Since many of the duties can be learned on the job, you don’t need much experience to show before getting hired. However, it is imperative that your cover letter convey the right traits for the job, including a willingness to learn.
Here are some tips to write a hotel receptionist cover letter with no experience:
- Focus on transferable skills: If you’ve ever worked as a receptionist or in another form of customer service, you’ve already proven you have what it takes to succeed as a hotel receptionist. Use your cover letter to give insight into how the skills obtained in these other roles will transfer to this new job opening.
- Share your interest in the business: By conveying your passion for the hotel industry and an interest to advance in it, you can set yourself apart from candidates who are just looking for some easy cash. Describe what you hope to learn and what you believe makes you a good fit for the industry.
- Discuss your personal qualities: Look for the qualities described in the job description and brainstorm your own strengths. Use your cover letter to show the hotel manager that while you may never have done the job before, your innate abilities would be hard to teach in another candidate.
Final checklist for a hotel receptionist cover letter sample.
Before submitting your cover letter, make sure you’ve ruled out these common errors:
- Typos and grammar mistakes: Use spell check or even ask a friend to proofread!
- Generic cover letter: Does your cover letter contain only the most relevant examples and details?
- Formatting issues: Keep plenty of white space so that the page is easy to read.
Key takeaways
- Your cover letter should expand on the key points of your resume without rehashing the same information
- Make sure to include an attractive header that contains your contact information and catches a hiring manager’s attention
- Use your body section to offer relevant examples that show what type of hotel receptionist you’d make
- You can land a job as a hotel receptionist even with no experience by focusing on transferable skills and personality traits
- Don’t let your formatting be an afterthought – use spell check and keep consistent design principles throughout.
