In as wide-ranging an industry as hospitality, your cover letter serves a vital purpose: to expand on your experience and offer concrete reasons why you’re the best hire for the job.
Whether you plan to work in a hotel, restaurant, resort, cruise ship, or more, there are key traits that employers look for when hiring for hospitality roles. Your resume is a great place to start, but you may not be able to dive deep into what truly sets you apart. That’s where a great hospitality cover letter comes in.
Hospitality workers are in demand across the board. That’s a great opportunity for you to move into a better-paying job, work your way up the seniority ladder, or even switch sectors within hospitality. At Resume.io, we’re here to help you along the way. With dozens of cover letter examples and writing guides, we’re an expert resource for all job seekers.
In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding hospitality cover letter example, we’ll cover the following topics to help you write the best cover letter possible:
- How to choose the best cover letter format and what paragraphs the cover letter should include
- How to maximize the effect of each cover letter paragraph (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- What approach to take when writing your cover letter
- What mistakes to avoid when writing your hospitality cover letter.
Best format for a hospitality cover letter
Before you begin to write your cover letter, it’s a smart idea to take a few minutes and outline exactly what you plan to say. While some candidates fear the freeform nature of the cover letter, there is actually a helpful structure to guide you and make sure you haven’t forgotten any important details. The format of a hospitality cover letter should contain the following elements:
- 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)
For more detailed advice on formatting (font sizes, styles, spacing, etc.) check out our comprehensive cover letter guide, packed with useful information to help you craft the best cover letter possible.
For writing assistance and adaptable sample sentences, this hospitality cover letter example provides a good foundation to develop your own professional application:
Dear Sarah Lewis,
I am writing to convey my strong interest in the hospitality role advertised on the Grand Yorkshire Hotel's official website. Leveraging my educational background with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Surrey and my hands-on experience garnered through various roles in the industry, I am enthusiastic to bring my dedication and proficiency to your esteemed establishment.
During my time at The Elegant Inn in Manchester, I developed a rich understanding of hospitality operations, including front desk management and customer service. I played a significant role in coordinating events and overseeing day-to-day operations, which honed my skills in multitasking and delivering exceptional guest experiences. This role endowed me with the ability to handle a fast-paced environment with a focus on maintaining high standards of service.
I am particularly drawn to your hotel's commitment to providing authentic Yorkshire experiences to its guests. I am eager to apply my knowledge of the local culture and attractions to enhance the guest experience at Grand Yorkshire Hotel, offering tailored recommendations and creating bespoke itineraries that showcase the very best of Leeds and its surroundings.
Additionally, I have undergone training in health and safety regulations pertinent to the hospitality sector, which underlines my commitment to upholding the industry's highest standards in every aspect of service delivery. I am also certified in First Aid, an added skill set that equips me to ensure the safety and well-being of the hotel guests and my fellow team members.
I am passionate about fostering a warm and welcoming environment that makes every guest feel valued and taken care of. I believe my background and skill set align perfectly with the values and standards upheld by Grand Yorkshire Hotel, and I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of your establishment.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the potential opportunity to further discuss how my experiences and qualifications make me an excellent fit for your team.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Martinez
For more inspiration, check out our related cover letter examples:
Cover letter header
The cover letter header is the first thing the hiring manager (or restaurant manager) will see when reading your cover letter. This section right at the top of the page contains your name, contact information like phone number and email address, and your LinkedIn or any professional social media accounts if you have them. Including a full street address is no longer considered necessary on a cover letter, however, you may add a city location if you wish. We’ll discuss formatting considerations for the header a bit further down in this guide.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting refers to the way you address the person who will be reading your cover letter. Whenever possible, we recommend using the hiring manager’s proper salutation and last name to establish a personal connection from the start. However, in larger organizations, this likely won’t be possible, so “Dear (Company Name) Hiring Team” or “Dear (Restaurant Name) Manager” can work in a pinch.
Cover letter introduction
The cover letter introduction refers to the first 1-3 sentences that begin your cover letter. Hiring managers are unlikely to continue reading boring or poorly worded cover letters, so this section should be interesting and energetic to convince the employer that you’re worth their time. Luckily, there are a few ways to approach this.
Hospitality jobs lend themselves well to short anecdotes about a time you made a difference for a customer. Make sure to clearly showcase your most impressive skills or talk about a situation that you might encounter in the job you’re applying to. If you prefer, you could also begin your cover letter by mentioning a connection to the company or describing your motivations for working in the hospitality industry. See our adaptable cover letter sample below for more ideas.
Dear Sarah Lewis,
I am writing to convey my strong interest in the hospitality role advertised on the Grand Yorkshire Hotel's official website. Leveraging my educational background with a degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from the University of Surrey and my hands-on experience garnered through various roles in the industry, I am enthusiastic to bring my dedication and proficiency to your esteemed establishment.
Cover letter middle part (body)
The middle paragraphs of cover letters, also called the body, is where you’ll be able to expand on your key qualifications and skills. Focus on examples of situations from your previous roles that most closely match the new job you’re applying to. If you are transitioning from another type of hospitality work or another domain altogether, make sure to focus on transferable skills – or abilities that are needed in both roles. For example, a hostess in a restaurant may discuss how her ability to make customers feel welcome and problem-solve effectively will be valuable as a front desk receptionist in a hotel. Our adaptable cover letter example below offers more insight.
During my time at The Elegant Inn in Manchester, I developed a rich understanding of hospitality operations, including front desk management and customer service. I played a significant role in coordinating events and overseeing day-to-day operations, which honed my skills in multitasking and delivering exceptional guest experiences. This role endowed me with the ability to handle a fast-paced environment with a focus on maintaining high standards of service.
I am particularly drawn to your hotel's commitment to providing authentic Yorkshire experiences to its guests. I am eager to apply my knowledge of the local culture and attractions to enhance the guest experience at Grand Yorkshire Hotel, offering tailored recommendations and creating bespoke itineraries that showcase the very best of Leeds and its surroundings.
Additionally, I have undergone training in health and safety regulations pertinent to the hospitality sector, which underlines my commitment to upholding the industry's highest standards in every aspect of service delivery. I am also certified in First Aid, an added skill set that equips me to ensure the safety and well-being of the hotel guests and my fellow team members.
I am passionate about fostering a warm and welcoming environment that makes every guest feel valued and taken care of. I believe my background and skill set align perfectly with the values and standards upheld by Grand Yorkshire Hotel, and I am excited about the opportunity to contribute to the continued success of your establishment.
How to close a hospitality cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
The conclusion of your hospitality cover letter should end on a positive note with a call to action and a polite sign-off. To encourage the hiring manager to get in touch, make sure to mention that you are looking forward to the possibility of an interview. You’ll want to come across as polite and enthusiastic without being pushy or sounding entitled to the job. To finish, sign off respectfully (Sincerely or Regards can work well) and include your full name. See our adaptable cover letter sample text below.
Thank you for considering my application. I look forward to the potential opportunity to further discuss how my experiences and qualifications make me an excellent fit for your team.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Martinez
Hospitality cover letter with no experience
It’s completely possible to land a hospitality job with no experience, and if that’s the case for you, your cover letter becomes even more instrumental. You’ll want to take the time to brainstorm both your transferable skills and the personality traits that make you right for the hospitality industry. Luckily, this is one field where a positive attitude and a strong work ethic are enough to get started. Hiring managers know this and are often very willing to train newcomers who display the right characteristics from the start.
One way to demonstrate your key abilities on your cover letter is through the STAR method. This is a way of structuring short anecdotes to create maximum efficiency when sharing your value. First, describe a Situation and the Task required of you. Then describe your Action and the positive Result it brought about. While ideally, you would focus these anecdotes on professional experiences, you can also look to student activities, volunteer work, or other situations for inspiration.
Above all, it’s important to describe your motivation and genuine interest in the role. If you are a fan of the brand or a regular customer of the establishment, don’t be afraid to say so!
Basic mistakes in a hospitality application letter (and how to avoid them)
Since many hospitality jobs are entry-level positions, you will likely be competing with many candidates who are not well-practised in writing professional cover letters. If you can avoid these basic mistakes, you can quickly stand out from the crowd and land the interview. Here’s what to watch out for:
- Generic cover letters: While we provide the hospitality cover letter sample above as a reference, we strongly advise customising it for every role and company you apply to. Hiring managers can quickly pick up on copy-paste applications and don’t look favourably upon them.
- Spelling and grammar mistakes: Typos and poor sentence structure create an unprofessional first impression from the start. Avoid these pesky errors by using spell check or even asking someone you trust to proofread your cover letter before you submit it.
- Poor formatting: Just as appearances play a big role in the hospitality industry, the look of your cover letter is an important tool to communicate your professionalism to the hiring manager. Opt for a style that matches the employer’s branding. A professionally designed cover letter template can make this easy to accomplish.
Key takeaways
- Hospitality workers are in very high demand. A great cover letter can help you land a better-paying position with more advantages.
- Take a moment to brainstorm your cover letter and consider transferable skills or personality traits that make you right for the job.
- You can absolutely land a hospitality job with no experience by focusing on your motivations and soft skills.
- Check out our sample hospitality cover letter for more layout and design ideas.
