Project reference · Hospitality
Sixty-eight days from a signed contract to a receptionist at the desk.
A hotel-apartment property in the Gulf needed four front-of-house staff at short notice: a receptionist, a waitress, a guest relations manager and a pool entertainer. The first CVs reached the hotel the day after the agreement was signed, and the General Manager was interviewing within four days. Then the market pushed back. This is how one hire got from a CV to the front desk, and what the other three roles taught us.
First CVs the day after signing
Speed
23 profiles in three weeks
Sourcing
Adverts in English and Russian
Reach
68 days to the first shift
Delivery
The whole journey
From signature to first shift
The recruiting took two weeks. The rest was the employer’s work-visa application, a notice period at home and a night flight, and our job was to keep the candidate informed and committed through all of it.
The brief
Four roles, one small multilingual team
The property runs serviced apartments with a pool deck and a restaurant, staffed by a small international team. In late summer it needed four people at once: one for the front desk, one for the restaurant, a guest relations manager and an entertainer for the pool programme. All four had to speak fluent English, and Russian was a strong advantage.
The hotel’s HR manager signed our agreement the day after our first call and asked for candidates straight away, before job descriptions, draft contracts or photos of the staff housing were ready. We started sourcing in parallel and closed those gaps as we went.
Where it gets difficult
Why a fast shortlist is only half the job
Good candidates have options
Experienced, English-speaking hotel staff rarely have just one offer. Three of the four people the hotel confirmed accepted other offers within a week of their interview.
Candidates want to see where they will live
Shared staff housing is part of the package, and candidates ask to see it before they sign. The hotel was moving its staff to new housing, so there were no photos to show them.
Interviews across time zones
The General Manager ran the video interviews himself, in a one-hour window at the weekend. We booked candidates to the minute and had a fallback slot ready for the one who could not connect.
The visa is the employer’s
The employer applies for the work visa. It took four weeks and ran into a public holiday. While it waited, the candidate heard from us regularly, so she stayed committed.
A notice period at home
An employed candidate has to resign properly first. Her two weeks’ notice was built into the plan, and we booked the flight around it.
Landing at half past two in the morning
The only practical flight landed in the middle of the night. We agreed the airport pickup with the hotel in advance and reminded them the day before she flew.
What we did
Ten weeks, step by step
- Day 0–1: agreement signed, adverts for all four roles in English and Russian, first CVs with the hotel the next day.
- Weeks 1–3: 23 profiles screened and presented, the General Manager’s video interviews scheduled, and feedback chased so no candidate was kept waiting more than two weeks.
- Weeks 2–6: offer and contract signed, passport and photos to the employer’s standard, an information letter on the country, the job and daily life, and regular contact while the visa was processed.
- Weeks 6–10: notice period served, ticket booked, airport pickup confirmed, first shift on day 68. Our fee became payable only after she had arrived.
The hotel filled its other three roles through other channels. We took two lessons from that. Get from interview to written offer within 48 hours, and have photos of the staff housing before the first advert goes out.
In the client’s words
“Kindly inform her not to worry. Send us the ticket and the hotel car will be there for the pick-up.”
The hotel’s HR manager, when the new receptionist asked who would meet her at the airport.
How the fee worked
Paid on arrival, not on promises
One month’s salary per candidate, due only once the candidate had arrived in the country of work, with a three-month replacement guarantee. Advertising was at our cost, and candidates paid no recruitment fees.
How we work
We do not show you another company’s name
The client, its owners and its people are not named here, and they will not be named in a meeting either. We are glad to talk this project through in detail. What we will not do is discuss the last client that way with you, or you with the next one.
Next step
Hiring hotel staff from Eastern Europe?
Tell us the roles, the package and the start date. We will tell you honestly how fast good candidates move, and what will slow them down.
