Sonesta International Hotels Interview Questions
& Process

We'll go over your resume and hotel experience, talk about guest service situations, how you handle conflict, your leadership style with a team, scheduling needs, what your shift duties involve, your future career plans, if you'd be a good cultural fit, your work ethic and values, and cover pay and benefits.

This Sonesta interview process was a marathon, and honestly, it was a big reason I turned down their offer. The interview process really shows you a lot about a company, and Sonesta seems to need like 100 people to agree before they can make a decision. They really need to change that if they want to hire good people. They had 4 different interview TEAM calls, each lasting about 45 minutes, and it all stretched over nearly 2 months. The fact that they needed so many interviews made me feel like the company is just bogged down by its procedures. That's not the kind of place I want to work. I ended up turning down their offer. Sonesta has grown too fast and gotten stuck in a rut when it comes to making decisions. I'd rather work for a company that makes decisions fast and smooth. I accepted a position with a competitor instead. The pay was similar, but my new employer's interview process was way more efficient. That says a lot about a company and its culture. It's important to remember that we're interviewing them too. Some companies just don't get that.

I interviewed at the hotel that was hiring. First, I met with HR, and then the General Manager. The interview with the GM was pleasant, but he didn't ask many questions. Since he seemed unfamiliar with the industry he hired for, he couldn't ask the right questions to confirm my qualifications, even though I knew I was a good fit. Afterward, I spoke with the regional manager via Zoom. She seemed more knowledgeable and asked better questions, but unfortunately, she was repeatedly interrupted during our 30-minute call due to personal matters. She had to excuse herself a few times, which felt a bit strange.

The hiring process was pretty straightforward. I had a phone interview with the current HR Manager where we discussed the job's responsibilities and my background. After that, I met with the General Manager of the property for a conversational interview. The next step involved meeting several department heads, most of whom asked standard questions. However, the Finance Manager's questions were quite thought-provoking and made me reconsider joining. I didn't receive a response after that last interview, but overall, the experience was relaxed and easy.