Night Porter

Job Description

Please only apply if you have a year of experience in a Hotel overnight or on Reception. We do not have any opportunities for sponsorship, so please only apply if you have unrestricted right to work in the United Kingdom.

We are looking for a reliable, confident and customer-focused Night Porter to become an important part of our team at Mercure Newcastle George Washington Hotel, Golf & Spa.

Working overnight, you will be one of the key people responsible for the hotel while much of the world is asleep. This is a varied and responsible role where you will be the welcoming face of the hotel for arriving guests, the reassuring point of contact for guests staying overnight and an important part of maintaining the security, safety and smooth operation of the entire property.

As our Night Porter, you will be trusted to work independently and use your initiative. You will need to balance exceptional guest service with important operational and security responsibilities, ensuring that guests receive a warm, professional and helpful experience while maintaining the standards expected of a Mercure hotel.

No two nights will be exactly the same. You may be checking in a late-arriving guest, assisting with a guest query, preparing food or drinks from our overnight offering, completing the Night Audit, responding to an emergency, preparing meeting rooms for the following day or carrying out security checks around the hotel and its grounds.

You will be expected to know the hotel inside and out. From bedrooms, Food & Beverage and meeting facilities to our Montana Spa & Leisure Club and Golf Course, you will be able to confidently assist guests and provide helpful information throughout their stay.

The role requires someone who is comfortable taking responsibility. During the night, you will often need to make decisions independently and respond calmly and professionally to unexpected situations, while knowing when to involve the Night Manager, Duty Manager or emergency services.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Providing a warm, professional and welcoming service to all guests throughout the night.

• Welcoming late arrivals and completing guest check-in and check-out procedures accurately and efficiently.

• Assisting guests with luggage and providing information about the hotel, its facilities and the local area.

• Acting as the main point of contact for guest enquiries and requests overnight.

• Operating the hotel telephone and switchboard professionally and ensuring calls are handled and transferred appropriately.

• Completing the Night Audit accurately and balancing the hotel's daily revenue.

• Checking that guest charges, payments and overnight transactions have been posted correctly.

• Handling cash and card payments in accordance with hotel financial procedures and reporting any discrepancies.

• Preparing and serving food and beverages from the hotel's overnight offering, including alcoholic beverages in accordance with licensing requirements.

• Ensuring Food & Beverage charges are correctly posted to guest rooms.

• Identifying opportunities to promote and upsell hotel facilities, Food & Beverage and other services where appropriate.

• Maintaining the security of the hotel, including guest valuables, departmental keys, cash floats and restricted areas.

• Carrying out regular patrols of the hotel building and grounds throughout the night.

• Monitoring and appropriately responding to suspicious behaviour, unauthorised persons or security concerns.

• Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of guests and colleagues by following hotel fire, health and safety, security and emergency procedures.

• Responding calmly and effectively to incidents, emergencies and unexpected situations.

• Maintaining a visible presence throughout the hotel during the night.

• Setting up and breaking down meeting rooms and event spaces when required for the following day's business.

• Ensuring Reception, public areas, restaurant, function rooms and other designated areas are clean, tidy and presented to the required standard.

• Supporting the wider hotel operation by completing reasonable overnight duties and preparing the hotel for the following day.

This is a role for someone who enjoys responsibility, takes pride in looking after people and understands the importance of being both welcoming and vigilant.

When guests need assistance in the middle of the night, you will be the person they turn to. When the hotel needs someone to protect its guests, property and reputation, you will be there to take responsibility.

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is dependable, professional and comfortable taking responsibility.

Previous hotel experience is essential for this role, as you will be expected to work confidently and independently during overnight shifts.

You will ideally have:

• Previous experience working in a hotel environment, ideally within Reception, Night Reception, Night Porter or Duty Management responsibilities.

• Excellent customer service skills and a genuine ability to make guests feel welcome.

• A professional, friendly and approachable personality with strong communication skills.

• The confidence to work independently and make sensible decisions when senior management are not immediately present.

• Experience of hotel reservation, billing or property management systems.

• Good numerical skills and strong attention to detail, particularly when handling cash, payments and completing the Night Audit.

• Experience of cash handling and following financial reconciliation procedures.

• A strong awareness of security and the confidence to challenge suspicious or unauthorised behaviour appropriately.

• The ability to remain calm, professional and decisive in challenging or emergency situations.

• Good general IT skills and the ability to learn new systems quickly.

• A good knowledge of customer service and the ability to handle guest complaints and concerns professionally.

• A flexible approach to work and a willingness to undertake a wide variety of duties across the hotel.

• The physical ability to undertake practical duties, including assisting with luggage, moving furniture and setting up meeting rooms.

• Excellent attention to cleanliness, presentation and detail.

• A strong sense of responsibility and integrity.

A Food Hygiene Certificate would be advantageous, although full training can be provided.

You must be aged 18 or over, as serving alcoholic beverages forms part of the role.

Most importantly, we are looking for someone we can trust to represent the hotel professionally throughout the night. You will need to combine excellent hospitality with sound judgement, operational awareness and the confidence to take ownership when situations arise.

Additional Information

At Mercure Newcastle George Washington Hotel, Golf & Spa, our Night Porters play an essential role in the success of the hotel.

While the majority of our guests are asleep, the hotel never stops operating. From welcoming late arrivals and supporting guests with unexpected requests to completing important financial processes, preparing the hotel for the next day and maintaining the security of the building and grounds, you will be trusted with significant responsibility.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working independently and wants a varied hotel role where no two shifts are the same. You will gain experience across Reception, guest services, Food & Beverage, meetings and events, hotel security and wider overnight operations.

As part of the Mercure and Accor family, you will also have access to learning and development opportunities and the chance to develop your hospitality career.

What we can offer:

• Competitive salary.

• Company pension scheme.

• Discounted Food & Beverage and hotel stays.

• Employee discount benefits.

• Complimentary meals whilst on duty.

• Complimentary uniform.

• Complimentary employee car parking.

• Access to our onsite gym and leisure facilities.

• Learning, training and professional development opportunities.

• Access to Accor employee benefits and discounted hotel rates worldwide.

The position is based at Mercure Newcastle George Washington Hotel, Golf & Spa, Washington, Tyne & Wear, and applicants must be able to reliably commute to the hotel for overnight shifts.

This is a full-time, permanent position. Flexibility is essential, as the role operates overnight and may include weekends and public holidays.

We are an inclusive company and our ambition is to attract, recruit and promote diverse talent. We believe that exceptional hospitality comes from exceptional people, and we want every member of our team to feel valued, supported and able to develop.

If you are an experienced hotel professional who enjoys independence, responsibility and delivering outstanding service when it matters most, we would love to hear from you.