Hotel night auditors usually work the ‘graveyard shift’ from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am the next morning. Depending on the size of the hotel, the requirements of the position, and the complexity of the audit procedures, the required work can often be finished before the shift expires, leaving several hours of ‘free’ time.
But never forget: the night audit is work. Don’t take a position thinking you can divide your day into three periods of ‘real’ work, sleep and night audit—try it and you will soon crash and burn. Worse yet, don’t think that you can nap through those wee small hours of the morning to catch up on your sleep. Also keep in mind that night audit is not CPA level work; as such, the pay will more than likely be the same as the daytime shift, perhaps with a night differential added.
And what can you expect through the night?
But never forget: the night audit is work. Don’t take a position thinking you can divide your day into three periods of ‘real’ work, sleep and night audit—try it and you will soon crash and burn. Worse yet, don’t think that you can nap through those wee small hours of the morning to catch up on your sleep. Also keep in mind that night audit is not CPA level work; as such, the pay will more than likely be the same as the daytime shift, perhaps with a night differential added.
And what can you expect through the night?
First, prepare to go solo. Unless the hotel double-staffs the night shift, you will be the only one there to handle late arrivals and early departures, take reservations, deliver extra towels and resolve guest issues. All this is to be done at the same time as running the audit. This means you will need to be exceptional at multi-tasking and exceptional at knowing your hotel’s procedures and property management system. If a situation arises on the day shift, there is always someone there to help out – even a manager – but not so for the night auditor.
Second, hone your people skills. You’ll be the one at the desk when guests arrive after plane delays or long drives. And you will be there when some guests return from partying after consuming too many alcoholic beverages. Be ready for frayed nerves, belligerent attitudes and ugly confrontations. The night auditor sees them all.
Finally, be ready too, for the unexpected. It is one thing for an inadvertent fire alarm to go off while the guests are up and about during the day; and quite another when a siren and flashing lights rouse them from sleep at 2:30 in the morning! Or when a boiler fails with the head engineer on the premises, and when it goes out just as everyone in house are preparing for their morning showers.
Nevertheless, the over-night work of the night auditor might be just the job for you.
By: Joe Fairchild
By: Joe Fairchild
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