Host

Lamington Group | B Corp™; Southampton; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

Lamington Group’s Second Nature brand is seeking a Host to greet guests, manage front desk and bar duties, and set a warm, professional tone for every stay.

You'll move between reception and food and beverage, deliver friendly service, remember guest preferences, help with local tips, and support the team to keep the guest experience smooth.

Qualifications

• Experience helping people in person across hospitality, retail, or care.
• Comfortable with bar and food service, taking orders and making drinks.
• Track record of delivering genuinely good guest experiences.
• Comfortable with basic admin and phone use.
• Warm, friendly demeanor with strong memory for names.
• Calm under pressure and proactive.

Responsibilities

• Welcome every guest on arrival and departure, setting a warm, professional tone.
• Handle check-in smoothly, managing paperwork without making it feel like paperwork.
• Work behind the bar, taking orders, serving guests, and making drinks.
• Move between front desk and food & beverage duties as needed.
• Answer questions about the local area with genuine enthusiasm.
• Notice guest needs before they ask and act on them.
• Report maintenance or cleaning issues promptly to keep the front area tidy.
• Pass guest information to the team to avoid missed details between shifts.
• Handle guest concerns calmly and know when to escalate to a manager.
• Assist with phones, mail, and parcels, and help with busy check-ins or events.

Skills

Customer Service

Communication

Confidence

Job description

WHY SECOND NATURE

Care, made daily.

Second Nature is part of Lamington Group. Hometel is a word Lamington Group created and owns. We design and run hometels, places that are practical but still feel good to stay in, built around how people actually travel and live. Feeling properly looked after matters too, so our teams pay attention to what guests actually need, not what a script tells them to do.

We’re looking for people who care about the work in front of them and the people around them. If that sounds like you, keep reading.

THE ROLE

What’s the role about?

You are a Host at Second Nature. You’re the first face, the warm welcome, the person every guest sees when they arrive, and you set the tone for their whole stay.

This is a multi-skilled role. One minute you’re behind the desk sorting a check‑in or check‑out, the next you’re behind the bar taking a food order, serving a table, or making a drink, cocktails included. You move easily between front desk and food and beverage across a shift, bringing the same warmth and attention to both.

You greet guests warmly, stay calm and helpful, and give them what they need, when they need it. You notice things before you’re asked: the tired traveller who needs a quiet check‑in, the returning guest whose name you remember, the small thing that makes someone feel like a person, not just a task.

How you welcome a guest shapes how they feel about Second Nature, full stop. You’re reliable, curious about people, and you genuinely want to make someone’s stay easier.

Who You Are

Five things we hire for.

Use Instinct. A guest arrives tired from travel. You see it in their face and change how you act, warmer, slower. You work out what they’ll need next, like the key, the WiFi, or a local restaurant tip, before they ask.

Own It. You own the guest’s first moment. You don’t make excuses about late arrivals or system problems. You make sure they feel welcomed and cared for, no matter what happened before they arrived.

Include All. You remember faces and names. You make guests from every background feel like they belong at Second Nature. You’re genuine, not scripted, and guests can tell.

Stay Curious. You learn the neighbourhood, the local events, the hidden gems. You help guests discover them without slowing them down. You’re warm, and you keep it brief.

Think Big. You’re not just checking people in. You’re creating the first part of someone’s Second Nature story. What you do shapes whether they come back or forget us by next month.

We don’t hire for a hotel‑industry background. We can teach you the systems. We can’t teach you how to read a room.

What You'll Do

• Welcome every guest when they arrive and leave, setting a warm, professional tone from the start.
• Handle check‑in smoothly, doing the paperwork while making sure the guest doesn’t feel like paperwork.
• Work behind the bar when the shift needs you: taking food and drink orders, serving guests, and making drinks, including cocktails.
• Move easily between front desk and food and beverage duties across a shift, wherever you’re needed most.
• Answer questions about the local area, events, and the building with real enthusiasm, not a script.
• Spot what a guest needs before they ask, and act on it: remembering a preference, flagging a concern, quietly sorting a problem.
• Report maintenance or cleaning issues straight away, and keep the front office and bar area tidy and welcoming.
• Pass guest information to the team, like special requests, feedback and issues, so nothing gets missed between shifts.
• Handle guest concerns calmly, take ownership, and know when to bring in your manager.
• Help with phones, mail, and parcels, and support events or busy check‑ins when the team needs an extra pair of hands.

What You'll Bring

• Experience looking after people day-to-day, whether that’s in hospitality, retail, care work, or anywhere else you deal with the public face to face. No hotel background needed, we’ll teach you the rest.
• Comfortable picking up bar and food service skills, from taking orders to making drinks and cocktails, even if it’s new to you.
• A track record of giving people a genuinely good experience, not just a polite one.
• Comfortable with basic admin and using the phone.
• Warm and naturally friendly, with a good memory for names and preferences.
• Calm under pressure, even with a difficult guest, and happy to act without being told.

What You'll Love Working Here

• Team that means it. You’ll work with people who see a warm welcome as everyone’s job, not just yours. Leaders are hands‑on, with regular check‑ins on how you’re doing and where you want to go.
• Growth that’s real. We promote from within. Your path might go from Host to Senior Host, to Front of House Supervisor, or into other roles across the business.
• Learning, built in. Proper training from day one, including bar and food service skills, plus skills that will help you wherever you go next.
• Time off that respects you. More annual leave the longer you stay, company benefits, two paid volunteer days a year, and a Company Sick Pay Scheme.
• Stay with us, on us. Friends‑and‑family rates across our hometels and the wider group, plus one free stay on us.
• The day‑to‑day. Pension contributions, wellbeing support, a Cycle to Work scheme, and gym access at our properties.

How It Works

Our hiring process.

We keep it short, honest and human.

• First conversation. A 30‑minute call with the hiring manager about the role, the team, and you.
• On‑site visit. Meet the team and see the building. You should know what you’re signing up for before you say yes.
• Offer. If it’s a fit on both sides, we move quickly.

WE CLOSE THE LOOP

Every applicant hears back from us, yes or no. We don’t ghost.

FOR EVERYONE

A note on inclusion.

Second Nature and Lamington Group are equal opportunities employers. We hire on attitude and ability. We welcome applications from every background, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief.

If you need any adjustments to take part in our hiring process, tell us when you apply. We’ll work with you.

Skills

• Customer Service
• Communication
• Confidence