Good recruiting software for hospitality has to keep up with how hotels, restaurants and venues actually hire: constantly, across many locations, and often for the same roles again and again. ATS Mako is a hospitality applicant tracking system built for that pace. Candidates get a quick text instead of a silent inbox. General managers see only their own property's pipeline. Recruiters at head office can screen, schedule and move large groups of applicants without opening each profile one by one.
How hospitality hiring really works
Hospitality runs on hourly roles. Line cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, room attendants, front desk agents, banquet staff, valets and maintenance techs make up most of the openings. Many of these roles are filled repeatedly through the year, not once.
Several pressures stack up at the same time:
- Turnover is a normal part of the business, so some roles are always open somewhere in the portfolio.
- Seasonal swings bring sudden demand for summer, holiday, event and conference staffing, then a slowdown.
- Candidates often apply from their phones, between shifts or while working another job, and they move on quickly if nobody replies.
- Each property has its own general manager or department heads who want a say in who gets hired.
- Interviews have to fit around service periods, not a nine-to-five calendar.
An ATS for hotels and restaurants has to handle all of this without adding admin work for managers who are already on the floor.
Reach candidates where they are: SMS first
Hourly applicants check texts far more reliably than email. ATS Mako includes native SMS, so recruiters and managers can text candidates directly from the candidate record. Replies land in the same conversation thread, alongside the candidate's application and notes.
You can also set up automated messages for common moments: confirming an application was received, inviting a candidate to book an interview, or sending a reminder the day before. Read more about two-way texting and SMS automations.
For candidates who prefer email, or for longer messages like offer details, the integrated email client keeps every message in the same record. You can build automated email sequences for follow-ups so no applicant falls through the cracks.
Example first-touch text
Hi {first name}, thanks for applying for the {role} position at {property name}. We'd like to set up a short interview. Pick a time that works for you here: {scheduling link}. Reply to this text with any questions. Keep the first message short, name the property, and give one clear next step.
Screen high volume without losing good people
A busy posting for servers or housekeepers can pull in a large stack of applications in a short time. Reading each one by hand slows everything down, and the best candidates take other offers while they wait.
ATS Mako uses AI candidate ranking to sort applicants against the role so recruiters can review the strongest matches first. AI voice screening can run initial screening calls, asking the questions you set, so your team spends live time only on candidates worth a conversation. Your hiring team still makes the decision.
Give property-level hiring managers their own view
Multi-property operators need central control and local ownership at the same time. ATS Mako is built for multi-location hiring. Head office can see the full picture across every hotel and restaurant, while each general manager or department head works the candidates for their own location.
That split matters in practice. A kitchen manager at one property does not need to scroll past applicants for a different venue. A regional recruiter can still step in to help a property that is falling behind. See how day-to-day applicant management works in the platform, or read about hiring for every hotel and venue from one platform.
Because ATS Mako is fully white-label, the candidate experience can carry your group's brand, not ours. Messages, emails and pages look like they come from your company. Learn more about the white-label applicant tracking system.
Schedule interviews around shifts
Interview scheduling in hospitality breaks easily. Managers are tied up during breakfast, lunch and dinner service. Candidates may be working shifts elsewhere. Back-and-forth messages waste days.
ATS Mako's interview scheduling lets candidates pick from times your managers have actually made available. Combined with SMS, a candidate can receive the invite, book a slot and get a reminder without anyone on your team picking up the phone.
- 1 Set manager availability Each hiring manager blocks off the quiet windows between service periods when they can interview.
- 2 Send the invite by text Shortlisted candidates receive an SMS with a link to choose a time.
- 3 Automate reminders A reminder goes out before the interview to cut down on no-shows.
- 4 Move straight to onboarding Once a candidate accepts, onboarding starts in the same system so paperwork does not stall the start date.
Handle bulk rejections and reuse past applicants
When a role closes, many applicants still need an answer. Leaving them hanging hurts your brand with people who may also be your guests. ATS Mako's bulk actions let recruiters update and message large groups of candidates at once, so everyone hears back quickly and respectfully.
Not every rejected applicant is a bad fit. Someone who missed out on a summer server role may be right for a banquet position next season or an opening at a sister property. Because past applicants stay in your system with their history and notes, recruiters can search and reach back out by text or email when demand picks up again, instead of starting every hiring push from zero.
How ATS Mako maps to common hospitality hiring problems
| Hiring problem | What the employer can do in ATS Mako |
|---|---|
| Candidates ignore emails and go cold | Text them directly with native SMS and automate follow-ups |
| Too many applications to review by hand | Use AI candidate ranking to review the strongest matches first |
| Recruiters stuck on first-round phone calls | Run initial screens with AI voice screening |
| Interviews clash with service periods | Let candidates self-book times managers have opened up |
| Each property hires differently | Give every location its own pipeline with central visibility |
| Closed roles leave applicants waiting | Update and message large groups with bulk actions |
| New hires stall before day one | Start onboarding in the same system after the offer |
Measuring results
Hiring software only earns its place if hiring gets faster and steadier. Agree on a short list of things to watch before rollout, then review them by property and by role. Useful questions include:
- How quickly does a new applicant get a first reply?
- How long does it take to go from application to interview, and from interview to offer?
- How many scheduled interviews end in a no-show?
- Which properties and roles stay open the longest?
- How often are past applicants re-engaged and hired for a later opening?
Comparing properties against each other often shows where a manager needs help or where a process works well enough to copy across the group. If you need hiring data in other business systems, ATS Mako offers public API and developer access.
See it with your own roles
The quickest way to judge fit is to walk through a real opening, such as a weekend line cook or a seasonal front desk role, from posting to onboarding. Review pricing or book a demo and bring a hiring manager from one of your properties.
Fill hospitality roles faster across every property
See how SMS, AI screening, shift-friendly scheduling and onboarding work together in one branded ATS.