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Nearly 10,000 people apply to work at Vancouver Trump hotel

Luxury hotel to hire about 300 people in lead-up to August launch
philipp_posch
Trump International Hotel & Tower general manager Philipp Posch will be the final interview on all new hires

Controversial stands by front-running U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has not dampened interest in working at the Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver, which is slated to open in August and will be managed by his Trump Organization.

Nearly 10,000 people have submitted applications using an online process that takes about half an hour, hotel general manager Philipp Posch told Business in Vancouver.

A mix of software and a human resources team of between five and 10 people then whittled down the list of potential employees to about 900 people, who have been invited to a career fair set for mid-May, he said.

“We’ve so far sent out about 900 invitations to the job fair and we’re aiming at getting about 1,200 people over three days to interview them and to pick about 250 to 300 people [to hire],” Posch said.

“The process is that everyone gets interviewed by human resources and then it goes to the department head, then to the division head, then by the executive team and then by me. They go through about a four-to-five interview process. I will meet every single one of them – from dishwashers to the director of finance.”

The Trump Organization did not accept any applications by email nor any phone calls. All potential applicants were steered to the Hcareers.com website, where they had to create a free membership.

They then could click to apply for the job and be redirected to an automated system, powered by Oracle Corp. (Nasdaq: ORCL) software named Taleo. 

There, they would enter resume details and answer questions, related to the job that they are applying for, such as “Tell a situation when you have had to deal with an unruly customer.”

Failure to answer a question would yield them a lower score.

“That wouldn’t disqualify someone but it gives a lower score,” Posch explained.

(Click here  to read a Business in Vancouver profile of Philipp Posch) 

“We were then looking at applications from about 40% to 50% on up because some people may be a bit shy or intimidated and didn’t want to answer a question but they are very qualified.”

Wages are expected to be in line with other high-end hotels in Vancouver and may tilt slightly toward the higher end of the pay scale, Posch said.

“We’re not going into the market and blowing everyone out of the water,” Posch said. “We’re going in with whatever the market is and that’s what we’re going to be offering.”

In addition to operating the 147-room hotel, the Trump Organization will also oversee room service to 214 residential units and both the Trump Champagne Lounge and the Chinese fine-dining restaurant Mott 32.

Developer Holborn Group, led by CEO Joo Kim Tiah, pays the Trump Organization a fee for management and in exchange gets all the profit from the building’s hospitality operations.

Holborn also generated profit from selling the residences.

Since the project was announced, residences at Trump Vancouver have sold at a higher price per square foot than any other property in Canada, according to Holborn, which pinned the average price per square foot at $1,610.

A sub-penthouse sold for $6.74 million.

This came despite a local campaign to have Holborn drop the Trump Organization as its hotel manager. 

Tiah did not directly address that issue when it arose in December but he said in a statement at the time that Holborn is “not in any way involved in US politics.”

He then added that “our efforts remain focused on the construction of what will soon be the finest luxury property in Vancouver and beyond.”

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@GlenKorstrom