citizenM’s Dominika Probola, UK Talent Manager, and Davide Verucchi, Talent Acquisition Manager, share some inside intel on what takes to work for citizenM in this Q&A with Placed.

Read on to discover the importance of a wow-worthy first impression, interview tips and more about working for citizenM.

What sets citizenM apart from other luxury hotels?


citizenM is more than just a place where people stay to sleep, it is a new breed of hotel designed to disrupt the traditional hotel model to provide travellers with affordable luxury where they also feel welcomed to work, relax and play. We believe that giving travellers an authentic hotel experience involves taking them on a journey; a journey which begins at their first glimpse of citizenM.

Their first impressions are always bold and memorable due to our colourful and funky furniture, tech and architectural designs, aimed to encapsulate our forward thinking attitude as a business. However what truly makes that journey unique and special are our Ambassadors. They are a bunch of passionate people who will make you feel right at home. Their personality, humour and genuine care for our guests is what keeps them coming back again and again.

Is there flexibility to move between different areas within citizenM?


We don’t categorise our hotel into departments and we don’t limit our Ambassadors to only certain areas of the hotel. Every Ambassador is trained in all areas of citizenM, whether that’s in the kitchen preparing lunch, at the Front Desk welcoming you as you check in, answering any questions you may have or stirring you a delicious Old Fashioned.

We believe that knowledge is power and we want that knowledge to flow freely and circulate across citizenM, as it encourages dynamism and growth and gives our Ambassadors opportunities to explore and find new interests and skills. We believe in efficiency and simplicity and so there is technology, processes and training in place to help every Ambassador become a well-rounded member of the citizenM family.

So how does this work for the everyday running of the hotel? Ambassadors are encouraged to choose which area they want to focus on at the beginning of each shift so that they can expand on the skills that they want to develop and what impact they want to have that day on the guest experience. No matter what area of the hotel they choose to work in, their focus is always the guest experience!

You say on your website: “citizenM is not your average hospitality company, so we are not looking for average joes (or corporate robots)” – so what are the types of candidates that you are attracted to?


Different personalities are what makes our teams so dynamic. We don’t focus on what you’ve filled in for the experience and education sections of your CV as we provide you with all the tools necessary to deliver an amazing experience for our guests  at citizenM regardless of your background.

We can teach you how to make a perfectly frothy cappuccino, but we cannot teach you how to have ownership of your work or how to be proactive, curious, open minded and attracted to challenges – some of the qualities that each and every one of our Ambassadors share.

What can candidates do to prepare for an interview? Can you name a few good things that some of your best candidates have done during their interviews which impressed you?


Firstly, we try to step away from the idea of our candidates having to get through an ‘interview’ to work here because we find it to be a very traditional method which gives the impression that we operate with a rigid hierarchical system. We want to remove those barriers and make candidates feel like they’re here to have a conversation with us.

We want to engage with you and get to know the real you, what you stand for, why you’re here and choosing citizenM. We want to hear fun facts about you, not about how many GCSEs or A Levels you passed. Of course, knowing who we are and what we do goes a long way so definitely come prepared but don’t clutter your mind trying to think about what questions we’re going to ask you (because we will surprise you anyway). Just bring your best and real self to show.

Follow citizenM on Placed App to get first-look access to new jobs and content.