Station Lounge & Support Host
Caledonian Sleeper – Fort William
Permanent Contract, Part Time - 14 hours per week
£9851.84
ABOUT CALEDONIAN SLEEPER
Caledonian Sleeper is an iconic overnight rail journey connecting Scotland with London, operating nightly (except Saturdays), serving major cities and rural destinations.
Established in the late 19th century, Caledonian Sleeper has a long-standing reputation for comfort, hospitality and delivering a unique travel experience across the UK’s scenic routes. The service operates primarily overnight, allowing passengers to sleep comfortably on specially designed sleeper trains, arriving refreshed at their destination.
As a service operated on behalf of the Scottish Government, it is part of the UK’s public sector efforts to promote sustainable and convenient travel.
At Caledonian Sleeper, our core values of Togetherness, Respect, Integrity, and Passion underpin everything we do. We believe that fostering a collaborative, respectful and passionate approach is essential to delivering an exceptional guest experience. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the communities we serve.
THE ROLE
To lead and deliver outstanding guest experience at Fort William by supporting the check-in and boarding process, maintaining lounge standards and communicating timely updates during disruptions. This role, within the Guest Experience Lounge and Station Support Team and led by the Performance & Standards Manager, aims to meet performance targets and enhance every guest’s journey through Fort William Station and Caledonian Sleeper Lounge. It requires proactive guest engagement, seamless coordination with Onboard Team Leaders and wider Passenger Experience and Operational teams, and resilient service delivery in a busy, often disrupted environment.
The role operates in a vibrant and demanding lounge and station environment, with delays and disruption, so an emphasis on guest-facing relations is essential. In addition, you will be required to engage with the wider Guest Experience and Operational teams to ensure excellent communications and service levels for our guests transiting through Fort William Station.
HOW OUR VALUES SHAPE THIS ROLE:
- Togetherness: Collaborate across Onboard Team Leaders, Hosts and station teams to deliver seamless guest experiences and a coordinated lounge operation.
- Respect: Provide attentive, dignified service to all guests (including PRMs and families) and maintain courteous relationships with suppliers, VIPs and colleagues.
- Integrity: Uphold service and safety standards from check-in to boarding, ensure accurate daily reporting and honest, timely communication during disruptions.
- Passion: Deliver memorable, proactive hospitality, seek opportunities to enhance guest experience and revenue, participate in briefings and continuous lounge improvements.
Guest Experience and Service Excellence
- Ensure a smooth journey for our guests transiting through Fort William station for Sleeper services arriving and departing.
- Provide excellent customer service to all guests with a friendly and consistent standard of service through meet and greet duties.
- Welcome eligible guests into the lounge, ensuring they are checked-in and briefed on the lounge experience.
- Presenting and inspecting Fort William lounge regularly to the Caledonian Sleeper service level standard.
- Proactively approach and serve guests with snacks and beverage to maximise the guest experience.
- Work closely with Onboard Team Leaders and Hosts to ensure a seamless check-in and boarding process, including Priority Boarding for Club & Double guests.
- Provide daily reporting on guest numbers, stock and ordering, and any station incidents.
- Support during annual leave and/or absence for other functions within the Guest Experience lounge team.
- Ensure duty phones are always operational and in service.
Quality, Cleanliness and Workplace Standards
- Ensure excellent and consistent presentation of the lounge front and back of house, including washroom checks, kitchen cleanliness, fridges, counter area, refreshments, literature, showers and toilets throughout the day and evening.
- Proactively assist with disruption and delays at Fort William which impact the Caledonian Sleeper guests, working to robust disruption planning and team delivery.
- Maintain good relationships with Fort William Station Duty team to ensure a safe and clean environment for our operation, as well as working closely with them during times of disruption.
- Support the key cutting in times of disruption and delivery to onboard service.
- Provide direct assistance to guests with special requirements, Passengers with Reduced Mobility (PRM), families with young children, bikes and children’s buggies.
Co-ordination and Collaboration
- Work closely with Onboard Team Leaders and Hosts to ensure a seamless check-in & boarding process including Priority Boarding for our Club & Double guests.
- Work closely with the Train Manager to drive the turnaround of the train, driving check-in and boarding times to support On Time Performance.
Events, VIP and Special Guest Support
- Support on all events and VIP travel for Caledonian Sleeper at Fort William station, ensuring Caledonian Sleeper reputation intact and commercial opportunities recognised.
- Provide direct assistance to guests with special requirements, PRM, families with young children, bikes, and children’s buggies.
Operational Readiness and Incident Response
- Proactively assist the disruption and delays at Fort William which impact the Caledonian Sleeper guests, working to robust disruption planning and team delivery.
REQUIREMENTS:- Experience in a dynamic customer-facing environment, preferably in the transport or hospitality sectors.
- Demonstrating strong motivation, excellent customer service, guest experience and organisational skills.
- Experience within a food and beverage service environment is preferred.
- Previous onboard train service, travel industry or hospitality experience would be an advantage.
- IT skills (PowerPoint, Excel, and Word).
- Excellent communication skills are required.
- Ability to demonstrate clear communications with large groups, individual team members, and guests.
- Ability to build good internal and external relationships with key stakeholders.
- Operational working knowledge and experience of the Caledonian Sleeper operation would be an advantage.
- Ability to work under pressure, demonstrate flexibility and resilience.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
- This role will include early shifts starting at 09:30 and late shifts finishing at 20:00, ensuring coverage across the Caledonian Sleeper Fort William station operation for the arrival and departure of services.
- Average weekly hours are 14 hours, with a flexible roster to meet operational requirements.
WHAT WE OFFER:
- 25 days annual leave plus public holidays per annum (pro rata for Part Time based on number of days worked per week)
- Free travel on Scotrail for you and eligible family members
- Free travel on Caledonian Sleeper for you and eligible family members
- Significant discount on other UK rail travel for you and eligible family members
- Allocation of “friends and family” tickets for travel on Caledonian Sleeper
- Healthcare cash plan
- HAPI Benefits membership offering discounts at selected retailers, hospitality venues and gyms etc.
- Contributory pension scheme
At Caledonian Sleeper, our mission is to connect people and places through a hassle-free, convenient travel experience — and that starts with you. Guided by our core values of Integrity, Passion, Togetherness and Respect, we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where every guest feels valued and every colleague is supported.
If you’re ready to bring your enthusiasm, empathy and dedication to a night-time operation that truly makes a difference, we’d love to hear from you. Join us and be a part of a team that's passionate about delivering delightful journeys, every time.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
If you are interested in this opportunity, please click send your CV to us by Monday 20th October 2025 at: recruitmentandonboarding@caledoniansleeper.scot