Desk clerk vs room clerk

The differences between desk clerks and room clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a room clerk has an average salary of $30,787, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a desk clerk include reservations, front desk and customer service. The most important skills for a room clerk are customer service, data entry, and stock room.

Desk clerk vs room clerk overview

	Desk Clerk	Room Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,096	$30,787
Hourly rate	$13.99	$14.80
Growth rate	-	-5%
Number of jobs	113,183	91,018
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	High School Diploma, 36%
Average age	37	47
Years of experience	-	2

What does a desk clerk do?

The desk clerk or general office clerk is an employee who works with little supervision from the manager. The duties and responsibilities of desk clerks vary depending on the industry they belong to. These may include but are not limited to answering phone calls, electronic correspondence, filing paperwork, taking and maintaining inventory levels, and setting calendars and schedules. They are expected to always offer excellent customer service. In hotels, they check-in and check-out their guests.

What does a room clerk do?

A room clerk is responsible for receiving guests and assigning them to their respective rooms, typically in a hotel setting. Room clerks manage guests' reservations, explain the policies of the premises, and process their payments for staying at the hotel. They also ensure the rooms' cleanliness, reaching out to the maintenance for any repairs and requests for additional room items. A room clerk must have excellent communication and customer service skills, respond to the customer's inquiries and concerns, and resolve service complaints immediately.

Desk clerk vs room clerk salary

Desk clerks and room clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Desk Clerk	Room Clerk
Average salary	$29,096	$30,787
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $26,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Spokane, WA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Deborah's Place	L3Harris
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Government

Differences between desk clerk and room clerk education

There are a few differences between a desk clerk and a room clerk in terms of educational background:

	Desk Clerk	Room Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 35%	High School Diploma, 36%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Western Carolina University

Desk clerk vs room clerk demographics

Here are the differences between desk clerks' and room clerks' demographics:

	Desk Clerk	Room Clerk
Average age	37	47
Gender ratio	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%	Male, 47.0% Female, 53.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 10.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.7% Asian, 7.2% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	13%	6%

Differences between desk clerk and room clerk duties and responsibilities

Desk clerk example responsibilities.

Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
Assist with setting up meetings using PowerPoint presentations.
Book keeping, check ins, paperwork, PowerPoint, enter information into database.
Communicate with previous shift, organize shift and review reservations and update contingency
Position require guest reservations to be coordinate with housekeeping and maintenance needs.
Register new patients and updates existing patient demographics by collecting patient detail patient information including personal and financial information.

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Room clerk example responsibilities.

Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
Supply the plant with tools, ppe, hardware, and water.
Follow HIPPA regulations and guidelines.
Edit memorandums, letters, and PowerPoint presentations for superiors.
Operate computer software such as Microsoft word, excel, PowerPoint and outlook.
Act as backup to drive company vehicle to pick up mail from USPS, sign for certify mail.

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Desk clerk vs room clerk skills

Common desk clerk skills

Reservations, 22%
Front Desk, 14%
Customer Service, 12%
Room Availability, 11%
Direct Calls, 6%
Telephone Calls, 5%

Common room clerk skills

Customer Service, 23%
Data Entry, 17%
Stock Room, 5%
Purchase Orders, 4%
Inventory Control, 4%
Computer System, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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