Front desk agent vs desk clerk

The differences between front desk agents and desk clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a front desk agent has an average salary of $31,008, which is higher than the $29,096 average annual salary of a desk clerk.

The top three skills for a front desk agent include reservations, team work and guest service. The most important skills for a desk clerk are reservations, front desk, and customer service.

Front desk agent vs desk clerk overview

	Front Desk Agent	Desk Clerk
Yearly salary	$31,008	$29,096
Hourly rate	$14.91	$13.99
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	96,392	113,183
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a front desk agent do?

Front desk agents are usually the first hotel employees that the guest encounters upon entering the hotel. They greet and welcome guests. They are in charge of checking and validating the guests' reservations and issuing their room keys. Front desk agents are responsible for collecting any applicable fees from the guests and ensuring that only the registered guests stay. Front desk agents also coordinate with the housekeeping team and any other team to ensure that the guests' stay is the best.

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.

Front desk agent vs desk clerk salary

Front desk agents and desk clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Desk Agent	Desk Clerk
Average salary	$31,008	$29,096
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $37,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	California
Best paying company	Brookhaven National Laboratory	Deborah's Place
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Manufacturing

Differences between front desk agent and desk clerk education

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

	Front Desk Agent	Desk Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front desk agent vs desk clerk demographics

Here are the differences between front desk agents' and desk clerks' demographics:

	Front Desk Agent	Desk Clerk
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%	Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 9.9% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between front desk agent and desk clerk duties and responsibilities

Front desk agent example responsibilities.

Train new associates to Hyatt standards and the most efficient way to accomplish the day's tasks.
Work as front desk, PBX, and make error free reservations for a full size hotel consisting of 123 rooms.
Welcome guests into the 2nd largest Hyatt in the world.
Receive recognition for dependability and a``can-do"attitude.
Inform members and guests of current sales and promotions while accounting for an accurate POS drawer
Coordinate request for dry cleaning pickup/drop off, pet walking, housekeeping, grocery, delivery, etc.

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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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Front desk agent vs desk clerk skills

Common front desk agent skills

Reservations, 23%
Team Work, 8%
Guest Service, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Computer System, 4%
Guest Satisfaction, 4%

Common desk clerk skills

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

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Updated January 8, 2025

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