Front desk agent vs receptionist

The differences between front desk agents and receptionists 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 $30,571 average annual salary of a receptionist.

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

Front desk agent vs receptionist overview

	Front Desk Agent	Receptionist
Yearly salary	$31,008	$30,571
Hourly rate	$14.91	$14.70
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	96,392	65,671
Job satisfaction	-	3
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 33%
Average age	37	42
Years of experience	-	2

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 receptionist do?

Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.

Front desk agent vs receptionist salary

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

	Front Desk Agent	Receptionist
Average salary	$31,008	$30,571
Salary range	Between $25,000 And $37,000	Between $24,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	Washington	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Brookhaven National Laboratory	Gensler
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between front desk agent and receptionist education

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

	Front Desk Agent	Receptionist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	High School Diploma, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front desk agent vs receptionist demographics

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

	Front Desk Agent	Receptionist
Average age	37	42
Gender ratio	Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%	Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6%
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, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	13%	6%

Differences between front desk agent and receptionist 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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Receptionist example responsibilities.

Manage invoicing with QuickBooks, taking customer calls and helping with any issues, parts and equipment delivery/pickup/ordering.
Manage multiple employee/resident databases utilizing an EMR system.
Verify insurance information and manage medical records while ensuring confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements.
Manage desk operations for the YMCA, organizing and documenting members' payments and collating operational documents
Assist office management and staff with administrative projects/responsibilities such as managing time-sensitive projects, filing, copying, and collating materials.
Bill patients for medical services provide by various doctors using ICD-9 and CPT-4 coding.

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Front desk agent vs receptionist skills

Common front desk agent skills

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

Common receptionist skills

Patients, 17%
Phone Calls, 14%
Customer Service, 9%
Data Entry, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Front Desk, 8%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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