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Front desk associate vs desk clerk

The differences between front desk associates and desk clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a desk clerk has an average salary of $29,096, which is higher than the $27,236 average annual salary of a front desk associate.

The top three skills for a front desk associate include phone calls, math and customer service. The most important skills for a desk clerk are reservations, front desk, and customer service.

Front desk associate vs desk clerk overview

Front Desk AssociateDesk Clerk
Yearly salary$27,236$29,096
Hourly rate$13.09$13.99
Growth rate--
Number of jobs77,432113,183
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Average age3737
Years of experience--

What does a front desk associate do?

Front-Desk Associates are the face of a hotel. Their duties are focused on assisting guests and attaining customer satisfaction. Aside from great communication skills, Front-Desk Associates must also have a pleasing personality and great presence of mind as guests will come to them first should there be any issues on the services provided. Moreover, among the duties of Front-Desk Associates include performing room check-ins and check-outs, accepting and arranging reservations, assigning rooms, maintain booking and payments, and communicate with the entire hotel staff to ensure quality service.

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 associate vs desk clerk salary

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

Front Desk AssociateDesk Clerk
Average salary$27,236$29,096
Salary rangeBetween $20,000 And $35,000Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying CityNew York, NYSan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateNew YorkCalifornia
Best paying companyWyndham Capital MortgageDeborah's Place
Best paying industryHospitalityManufacturing

Differences between front desk associate and desk clerk education

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

Front Desk AssociateDesk Clerk
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 35%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Front desk associate vs desk clerk demographics

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

Front Desk AssociateDesk Clerk
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 31.3% Female, 68.7%Male, 30.0% Female, 70.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%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 Percentage13%13%

Differences between front desk associate and desk clerk duties and responsibilities

Front desk associate example responsibilities.

  • Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
  • Manage confidential information and documentation, including financial data, and credit card information and payroll checks.
  • Manage patients records by keeping all medical history, insurance and personal information update and verify abiding by HIPAA protocols.
  • Process reservations for business groups via opera system.
  • Process guest reservations, assess needs and ensure appropriate accommodations and assist guests with concierge-relate services.
  • Contact patients regarding unpaid and underpay accounts, verification of insurance, accounting, customer service, computer and telephone operations.
    • Show more

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.
    • Show more

Front desk associate vs desk clerk skills

Common front desk associate skills
  • Phone Calls, 21%
  • Math, 13%
  • Customer Service, 13%
  • Basic Math, 11%
  • Strong Customer Service, 10%
  • Cash Handling, 8%
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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