Front desk associate vs front desk attendant

The differences between front desk associates and front desk attendants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a front desk associate has an average salary of $27,236, which is higher than the $26,874 average annual salary of a front desk attendant.

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

Front desk associate vs front desk attendant overview

	Front Desk Associate	Front Desk Attendant
Yearly salary	$27,236	$26,874
Hourly rate	$13.09	$12.92
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	77,432	107,058
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Average age	37	37
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 front desk attendant do?

A front desk attendant serves as the primary point of contact in a building or establishment, ensuring customer satisfaction. Their duties mainly revolve around greeting visitors, responding to inquiries, handling calls and correspondence, arranging appointments, and coordinating with various building offices and departments. Moreover, a front desk attendant's responsibilities will vary on the line of work or one's industry of employment. There are instances in a hotel setting where they must handle check-in and check-out processes, make reservations, and offer amenities.

Front desk associate vs front desk attendant salary

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

	Front Desk Associate	Front Desk Attendant
Average salary	$27,236	$26,874
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $35,000	Between $20,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Anaheim, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Wyndham Capital Mortgage	Lone Star Circle of Care
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Education

Differences between front desk associate and front desk attendant education

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

	Front Desk Associate	Front Desk Attendant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 54%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front desk associate vs front desk attendant demographics

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

	Front Desk Associate	Front Desk Attendant
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7%	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%
Race ratio	Black 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, 9.7% Unknown, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 55.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between front desk associate and front desk attendant 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.

Front desk attendant example responsibilities.

Manage confidential information and documentation, including financial data, and credit card information and payroll checks.
Perform extensive customer service, including communicating with members, scheduling reservations, and fielding complaints.
Count and identify clothing to charge correctly on POS system, rack clothing in order on conveyor belt.
Serve guests in a timely and professional manner, handle money/make change, and work with a POS system.
Monitor cleanliness and organization of yoga studio and lobby areas.
Assist on special projects consisting of transferring reservations to new internal booking system and balancing advance deposits

Front desk associate vs front desk attendant 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 front desk attendant skills

Reservations, 17%
Customer Service, 10%
Cleanliness, 10%
Phone Calls, 9%
Work Ethic, 8%
Guest Satisfaction, 5%

Front Desk Associate vs. similar jobs

Front Desk Associate related careers

Front Desk Associate related jobs

Front Desk Associate jobs by location

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Front Desk Associate
Front Desk Associate vs Front Desk Attendant

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs