Front desk attendant vs guest service representative

The differences between front desk attendants and guest service representatives can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a front desk attendant has an average salary of $26,874, which is higher than the $26,847 average annual salary of a guest service representative.

The top three skills for a front desk attendant include reservations, customer service and cleanliness. The most important skills for a guest service representative are reservations, guest service, and cleanliness.

Front desk attendant vs guest service representative overview

	Front Desk Attendant	Guest Service Representative
Yearly salary	$26,874	$26,847
Hourly rate	$12.92	$12.91
Growth rate	-	-4%
Number of jobs	107,058	142,302
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age	37	40
Years of experience	-	12

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.

What does a guest service representative do?

A guest service representative is responsible for supporting the front desk operations, assisting guests with their needs, and handling guests' inquiries. Guest service representatives duties' include processing payments, leading the guests to their respective rooms, responding to the guests' requests, escalating high-level complaints, maintaining the cleanliness and orderliness of the common areas, performing administrative duties, and suggesting recommendations for improving the guests' experience. A guest service representative should have excellent customer service and communication skills to increase the business's positive feedback.

Front desk attendant vs guest service representative salary

Front desk attendants and guest service representatives have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Front Desk Attendant	Guest Service Representative
Average salary	$26,874	$26,847
Salary range	Between $20,000 And $35,000	Between $20,000 And $34,000
Highest paying City	Anaheim, CA	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Lone Star Circle of Care	Seattle Seahawks
Best paying industry	Education	Retail

Differences between front desk attendant and guest service representative education

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

	Front Desk Attendant	Guest Service Representative
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 54%	Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Front desk attendant vs guest service representative demographics

Here are the differences between front desk attendants' and guest service representatives' demographics:

	Front Desk Attendant	Guest Service Representative
Average age	37	40
Gender ratio	Male, 35.1% Female, 64.9%	Male, 29.9% Female, 70.1%
Race ratio	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%	Black or African American, 11.8% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 20.2% Asian, 6.5% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	13%	7%

Differences between front desk attendant and guest service representative duties and responsibilities

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

Guest service representative example responsibilities.

Manage department's expenses, complete weekly schedules, oversee payroll accuracy and act as a mentor to fellow supervisors.
Provide energetic and enthusiastic customer service to VIP clientele.
Operate PBX system including mail/message service; for hotel reservations
Handle phone inquiries and phone communications to verify upcoming reservations and pet medical records.
Exhibit exemplary customer service to patients while providing a therapeutic and comfortable environment within the clinic.
Operate machinery for pools and slides and CPR certify

Front desk attendant vs guest service representative skills

Common front desk attendant skills

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

Common guest service representative skills

Reservations, 22%
Guest Service, 15%
Cleanliness, 7%
Good Judgment, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
POS, 4%

Front Desk Attendant vs. similar jobs

Front Desk Attendant related careers

Front Desk Attendant related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Office and Administrative Industry
Front Desk Attendant
Front Desk Attendant vs Guest Service Representative

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse office and administrative jobs