What does a front desk lead do?
A front desk lead acts as the face of an organization, being the first point of contact for visitors. To be a front desk lead means you are responsible for administering and managing workers who work in the front office or reception area, as well as welcoming and taking care of visitors. As a front desk lead, you must possess good communication skills, have good composure, be friendly, be computer literate, have problem-solving skills, along with organizational skills to handle guests.
Front desk lead responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real front desk lead resumes:
- Manage VIP clientele by delivering exceptional customer service while using creative conflict resolution, when necessary.
- Manage confidential information and documentation, including financial data, and credit card information and payroll checks.
- Conduct in-person and telephone customer service, including guest check-in and booking reservations.
- Perform PBX duties in the absence of an operator
- Operate hotel PBX switchboard system and handles professional execution of guest calls, messages and amenities.
- Collect co-payments when necessary and answer any necessary questions if ask by patients.
- Maintain updated patients' records-document patient details including treatments, demographics and personal facts while scheduling appointments.
- Anticipate sold-out situations, identify how many rooms are over-commit; obtain alternative accommodations for guests with reservations.
- Assist customers with setting up classes through MINDBODY.
Front desk lead skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Front Desk Leads are proficient in Reservations, Patients, and Guest Service. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Integrity, and Interpersonal skills.
We break down the percentage of Front Desk Leads that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Reservations, 17%
Conducted in-person and telephone customer service, including guest check-in and booking reservations.
- Patients, 8%
Maintained updated patients' records-documented patient details including treatments, demographics and personal facts while scheduling appointments.
- Guest Service, 8%
Developed a service recovery procedure following hotel compliance procedures, which set foundation for handling guest service requests efficiently.
- Phone Calls, 8%
Provided membership pricing quotes, took client payments, and executed outbound phone calls to increase number of YMCA membership sales.
- Guest Satisfaction, 5%
Attended leadership Guest Satisfaction meeting with management weekly.
- Booking, 5%
Participated in hotels advertisements that assisted in the booking of large companies, helping to increasing hotel's revenue.
Common skills that a front desk lead uses to do their job include "reservations," "patients," and "guest service." You can find details on the most important front desk lead responsibilities below.
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a front desk lead to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what front desk leads do because "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." Additionally, a front desk lead resume shows how front desk leads use communication skills: "performed administrative tasks such as appointment scheduling, filing, and patient communication. "
Integrity. Many front desk lead duties rely on integrity. "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information," so a front desk lead will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways front desk lead responsibilities rely on integrity: "delegated responsibilities conducted facility inspection trusted decision maker handled customer service responsibility kids club assistant supervised and cared for children"
Interpersonal skills. This is an important skill for front desk leads to perform their duties. For an example of how front desk lead responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a front desk lead: "utilized strong interpersonal skills to ensure a high rate of customer satisfaction and retention. ".
Organizational skills. For certain front desk lead responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "organizational skills." The day-to-day duties of a front desk lead rely on this skill, as "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what front desk leads do: "train all new associates, providing them with exceptional customer service skills, organizational skills and work ethic/expectation. "
The three companies that hire the most front desk leads are:
- Vail Resorts41 front desk leads jobs
- Aimbridge Hospitality35 front desk leads jobs
- Planet Fitness11 front desk leads jobs
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Compare different front desk leads
Front desk lead vs. Guest services agent
Guest services agents are the ones who communicate with hotel guests who want to reserve or cancel bookings. Their job includes welcoming guests upon arrival, assigning them their rooms and suites, issuing their room keys, and collecting payment information. They organize housekeeping, transport providers, porters, and kitchen staff to meet the requirements of guests. They also resolve issues and deal with disappointed guests' complaints and coordinate third party services, including taxis, rental cars, tour guides, and airport transfers.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, front desk lead responsibilities require skills like "patients," "booking," "strong customer service," and "payroll." Meanwhile a typical guest services agent has skills in areas such as "cash handling," "room reservations," "customer service," and "relay messages." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Guest services agents earn the highest salaries when working in the hospitality industry, with an average yearly salary of $28,914. On the other hand, front desk leads are paid more in the retail industry with an average salary of $30,411.The education levels that guest services agents earn slightly differ from front desk leads. In particular, guest services agents are 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a front desk lead. Additionally, they're 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Front desk lead vs. Guest service supervisor
A guest service supervisor supervises and trains guest service staff to have a high standard for guest delivery and efficient communication between all service staff. They ensure all guests are assisted with any complaints or service issues, with tour and travel information provided. As a supervisor, they must ensure that all forms and documents/printing going into the suites are accurate at all times and approved by the hotel manager. They must be aware of each guest's name as soon as possible and support guest service staff with queries from guests and control issues with guests when escalated beyond their level of responsibility.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that front desk lead responsibilities requires skills like "patients," "guest service," "phone calls," and "booking." But a guest service supervisor might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "cash handling," "guest expectations," "hotel operations," and "quality guest."
On average, guest service supervisors earn a higher salary than front desk leads. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, guest service supervisors earn the most pay in the retail industry with an average salary of $36,493. Whereas front desk leads have higher pay in the retail industry, with an average salary of $30,411.guest service supervisors earn similar levels of education than front desk leads in general. They're 2.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Front desk lead vs. Night auditor
A Night Auditor is responsible for handling late-night front-desk operations, mostly at hotels or other lodging establishments. Among the primary duties involve greeting guests and handling check-in and check-outs, responding to reservations, process and collect payments, preparing reports and necessary documentation, and attending to the guests' inquiries, requests, and concerns. Furthermore, Night Auditors must also coordinate with day-shift workers to be aware of the daily reports, and as well as oversee the entire establishment's operation to ensure the guest's welfare.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, front desk leads are more likely to have skills like "patients," "booking," "strong customer service," and "payroll." But a night auditor is more likely to have skills like "check-in," "customer service," "cash handling," and "keep management."
Night auditors make a very good living in the real estate industry with an average annual salary of $31,410. On the other hand, front desk leads are paid the highest salary in the retail industry, with average annual pay of $30,411.When it comes to education, night auditors tend to earn similar degree levels compared to front desk leads. In fact, they're 1.1% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Front desk lead vs. Assistant front office manager
An Assistant Front Office Manager welcomes guests and develops high-quality relationships with them throughout their stay. They supervise guest arrivals and departures with the front office executive and managers.
Types of front desk lead
Updated January 8, 2025
