Guest services agent vs front desk clerk

The differences between guest services agents and front desk clerks can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a guest services agent has an average salary of $29,063, which is higher than the $26,669 average annual salary of a front desk clerk.

The top three skills for a guest services agent include reservations, computer system and hotel services. The most important skills for a front desk clerk are reservations, customer service, and night audit.

Guest services agent vs front desk clerk overview

	Guest Services Agent	Front Desk Clerk
Yearly salary	$29,063	$26,669
Hourly rate	$13.97	$12.82
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	94,858	141,042
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 35%
Average age	37	37
Years of experience	-	-

What does a guest services agent do?

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.

What does a front desk clerk do?

Front desk clerks are responsible for welcoming office guests and accommodating any questions they may have. As their designation suggests, they are usually stationed at the entrance or front of the office. They are often the first company employee that a guest encounters upon reaching the office area. Front desk clerks should be familiar with the office space and the employees of the company so that they can effectively direct guests or visitors. Front desk clerks should also have a copy of the general schedule of appointments or meetings in the office so that they can let in guests accordingly. They also often do most of the administrative or clerical activities needed by the front office. They should have great interpersonal skills, patience, and communication skills.

Guest services agent vs front desk clerk salary

Guest services agents and front desk clerks have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Guest Services Agent	Front Desk Clerk
Average salary	$29,063	$26,669
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $36,000	Between $21,000 And $33,000
Highest paying City	Seattle, WA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Washington	Hawaii
Best paying company	East-West Center	Hilton Grand Vacations
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Retail

Differences between guest services agent and front desk clerk education

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

	Guest Services Agent	Front Desk Clerk
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	High School Diploma, 35%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Guest services agent vs front desk clerk demographics

Here are the differences between guest services agents' and front desk clerks' demographics:

	Guest Services Agent	Front Desk Clerk
Average age	37	37
Gender ratio	Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4%	Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 7.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 10.3% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6%	Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 20.3% Asian, 9.4% White, 51.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between guest services agent and front desk clerk duties and responsibilities

Guest services agent example responsibilities.

Train new associates to Hyatt standards and the most efficient way to accomplish the day's tasks.
Assist customers with booking hotel rooms and handling on-site complaints about rooms, service or billing issues.
Execute strong customer service by facilitating reservations, room amendments on an individual and corporate level, including agencies.
Process special reservation requests in the LMS database.
Maintain room booking lists and directly provide guests with the requested information concerning the facilities locations and surrounding area.
Operate the PBX equipment by accepting incoming calls, assisting outgoing calls, scheduling wake-up calls and supporting room service departments.

Front desk clerk example responsibilities.

Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
Deliver messages and run errands.
Job responsibilities consist of being a cashier, bagging groceries, assisting customers, stocking, cleaning, etc.
Cross-Train and provide back-up for PBX representatives when necessary.
Follow emergency procedures for evacuating property safely via PBX phone.
Advertise Ramada facilities by creating fliers, arranging promotions, and facilitating group reservations.

Guest services agent vs front desk clerk skills

Common guest services agent skills

Reservations, 24%
Computer System, 10%
Hotel Services, 9%
Cash Handling, 7%
Room Reservations, 7%
PBX, 5%

Common front desk clerk skills

Reservations, 36%
Customer Service, 14%
Night Audit, 4%
Computer System, 4%
Room Availability, 4%
Guest Service, 3%

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Guest Services Agent
Guest Services Agent vs Front Desk Clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

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