Post job

Hotel associate vs front desk agent

The differences between hotel associates and front desk agents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a hotel associate has an average salary of $32,062, which is higher than the $31,008 average annual salary of a front desk agent.

The top three skills for a hotel associate include taking care, PET and customer service. The most important skills for a front desk agent are reservations, team work, and guest service.

Hotel associate vs front desk agent overview

Hotel AssociateFront Desk Agent
Yearly salary$32,062$31,008
Hourly rate$15.41$14.91
Growth rate--
Number of jobs4,38796,392
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Average age3737
Years of experience--

What does a hotel associate do?

A hotel associate takes care of hotel patrons by registering them and assigning them to rooms. They are expected to give keys and cards to guests, transmit and receive messages, and keep a record of occupied rooms. They may also be in charge of making reservations. Different hotels may assign their associates a variety of other small tasks. However, the associate's primary duty is to ensure that the best services are provided to clients.

What does a front desk agent do?

Front desk agents are usually the first hotel employees that the guest encounters upon entering the hotel. They greet and welcome guests. They are in charge of checking and validating the guests' reservations and issuing their room keys. Front desk agents are responsible for collecting any applicable fees from the guests and ensuring that only the registered guests stay. Front desk agents also coordinate with the housekeeping team and any other team to ensure that the guests' stay is the best.

Hotel associate vs front desk agent salary

Hotel associates and front desk agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

Hotel AssociateFront Desk Agent
Average salary$32,062$31,008
Salary rangeBetween $23,000 And $43,000Between $25,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City-Seattle, WA
Highest paying state-Washington
Best paying company-Brookhaven National Laboratory
Best paying industry-Hospitality

Differences between hotel associate and front desk agent education

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

Hotel AssociateFront Desk Agent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 42%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common college--

Hotel associate vs front desk agent demographics

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

Hotel AssociateFront Desk Agent
Average age3737
Gender ratioMale, 36.5% Female, 63.5%Male, 31.2% Female, 68.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 21.0% Asian, 10.8% White, 51.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.8% Hispanic or Latino, 22.1% Asian, 9.9% White, 50.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage13%13%

Differences between hotel associate and front desk agent duties and responsibilities

Hotel associate example responsibilities.

  • Operate hotel switchboard, take calls and provide information and transfer calls and manage accurate accounting of all rooms.
  • Track future room availability on the basis of reservations, and helps develop forecasts for room revenue and occupancy.
  • Cater to the needs of the pets which include but are not limit to feeding, bathing and cleaning of pet facilities
  • Verify hotel room availability, enter hotel reservations.
  • Operate the switchboard and PBX.
  • Undertake general office duties, including correspondence, emails, filing and switchboard to ensure the smooth running of the hotel.
  • Show more

Front desk agent example responsibilities.

  • Train new associates to Hyatt standards and the most efficient way to accomplish the day's tasks.
  • Work as front desk, PBX, and make error free reservations for a full size hotel consisting of 123 rooms.
  • Welcome guests into the 2nd largest Hyatt in the world.
  • Receive recognition for dependability and a``can-do"attitude.
  • Inform members and guests of current sales and promotions while accounting for an accurate POS drawer
  • Coordinate request for dry cleaning pickup/drop off, pet walking, housekeeping, grocery, delivery, etc.
  • Show more

Hotel associate vs front desk agent skills

Common hotel associate skills
  • Taking Care, 51%
  • PET, 48%
  • Customer Service, 0%
  • Reservations, 0%
  • Guest Satisfaction, 0%
  • Front Desk, 0%
Common front desk agent skills
  • Reservations, 23%
  • Team Work, 8%
  • Guest Service, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
  • Computer System, 4%
  • Guest Satisfaction, 4%

Browse office and administrative jobs