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What does a hotel clerk do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
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Hotel clerk responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real hotel clerk resumes:

  • Manage customer service issues with ease and charm and train other co workers in daily operations.
  • Control all reservations by inputting information to computer.
  • Coordinate reservations; follow room inventory and monetary control.
  • Follow emergency procedures for evacuating property safely via PBX phone.
  • Monitor checkout stations to ensure that they have adequate cash available and that they are staff appropriately.

Hotel clerk skills and personality traits

We calculated that 28% of Hotel Clerks are proficient in Reservations, Front Desk, and LMS. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Integrity, and Interpersonal skills.

We break down the percentage of Hotel Clerks that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Reservations, 28%

    Coordinated reservations; followed room inventory and monetary control.

  • Front Desk, 16%

    Assist customers as a front desk clerk by checking in customers in person or by reservation via telephone.

  • LMS, 10%

    Generate daily reports from the LMS system and reconcile relevant supporting documentation and settlements.

  • Customer Service, 9%

    Managed a variety of customer service and administrative tasks to resolve customer complaints quickly and efficiently.

  • Hotel Services, 7%

    Answered inquiries pertaining to hotel services guest registration and travel directions or make recommendations regarding shopping dining or entertainment.

  • Customer Complaints, 6%

    Provide customer service and time management * Resolving customer complaints * Provide quality service to guests * Evaluate effectiveness of housekeeping

"reservations," "front desk," and "lms" are among the most common skills that hotel clerks use at work. You can find even more hotel clerk responsibilities below, including:

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a hotel clerk to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what hotel clerks do because "information clerks must be able to explain policies and procedures clearly to customers and the public." Additionally, a hotel clerk resume shows how hotel clerks use communication skills: "perform opening procedures utilizing electronic communication, cash register, general office equipment"

Integrity. Many hotel clerk duties rely on integrity. "information clerks, particularly human resources assistants, have access to confidential information," so a hotel clerk will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways hotel clerk responsibilities rely on integrity: "entrusted with guest service experience for hotel with 100 suites. "

Interpersonal skills. hotel clerks are also known for interpersonal skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to hotel clerk responsibilities, because "information clerks who work with the public and customers must understand and communicate information effectively to establish positive relationships." A hotel clerk resume example shows how interpersonal skills is used in the workplace: "used problem solving and interpersonal skills to manage customer complaints. "

Organizational skills. A big part of what hotel clerks do relies on "organizational skills." You can see how essential it is to hotel clerk responsibilities because "information clerks must be able to retrieve files and other important information quickly and efficiently." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical hotel clerk tasks: "maintained successful coordination between hotel guest demands and organizational offerings"

See the full list of hotel clerk skills

The three companies that hire the most hotel clerks are:

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Compare different hotel clerks

Hotel clerk vs. Desk assistant

A desk assistant is primarily responsible for providing customer service support through calls or desk appointments, ensuring client satisfaction. Typically, they are responsible for answering inquiries and correspondence, addressing issues and concerns, troubleshooting, and providing corrective measures or advice when necessary. Should the problems be challenging to handle, one can elevate the matter to a supervising manager. Moreover, a desk assistant may have clerical duties such as processing paperwork, maintaining documentation and a database, managing schedules, and updating systems.

The annual salary of desk assistants is $3,391 lower than the average salary of hotel clerks.Even though hotel clerks and desk assistants are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require customer service, phone calls, and computer system in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between hotel clerks and desk assistant. For instance, hotel clerk responsibilities require skills such as "reservations," "front desk," "cms," and "lms." Whereas a desk assistant is skilled in "residential life," "front desk coverage," "administrative tasks," and "emergency situations." This is part of what separates the two careers.

The education levels that desk assistants earn slightly differ from hotel clerks. In particular, desk assistants are 2.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a hotel clerk. Additionally, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Hotel clerk 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.

Night auditor positions earn higher pay than hotel clerk roles. They earn a $754 higher salary than hotel clerks per year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Hotel clerks and night auditors both require similar skills like "reservations," "customer service," and "hotel services" to carry out their responsibilities.

Each career also uses different skills, according to real hotel clerk resumes. While hotel clerk responsibilities can utilize skills like "front desk," "cms," "lms," and "revenue management system," night auditors use skills like "check-in," "guest service," "cash handling," and "keep management."

On average, night auditors earn a higher salary than hotel clerks. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, night auditors earn the most pay in the real estate industry with an average salary of $31,410. Whereas hotel clerks have higher pay in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $30,719.night auditors earn similar levels of education than hotel clerks in general. They're 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Hotel clerk vs. Front desk associate

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.

On average, front desk associates earn lower salaries than hotel clerks, with a $3,508 difference per year.By looking over several hotel clerks and front desk associates resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "reservations," "customer service," and "hotel services." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, hotel clerks are more likely to have skills like "front desk," "cms," "lms," and "revenue management system." But a front desk associate is more likely to have skills like "math," "basic math," "strong customer service," and "cash handling."

Front desk associates earn the highest salary when working in the hospitality industry, where they receive an average salary of $28,963. Comparatively, hotel clerks have the highest earning potential in the hospitality industry, with an average salary of $30,719.front desk associates typically earn similar educational levels compared to hotel clerks. Specifically, they're 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Hotel clerk vs. Front desk attendant

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 attendants average a lower salary than the annual salary of hotel clerks. The difference is about $3,870 per year.While their salaries may vary, hotel clerks and front desk attendants both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "reservations," "customer service," and "hotel services. "Each job also requires different skills to carry out their responsibilities. A hotel clerk uses "front desk," "cms," "lms," and "revenue management system." Front desk attendants are more likely to have duties that require skills in "cleanliness," "work ethic," "strong work ethic," and "cash handling. "The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for front desk attendants, with average annual pay of $28,734. Comparatively, the highest hotel clerk annual salary comes from the hospitality industry.The average resume of front desk attendants showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to hotel clerks. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 0.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.2%.

Types of hotel clerk

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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