Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between receptionists and front desk associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a receptionist has an average salary of $30,571, which is higher than the $27,236 average annual salary of a front desk associate.
The top three skills for a receptionist include patients, phone calls and customer service. The most important skills for a front desk associate are phone calls, math, and customer service.
| Receptionist | Front Desk Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $30,571 | $27,236 |
| Hourly rate | $14.70 | $13.09 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 65,671 | 77,432 |
| Job satisfaction | 3 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
Receptionists are employees assigned at the entrances or lobbies of offices. They welcome guests, check identification, issue visitor badges, attend to questions or inquiries, and direct guests to where they are supposed to go. They also receive general mail or packages, answer calls, and manage schedules. Receptionists perform various clerical or administrative functions as assigned by their supervisors. They should have good client relations skills.
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.
Receptionists and front desk associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Receptionist | Front Desk Associate | |
| Average salary | $30,571 | $27,236 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $20,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | New York |
| Best paying company | Gensler | Wyndham Capital Mortgage |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a receptionist and a front desk associate in terms of educational background:
| Receptionist | Front Desk Associate | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 33% | Bachelor's Degree, 43% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between receptionists' and front desk associates' demographics:
| Receptionist | Front Desk Associate | |
| Average age | 42 | 37 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 8.4% Female, 91.6% | Male, 31.3% Female, 68.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 23.5% Asian, 6.1% White, 54.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 6.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 9.3% White, 53.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 13% |