As the first and main point of contact for customers, hotel desk clerks
act as the "face" of the hospitality industry. They register guests, check
them out when they leave and add up their charges owing to the hotel.
In between, they also answer calls, take reservations and respond to guest
complaints or concerns. Depending on the size of the establishment, hotel
desk clerks might also perform some bookkeeping functions, or even help with
housekeeping.
"Generally, as a front desk clerk, you answer a multi-line switchboard,
check guests in and out of the hotel, book reservations, handle any in-house
requests, balance folios [guest bills], enter wake-up calls and post charges,"
says Edward Keenan. He is the front office manager for a motel.
Hotel desk clerks must be prepared for a flexible workday, says Sean Cannard.
He is the front office manager at a hotel in Boston.
"If you're working at the front desk," he explains, "you're working eight-hour
shifts at different times of the day. You're also going to have to work on
weekends and holidays, since a hotel never closes."
Cannard says that hotel desk clerks need to have "a nice, pleasant, patient
demeanor.
"This job is not limited to checking people in and out or answering the
phones," says Skye Dack. Dack is a hotel desk clerk. "On any given night,
you can be a front desk agent, concierge, security, maintenance repair, housekeeping,
seamstress, nurse, mediator -- the list goes on."
Industry gurus have also begun to see hotel desk clerks as potential salespeople.
The educational institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association now
offers a cross-country training program designed to help hotel desk clerks
increase their level of service and sales skills to bring increased profits
to their hotels.
Training to upgrade or add skills "is a big trend" for hotel desk clerks,
says Linda Williams. She works with a tourism council.
"There's quite a labor shortage generally in the whole tourism industry,"
says Williams. "Investing in training helps a company with employee retention,
since employees are likely to stay around longer if they feel they have more
at stake."
Tia Gordon is the marketing and communications coordinator for the American
Hotel and Lodging Association. "Our problem is with recruitment and retention
-- finding and keeping good employees."
Historically, the hotel industry has always accommodated employees with
special needs. "As long as they can do the requirements of the job, there
should be no problem," says Gordon.
The hospitality industry is full of stories of CEOs who began their careers
at the front desk. "It's one of the few industries that you can begin as a
16- or 17-year-old, learn on the job and move up through the ranks," Cannard
points out.